The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

In this episode, I sit down with Shannon Watts to talk about something so many parents and caregivers quietly wrestle with, how to stay fired up in the middle of responsibility, burnout, and the weight of shoulds.

Shannon is the founder of Moms Demand Action and the author of Fired Up, and our conversation goes far beyond advocacy. We talk about identity, purpose, and what happens when women are taught to put obligation ahead of desire for most of their lives. This episode is about what it looks like to reconnect with yourself, not by blowing up your life, but by getting honest about what matters.

Topics we cover include:


Why so many women are taught to fulfill obligations before desires


How guilt, fear, and perfectionism drain motivation


The difference between purpose and being purposeful


Imposter syndrome and fear of public failure


Parenting, fulfillment, and modeling self trust for kids


Community as a key part of sustainable change


Why wanting more does not mean you are ungrateful

To connect with Shannon Watts follow her on Instagram @shannonrwatts, check out all her resources at https://shannonwatts.org/home/ and buy her book “Fired Up” https://www.firedupbook.com/. 

00:00 – Choosing Hope Over Cynicism
00:38 – Why This Conversation Matters Right Now
01:31 – Meet Shannon Watts
02:55 – Staying Fired Up Without Burning Out
03:36 – Leaving California and Finding Community
05:55 – Talking Across Differences
07:17 – Why Women Feel Stuck in Obligation
08:35 – The Moment Everything Changed
10:22 – Desire vs Obligation
12:45 – It Is Never Too Late
15:13 – Rethinking Legacy and Guilt
18:06 – What Kids Really Learn From Us
20:12 – Losing Forward and Redefining Failure
23:21 – Handling Blowback and Shame
25:27 – Imposter Syndrome and Being the First
27:59 – Values, Abilities, and Desires
32:18 – Finding Your People
37:22 – Parenting, Purpose, and Modeling Fire
40:48 – The First Step to Living on Fire
42:51 – Final Reflections

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parenting already asks a lot of us. So why does it feel like our generation is carrying so much more pressure, doubt, and noise?

In this Follow-Up episode, I’m revisiting one of our most listened-to conversations, a real, late-night talk with my husband Gaurav that hit a nerve for so many parents. We talk honestly about how comparison culture, constant advice, and fear of getting it wrong have made parenting feel heavier than it needs to be.

We Talk About


Why our generation feels intense pressure to parent “the right way”


How social media and constant access to other people’s lives fuels comparison


Why more information does not always lead to more confidence


How external voices can drown out parental intuition


The problem with chasing a narrow definition of success for our kids


Why perfection is not only impossible, but unnecessary


How reconnecting with yourself can quiet parenting anxiety


What it really means to be “doing your best” as a parent

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this solo episode, I am opening up about a big life change. I recently resigned from my clinical job. On paper it may sound simple, but the story under it holds a lot of layers, emotion, and growth.

I talk about what led to my decision, what it brought up from my childhood, and how this shift is changing the way I raise my kids. If you grew up chasing safety, grades, or approval, parts of this will feel familiar.

I get into:


Why leaving a “stable” job can feel scary even when it is the right move


Growing up with fear of failure and how that shaped my choices


How the healthcare system wore me down over time


The grief that comes with leaving patients, residents, and a place that shaped me


Panic, burnout, and the signs your body gives you before your mind catches up


How I want my kids to think about failure, risk, and self trust


Why security matters and why quitting is not always simple or possible


What it means to choose alignment even when fear is in the room

Check out more on Poppins as I step into a new role there 

00:00 – What Bravery Really Means
01:06 – Welcome and Finding Joy Returns
02:35 – Growing Up With Fear of Failure
03:48 – Why Medicine Felt Safe
04:25 – Burnout and Losing Alignment
04:46 – Building PedsDocTalk
05:31 – Signs It Was Time to Leave
06:45 – Choosing Risk and Entrepreneurship
07:46 – Grief, Loyalty, and Letting Go
09:09 – When the System Moves On Without You
09:53 – Breaking Generational Patterns
10:15 – What I Want My Kids to Learn
11:44 – Choosing Yourself Despite Uncertainty
12:45 – Questions to Find Your Own Alignment
13:30 – Closing and What’s Next

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Follow-Up episode, Dr. Mona revisits one of the most downloaded PedsDocTalk conversations, her discussion with Dr. Loretta Breuning on how rewards and threats shape a child’s brain.

They break down why yelling, pleading, and bribing often backfire, and how attention itself can accidentally reinforce behaviors parents want to stop. You will hear why giving in after resistance makes behaviors stronger over time, and how inconsistency trains kids to escalate.

This episode focuses on building healthier reward pathways with clarity and consistency, without fear, shame, or constant power struggles. If certain parenting moments feel stuck on repeat, this conversation helps explain why and what to do differently.

Want more? Listen to the original, full episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are never wrong for being worried about your child. You are allowed to ask questions, ask for help, and ask for another set of eyes. Advocacy is not confrontation, it is care. And the doctors caring for your family are human too, carrying both expertise and emotion into every room they enter.

In this episode, I sit down with pediatric ER physician and creator Dr. Beachgem for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about what families often misunderstand about emergency care, how to advocate for yourself and your child in the hospital, and what it really looks like to practice medicine on both sides of the stretcher.

And yes, we also talk about The Pitt, why it resonates so deeply with healthcare workers, and why humanizing medicine matters more than ever.

We discuss:

• What pediatric ER doctors really want parents to know before walking into the ER • Why waiting in the ER does not mean no one cares • How and when to advocate for a second opinion in the hospital • What “Condition H” or rapid response means for patients and families • How social media has changed how doctors listen to patients • Why ER doctors often see risk differently than outpatient pediatricians • Common injuries ER doctors wish families understood better • The emotional toll of emergency medicine and how clinicians cope • Why humanizing doctors matters for the future of healthcare • What gives hope in a system that feels broken

To connect with Dr. Beachgem follow her on Instagram @dr.beachgem10 and check out all her resources at linktr.ee/beachgem10 

00:00 – The emotional weight ER doctors carry01:00 – Why this episode, and why The Pitt hits so hard02:40 – What medical dramas get right (and wrong) about the ER03:45 – Meet Dr. Beachgem, training, career, and why she creates content07:30 – Burnout, misinformation, and why showing up online matters09:20 – Advocacy as a patient, when speaking up saves lives12:50 – Condition H and how to ask for a second opinion in the hospital14:05 – What parents often misunderstand about ER wait times16:15 – Triage explained, why waiting doesn’t mean no one cares18:15 – Risk colored glasses, injuries ER doctors never forget22:00 – Trampolines, e-bikes, helmets, and real-world safety patterns26:10 – Why The Pitt humanizes medicine better than most shows31:00 – COVID flashbacks, grief, and emotional survival in the ER36:35 – Coping with loss, compartmentalization, and burnout43:30 – What gives ER doctors hope, and a message for parents

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices