Todd Spencer spent roughly 15 years in the Department of Defense before medicine changed the trajectory of his own career. He met his wife, Amy, while she was in general surgery residency at Detroit Medical Center. Through seven years of residency and research, a surgical ICU fellowship, young children, Q3 call, daycare illnesses, and two demanding careers, Todd often became the parent whose work had to flex when medicine could not. In 2014, the family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Amy became an attending general surgeon and burn surgeon. Todd left the security and benefits of federal employment to prioritize their children and family life—a move that also forced him to rethink his professional identity. He later returned to remote defense work, but when the job required a return to Detroit, he chose Grand Rapids and his family again. That second pivot eventually led him into real estate. Todd and Zoe unpack what physician-family relocation really looks like when the spouse is also sacrificing a career, why community doesn't automatically appear after a move, and how stress from medicine can spill into the home. Todd shares what helped his family recognize and respond when Amy's stress began manifesting physically, including listening without trying to fix everything, creating space to decompress, movement, mindfulness, reading, and time with colleagues. They also get practical about Grand Rapids: the flexibility to live in a walkable neighborhood or a rural setting while maintaining a manageable hospital commute, the draw of East Grand Rapids and Reeds Lake, easy access to Lake Michigan, and why medical families should be honest about the lifestyle they want before narrowing their home search. They Cover What it was like raising young children while Amy completed general surgery residency and surgical ICU fellowship Why Todd left a secure Department of Defense career to support the family’s move to Grand Rapids The identity shift physician spouses can experience when their career becomes the flexible one Why Todd chose family over returning to a Detroit office—and how that led to a second career pivot What Todd wishes had been different about his own 2014 home-buying experience Why the best real estate question is often “why?” rather than simply accepting a buyer’s initial checklist How physician families can build community through kids’ activities, school, the gym, volunteering, and showing up consistently How physician stress and burnout can manifest physically—and the role a spouse can play without trying to solve the unsolvable Why Grand Rapids can work for families who want walkability, water, outdoor recreation, or a more rural lifestyle Todd’s favorite Grand Rapids-area spots, including Ada, Cascade Peace Park, Kirk Park, Butcher’s Union, and Frederik Meijer Gardens What Makes This Episode Different A male physician-spouse perspective on career sacrifice, identity, parenting, and rebuilding after relocation A real estate professional who remembers what it felt like to arrive in Grand Rapids without knowing where his own family should live A candid discussion of physician burnout from the spouse’s side of the relationship A family-first look at housing decisions—where commute, community, lifestyle, schools, and mental bandwidth all matter A local guide to Grand Rapids from someone who has lived the relocation himself and now helps other families navigate it About the Guest Todd Spencer is a licensed real estate agent with Paul Bunce Real Estate in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before entering real estate, Todd studied engineering and spent years working in the Department of Defense. He is married to Amy, an attending general surgeon and burn surgeon, and has experienced the physician-family journey firsthand—from residency and fellowship to raising young children, relocation, career sacrifice, attending life, and building community in a new city. After relocating from Metro Detroit to Grand Rapids in 2014, Todd stepped away from federal service to prioritize his family. Today, he brings that lived experience and an engineer’s detail-oriented mindset to helping families make housing decisions that fit the life they actually want to build. Connect with Todd Spencer Paul Bunce Real Estate Instagram LinkedIn Email Todd About the Show The Moving Medicine Podcast is a space for physicians and physician spouses navigating relocation—not as a transaction, but as a life transition. Hosted by Zoe Taylor, founder of Moving Medicine Partners, the show centers the human side of medical moves and offers clarity, grounding, and shared understanding for families at every stage of the journey. Connect & Follow Moving Medicine Partners Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Email About the Host Zoe Taylor is the founder of Moving Medicine Partners and a real estate agent based in St. Louis who has sat at that kitchen table herself. Through her work supporting medical families across the country, Zoe has seen the unseen labor of relocation up close—and built this podcast to make sure no one has to navigate it feeling invisible, rushed, or alone.
