Episode 6: Feeling Numb and Overwhelmed? How Physician Spouses Can Reclaim Emotional Self-Care
Release Date: 07/08/2025
Episode 35: Fair Play Part 3 - Time Equality, Provider Pressure, and Being a True Partner at Home with Dr. Adrian Harvey
Supporting Physician Spouses
In Part 3 of our Fair Play series, Kendra sits down with her husband, Dr. Adrian Harvey, to talk candidly about what it looks like for a physician husband to move from “helping” to complete ownership at home. They unpack the provider-role pressure, the mindset shift required to truly value time equally, and how shared ownership can deepen connection with both spouse and kids, even in a demanding medical career. In this episode, we discuss: Dr. Adrian’s first reaction to Fair Play, and what changed over time What “peer marriage” looks like in a physician household The provider...
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Episode 34: Fair Play in a Physician Marriage, What’s Actually Realistic
Supporting Physician Spouses
Physician families do not need a “perfect” division of labor, they need a realistic one. In Part 2 of our Fair Play conversation, we move from concepts into application and talk about how to make the Fair Play framework work when medicine does not cooperate with routines, predictability, or a normal workweek. We name the reality that 60, 70, 80-hour weeks are not “flexible hours,” and also the important question that follows: when the physician is home, what happens during those hours? We talk about the difference between needing to decompress (human) and becoming consistently...
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Episode 33: The Mental Load in Physician Families: Fair Play Framework Explained
Supporting Physician Spouses
When one partner is working 60, 70, 80+ hours a week, it is easy to default into, “I’ll just handle everything at home.” On the surface, it looks supportive. Over time, it often turns into resentment, disconnection, and a physician who feels like a guest in their own home, while the at-home partner feels like they can never step away from being the household CEO. In Part 1 of our Fair Play series, we break down the core ideas from Fair Play by Eve Rodsky, and translate the framework into the reality of physician family life. This episode is about the concepts and language you need before...
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Episode 32: Honoring Your Seasons: Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Always Work for Physician Spouses
Supporting Physician Spouses
If you’re married to a physician, the “New Year, new you” pressure can feel extra exhausting, especially when your life is already running on a high-demand schedule. In this episode, Kendra and Katie offer you something better than resolutions: permission to honor your current season and work with your real energy, not an arbitrary calendar date. In this episode, we cover Why January 1 can be a terrible “starting line” (and why nature is resting when we’re told to sprint) The seasons framework, using a farming metaphor: Winter: planning, rest, reflection Spring:...
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Episode 31: End-of-Year Wrap Up for Physician Spouses: Favorite Episodes, Listener Stories, and What’s Coming in 2026
Supporting Physician Spouses
If you’re married to a physician and you’ve been holding a lot this year, this one is for you. Katie and Kendra share highlights from our first year, read reviews from listeners, and tease what’s ahead in 2026, including a Fair Play series and conversations about your family’s ecosystem. As we head into a new year, we’re looking back on the first year of the Supporting Physician Spouses podcast, how it began, what resonated most, and what we’re building next. If you’ve been listening quietly, this is your invitation to step closer. Leave a review, send a DM, or email us with what...
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Episode 30: Do We Even Have Traditions? Holiday Life as a Physician Family
Supporting Physician Spouses
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Episode 29: Balancing Holiday Stress and Rest for Physician Spouses
Supporting Physician Spouses
Today we’re talking about the kind of rest physician spouses actually need during the holidays—especially when the whole world seems to slow down while your home ramps up. If you’re carrying the family load while navigating your spouse’s demanding end-of-year schedule, this episode was made for you. Today we’re talking about… Rest—not the “add another task to your list” kind, but the biological, necessary kind that helps you survive and stay present during an already overwhelming season. In this episode, we talk about: The three types of rest most depleted in physician...
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Episode 28: The Solo Holiday Season: What You & Your Family Really Need From You
Supporting Physician Spouses
In this episode, Katie and Kendra talk honestly about what it’s like to attend holiday events solo as a physician spouse. From classroom parties to winter concerts, this season often highlights the unique pressures physician families face. We normalize the mixed emotions, offer simple ways to reduce the pressure to “perform,” and share strategies to stay connected with your partner and present with your kids—even when you’re the only adult who can be there. ✨ Key Takeaways Your presence matters more than perfection. Kids remember how it felt, not whether two parents were in the...
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Episode 27: Making the Season Lighter: A December Re-frame for Physician Spouses
Supporting Physician Spouses
In this honest solo episode, Katie shares what’s coming up for her as December begins—resistance, overwhelm, perfectionism, small-space stress, seasonal energy dips, and the pressure to “make magic” during the holidays. Instead of powering through it, she slows down and walks through the SEE–SAY–FEEL–DO framework in real time to bring intention, clarity, and compassion into the season. If you’re feeling behind, heavy, stretched thin, or unsure how to make the holidays feel good for you, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air. Listen In If You’ve Ever Felt: ...
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Episode 26: Holiday Expectations for Physician Spouses: Ditch the Date, Ditch the Pressure, Keep the Magic
Supporting Physician Spouses
In this episode, Katie and Kendra talk honestly about navigating holidays in medical families—when schedules rarely match the calendar, traditions shift, and expectations don’t go as planned. Listen If You’ve Ever Felt… Sad or frustrated celebrating without your spouse Guilty for not doing “traditional” holidays Tired of explaining your family’s reality Worried your kids are missing out Unsure how to create meaning when nothing feels normal What We Cover The mindset shift that removes holiday pressure Creating flexible, meaningful traditions Splitting...
info_outlineEpisode Summary:
In this first episode of our 3-part series on soul care, we dive into emotional self-care — not the bubble bath kind, but the messy, sacred work of reconnecting with our own emotions.
As physician spouses, it’s easy to become emotionally invisible to ourselves while managing everyone else’s needs. Kendra and Katie share real stories, honest reflections, and practical ways to begin honoring your own emotional needs. Whether you feel emotionally numb, overwhelmed, or simply unsure of how to name what you're feeling — you're not alone.
This episode is an invitation to pause, check in, and start small steps toward emotional awareness.
What We Cover:
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Why emotional self-care is not a luxury but a lifeline
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The unique emotional load carried by physician spouses
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The pattern of becoming emotionally invisible while staying high-functioning
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The tension between supporting your spouse and finding your own identity
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Real stories: from Mother’s Day letdowns to sacred moments of connection
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Why naming your emotions matters (and how most of us skip this step)
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The power of allowing yourself to feel instead of suppressing emotions
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Navigating vulnerability and emotional honesty with others
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How to create safe spaces for emotional conversations with trusted friends
Listener Reflection:
💡 Throughout your day, pause and ask yourself:
"How am I really?"
And if the answer is, “I’m not sure” — that’s okay. That’s where awareness begins.
Mentioned Resources:
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Dr. Sarah Grimmer — Research on physician family wellness and secondary trauma
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Free Download: Self-Care Reflection Worksheet → [Insert Link]
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Podcast Series: Stay tuned for upcoming episodes on Social Self-Care and Spiritual Self-Care
Connect with Us:
📩 Email: hello@supportingphysicianspouses.com
📱 Instagram & Facebook: @supportingphysicianspouses
Next Week:
We continue our soul care series with Social Self-Care — exploring how meaningful connection with others helps sustain us, and how to intentionally build support systems that nourish instead of drain.