☕ Coffee Playdate Podcast: Mother’s Day Special – Real Talk on Being a Mom in Medicine

Happy Mother’s Day! Dr. Olga sits down with fellow hospitalist and mom Dr. Zeel Shah for a heartfelt, no-filter conversation about what it really looks like to balance medicine and motherhood. From 7-on-7 hospitalist shifts and pumping at work to mom guilt, supportive partners, and creating boundaries, they share the honest highs, lows, and practical strategies that help them show up for both their patients and their kids.

Zeel opens up about her first year as an attending while navigating a new baby, rural hospital leadership, and finding work-life integration. Olga shares her own journey with three young boys across different career stages. Together they talk mindset shifts, the power of supportive teams at home and work, and why it’s okay to redesign your life when it no longer fits.

This episode is warm, relatable, and full of encouragement for any physician mom (or anyone juggling big dreams and little humans).

More on Dr. Zeel Shah @zeelshahmd on her YouTube channel for day-to-day rural medicine, residency life and medical missions on Instagram @zeelshahmd for hospital insights and mom life on TikTok and Facebook for quick tips + vlogs (@zeelshahmd). Visit her website at https://www.zeelshahmd.com/ or reach her at zeelshahmd@gmail.com.
Hashtags #MothersDay #PhysicianMom #MomInMedicine #HospitalistLife #WorkLifeIntegration #PhysicianWellness #CoffeePlaydatePodcast

Timelines

• 00:27 – Welcome & Mother’s Day intro
• 01:16 – Dr. Zeel Shah’s background
• 02:42 – A typical day on service as a hospitalist mom
• 08:00 – How Zeel balances it all (work-life integration)
• 11:15 – Breathwork, affirmations & switching gears
• 13:41 – The hardest parts people outside medicine don’t see
• 17:45 – Handling mom guilt & missing moments at home
• 22:37 – Support systems that actually matter
• 28:17 – Advice for future physician moms
• 32:40 – Closing thanks

🔗 WATCH + LISTEN

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💬 Subscribe & Share! If this conversation touched you, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, or Deezer and share it with a fellow doctor or healthcare friend who might need to hear it. One intentional step at a time ✨ — Dr. Olga Deengar, Coach Olga MD © 2026 Coach Olga MD. All rights reserved.