#54: He Quit His Career to Stay Home While His Wife Practices Medicine | Chris Herring

Chris Herring spent more than a decade building a successful career in tech. Then he walked away from it to stay home with his two boys while his wife, Dr. Hannah Thompson, practices medicine as an OBGYN. He shares how their family made that decision after their youngest son’s rare genetic diagnosis, what happens to your sense of worth when it’s no longer tied to a title or a paycheck, and why their marriage is in a better place now than it has been in years.The conversation covers what a career in medicine asks of the whole family, staying connected when one job shapes everyone’s life, caring for a child with complex medical needs, why couples grieve differently, and why chasing a big goal of your own matters most when life gets hard. Chris is the co-founder of Other Side Med, a media and community brand for families whose lives are shaped by medicine.Follow Chris Herring and Other Side MedInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theothersidemed/Website: https://www.othersidemed.comChapters0:00 Intro0:44 Why they started Other Side Med3:41 His career in tech6:10 Deciding who stays home13:18 What staying home is really like15:05 Bonding with his boys17:02 Training for his first 70.326:52 Fighting Medicaid for his son’s care28:29 Learning medicine as a parent33:34 Grieving differently as a couple39:24 Fighting for their marriage in residency42:11 What’s next for Chris47:22 Choose your neighbor before your careerCheck out my free newsletter ▶ https://pages.doctorhoeflinger.com/Check out My Book:https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinking** The information in this episode is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this episode is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. Opinions represented on this podcast are our own. **

Dan Vinson climbed El Capitan, the 3,000-foot granite wall in Yosemite, in a single 31-hour push, including working across the wall in darkness at 3 a.m. He talks about what kept him going once turning back was no longer an option, the difference between fearlessness and courage, and why the scariest things are often the ones most worth doing.Dan is the founder of Wild Gym. He walked on at Georgetown and got cut before earning a starting spot his senior year, spent five seasons as a wilderness ranger and wildland firefighter, and once did pull-ups hanging under a hot air balloon that set off 911 calls and went viral. He also shares why he stepped back from risky climbing to coach his daughter's softball team, what almost three weeks alone in the wilderness taught him, and how to start rucking without letting gear get in the way.I'm proudly partnered with Wild Gym and you can get 20% off the ruck I use here: https://wildgym.com/hoeflingerFollow Dan on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilddanvinsonChapters0:00 Intro0:44 Walking on and getting cut at Georgetown8:16 Building a gym out of logs and rocks9:54 From wildland firefighter to founder11:22 Pull-ups under a hot air balloon15:32 Climbing El Capitan in 31 hours20:33 Type two fun: why hard things are worth it25:12 How we found Wild Gym31:08 Why Dan designed his own ruck36:03 Go outside, move your body, eat real food41:19 Almost three weeks alone in the wilderness46:00 Fatherhood and giving up risky climbing54:12 Life without a phone signal61:07 Kids, screens, and school Chromebooks64:08 Creating vs. consuming69:07 How to start ruckingCheck out my free newsletter ▶ https://pages.doctorhoeflinger.com/Check out My Book:https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinkingCheck out all of my links: https://linktr.ee/doctorhoeflinger** The information in this episode is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this episode is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. Opinions represented on this podcast are our own. **

Pediatrician Dr. Whitney Casares shares the advice from a therapist that changed how she makes decisions as a parent: turn one mirror in. She also explains why social media has made parenting harder, how the algorithm rewards fear, and what she lets slide as a doctor, author, and mom of two.Dr. Casares is a board-certified pediatrician practicing in Portland, Oregon, and the founder of Modern Mommy Doc. She started out as a journalism major who dreamed of being the next Sanjay Gupta, then turned the Facebook posts she wrote for parents into books with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her newest book is Raising Body-Confident Kids.Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 https://nuropod.com/hoeflingerFollow Dr. Whitney CasaresInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmommydoc/Website: https://modernmommydoc.comRaising Body-Confident Kids: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/booksChapters0:00 Intro0:35 From journalism to pediatrics3:21 Why she wrote about body confidence7:13 Why doctors belong on social media9:14 How she handles doing it all12:19 Why kids always want mom16:34 How Modern Mommy Doc started18:40 Writing without a filter21:31 Authenticity over follower counts25:53 How social media made parenting harder26:54 A day in her life32:19 Logging off at school pickup40:56 Jealousy and why all ships rise46:45 Her best advice: turn the mirrors inCheck out my free newsletter ▶ https://pages.doctorhoeflinger.com/Check out My Book:https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinkingCheck out all of my links: https://linktr.ee/doctorhoeflingerThe Hoeflinger Podcast** The information in this episode is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this episode is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. Opinions represented on this podcast are our own. **

Dr. Alex De Souza is a plastic surgeon and anatomy professor with over three decades of experience. He was already a fully trained in Brazil, but to practice in the U.S. he had to start over as a first-year surgery resident. So he ended up completing 14 years of residency in total.In this episode, he explains why he's "not a magician," why he believes 80% of a surgical result depends on the patient, and why beauty is really health you can see. He also shares what flying a helicopter from California to Brazil taught him about preparation, and the five-step rule that took him from the Brazilian countryside to Miami.Follow Dr. De Souza: https://www.instagram.com/dralexdesouzamd/Website: https://mendietamd.com/dr-alex-de-souza-photo-upload/Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 https://nuropod.com/hoeflingerChapters0:00 Intro0:52 From Brazil to Miami2:09 Doing residency twice5:38 Relearning medicine in a new language9:06 Flying helicopters12:45 Why anatomy is a surgeon's GPS14:11 The biggest misconception about plastic surgery18:19 What a Brazilian butt lift actually is20:23 Why 80% of results depend on the patient21:44 Where plastic surgery is headed27:20 Prevention, longevity, and Brian Johnson32:15 Fathers, sons, and family in medicine36:39 What AI means for all of us40:01 A typical day and his five-step ruleCheck out my free newsletter ▶ https://pages.doctorhoeflinger.com/Check out My Book:https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinkingCheck out all of my links: https://linktr.ee/doctorhoeflingerThe Dr. Hoeflinger Podcast** The information in this episode is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this episode is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. Opinions represented on this podcast are our own. **

Dr. Hoeflinger and his son Kevin are training for the Michigan Half Ironman. In this episode they break down what a 70.3 and shorter triathlon distances actually involve, how to handle the swim if open water makes you nervous, how to fuel so the run doesn't fall apart, and why these challenges are worth doing at any age. Dr. Hoeflinger did his first triathlon at 52 while working full time in neurosurgery.Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 https://nuropod.com/hoeflingerChapters0:00 Intro1:44 What a 70.3 and a full Ironman actually are5:00 Why do something this hard8:40 Swim strategy for open water11:40 Transitions and race day prep13:07 Fueling, hydration, and pacing22:05 Crossing the finish line24:20 You don't need the expensive gear26:23 Training as a full-time neurosurgeon30:42 Start with a sprintCheck out my free newsletter ▶ https://pages.doctorhoeflinger.com/Check out My Book:https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinkingCheck out all of my links: https://linktr.ee/doctorhoeflingerThe Dr. Hoeflinger Podcast** The information in this episode is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this episode is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. Opinions represented on this podcast are our own. **

Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 https://nuropod.com/hoeflingerNicotine reaches your brain in 10 to 15 seconds, and that speed is most of the reason it's so hard to quit.Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, a board-certified neurosurgeon, and his son Kevin get into what nicotine actually does in the brain, why the body builds more receptors the more you use, and why that makes tolerance and withdrawal close to inevitable. They also talk through what's in vape aerosol beyond the flavoring, why the routine around smoking can be as hard to break as the chemical dependency, and why willpower alone has such a poor track record compared to quitting with support. Dr. Hoeflinger shares what smoking did in his own family, including the difference between his father, who never quit, and his father's brother, who did.Resources if you're trying to quit:1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), free national quitline that routes to your state programsmokefree.gov, quit plans and tools from the National Cancer InstituteText DITCHVAPE to 88709, free text support built specifically for quitting vapinglung.org/quit-smoking, American Lung Association Freedom From SmokingCheck out my free newsletter ▶ https://pages.doctorhoeflinger.com/ Check out My Book:https://doctorhoeflinger.com/products/the-night-he-died-the-harsh-reality-of-teenage-drinkingCheck out all of my links: https://linktr.ee/doctorhoeflingerThe Dr. Hoeflinger Podcast** The information in this episode is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this episode is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. Opinions represented on this podcast are our own. **

Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 nuropod.com/hoeflingerMost of us spend a third of our lives asleep with no idea what's actually happening. This episode walks through all four stages of sleep, what the brain is doing in each one, and why the order matters. How light hitting the back of your eye starts the whole process, why stage two works like a librarian shelving the day's memories, what gets repaired during deep sleep, and why your body paralyzes itself while you dream.Then the practical side. Why so many people wake up around 2 AM, what alcohol and late caffeine actually do to sleep quality, whether you can train yourself to need less sleep, and why being consistent beats trying to optimize everything.

Dr. Jeremy Alland is the head primary care team physician for the Chicago Bulls and also works with the White Sox and Chicago Fire, but he never planned on being a doctor at all. He was doing lab research in college and assumed he'd end up in pharmaceuticals, until he realized he got his energy from people instead of petri dishes. He talks about finding non-operative sports medicine almost by accident, and the six years he spent with the G League's Windy City Bulls before getting called up to the NBA.In this episode, we discuss what caring for professional athletes actually looks like day to day, where regenerative medicine and PRP really stand right now, why strength training is the most effective thing in all of orthopedics, and what's happened to youth sports over the past twenty years.Check out Dr. Alland on social media 👉 https://www.instagram.com/jeremyallandmd

Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 nuropod.com/hoeflingerCheck out Dr. Qureshi on social media 👉 https://www.instagram.com/furhanqureshimd/Dr. Furhan Qureshi is a board-certified internist, U.S. Air Force reservist, and one of the early pioneers of telehealth medicine. In this episode, he and Dr. Hoeflinger get into what's really pushing doctors out of medicine, how the business side of healthcare is changing what it means to be a doctor, and what it was actually like treating COVID patients on the front lines while the rest of the world stayed home.

Try Nuropod for 5% off with a 30 day money back guarantee 👉 nuropod.com/hoeflingerCheck out Dr. Jagannathan on social media 👉 https://mi-neurosurgery.comDr. Jay Jagannathan was an electrical engineering student with no doctors in his family when he decided he was going to become a neurosurgeon. Today he runs a multi-location private practice in Michigan and has built one of the larger neurosurgery presences on social media.In this episode, two neurosurgeons get candid about the path into the field, what private practice actually looks like, AI’s role in the OR, and whether surgery is a young person’s game.