Dr. Heather Doty’s DPC Journey
In this episode of DPC Life, I talk with Dr. Heather Doty of Crossroads Health and Wellness about her unexpected twists and triumphs in Direct Primary Care. Heather shares how she launched her practice in North Carolina—only to be called to move her family (and start all over again) in Florida just a month later.
Heather is a family physician, pastor’s wife, and mom of six in a beautifully blended family, including two adopted teens from Ukraine. She opens up about:
Building her DPC without debt, starting with house calls and a “go bag”
The challenge of balancing motherhood, homeschooling, and practice ownership
Protecting boundaries with patients, scheduling, and family life
The loneliness and discouragement she felt in year one—and how mentorship helped her push through
Why she added hormone consults to her practice, and how that work has become both fun and deeply rewarding
Her best advice for moms (and all doctors) thinking about the leap into DPC
Dr. Doty reminds us that DPC is a “different kind of hard”—but the hardest day in DPC is still better than the hardest day in fee-for-service medicine. Her encouragement is heartfelt: lean on the community, find a mentor, and don’t give up.
Resources mentioned in this episode
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Crossroads Health and Wellness – Dr. Doty’s practice in Florida and North Carolina
DPC Women’s Facebook Group – community support for female physicians in DPC (This is a hidden group and you need an invite to get in, so reach out to me if you want to join the group.)
Heather Hirsch MD / Menopause & Midlife Health Academy – hormone and midlife health training
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