Reinventing Herself After the Move — A Physician Spouse's Honest Story — Ep17

This episode is sponsored by Bob at Truist, who works closely with physicians and medical families navigating big financial decisions — especially around relocation, home buying, and long-term planning. If you're making a move, stepping into a new role, or just want clarity around how your money fits into your life, Bob brings a calm, strategic approach that's built for people with complex careers. You can connect directly with Bob — http://www.truist.com/bob.hall — Episode Summary Leslie Mathews has worn a lot of hats — brain injury speech pathologist, attorney, health administrator, photographer, physician spouse, and now therapist, coach, and podcast host. Her path through her now ex-husband's training years, a relocation to the Tampa Bay area for his first attending role, and the long process of rebuilding her own career on the other side of divorce is a story most physician families will recognize: the year apart while one spouse went ahead, the rushed home purchase that became a years-long renovation, and the slow erosion of identity that comes when a hard-earned career gets shelved for the family's needs. Now based in St. Petersburg, Florida and working with women navigating divorce, career pivots, and trauma recovery, Leslie talks openly about what she'd do differently — and what she wants every physician spouse to hear. Host Zoe Taylor and Leslie cover the residency-era condo purchase, the site-unseen pressure of the first attending move, the gutted Florida house that nearly broke them, and the grief of selling a home you raised your kids in. They cover: Why a one-year geographic separation between training and the first attending year is one of the most underestimated risks in physician relocation The 'we'll just gut it' trap — buying a home before you know the city, the contractors, or the climate Why physician families often buy too fast at the attending stage, and the average tenure at a first job that should change the math The identity erosion of the physician spouse — and the body's quiet warning signs (inflammation, autoimmune flares, migraines) that something is off Buying a house to feel rooted, and how a major renovation can pile pressure onto a family already running on fumes Grieving the family home: why selling can feel like a third party in a divorce, and why it's often the cleanest path forward How nervous-system literacy and modalities like EMDR and Internal Family Systems are changing the way she works with couples and individuals What Makes This Episode Different A physician spouse who has lived every stage — the training years, multiple fellowships, the geographic split, the attending-year reset, and the rebuild on the other side A therapist's lens on the real estate decisions physician families make under pressure — and the ones they later wish they could undo Honest talk about the 'doctor's wife' identity, the loneliness behind the curated life, and why 'at least you have a beautiful house' is the wrong response A reframing of the home as a nervous-system regulator — what it means when parts of your house feel peaceful and parts don't Practical guidance for spouses standing at a crossroads, whether that's a career pivot, a relocation, or a season of personal reinvention About the Guest Leslie Mathews is a licensed psychotherapist, non-practicing attorney, and host of the Pulling Threads podcast. She began her career as a speech therapist specializing in brain injury and trauma before pivoting into healthcare law, earning a JD and a Master's in Health Administration from Saint Louis University. After fifteen years of marriage to an interventional cardiologist and a season of stepping back from her career to raise her family, Leslie returned to school during her divorce — pursuing training in health coaching, mindfulness, and clinical social work, and earning her MSW. Today, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Leslie runs The LooM Life, where she offers therapy, coaching, and a unique form of divorce support. She works with women going through divorce and big life transitions, as well as physician and physician-spouse clients navigating the pressures of medical careers and family life. Her clinical work draws on EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and polyvagal theory. Her mission, in her own words: to help people live more peaceful, grounded lives. Connect with Leslie 🎙️ Podcast: Pulling Threads 🏢 Practice: The LooM Life 📍 Location: St. Petersburg, Florida 🌐 Website: theloomlife.com 📸 Instagram: @the.loom.life 🎵 TikTok: @parandpeace 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lesliemathewsmsw ✉️ Email: [email protected] 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 🌐 Website: movingmedicinepartners.com 📸 Instagram: @movingmedicinepartners 📘 Facebook: Moving Medicine Partners 💼 LinkedIn: Moving Medicine Partners ✉️ Email: [email protected] 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.