In this raw and thought-provoking episode of Fem MD, trauma surgeon Dr. Brittany Bankhead sits down with Dr. Lauren Umstattd for an honest conversation about the challenges of being a woman in surgery. Dr. Bankhead opens up about her personal journey to embracing her full identity—not only as a surgeon but as a mother, partner, and woman who has navigated professional toxicity, imposter syndrome, and the emotional weight of caring for patients at their most vulnerable. The two dive into the "arrival fallacy"—the idea that happiness will come once you reach the next milestone—and explore the emotional burden of the “patient graveyard,” the haunting memories of lives lost. Dr. Bankhead also shares the practical and emotional tools she and her husband—a fellow physician—use to juggle two demanding careers, raising two kids, and navigating the complexities of divorce and reconciliation.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Dr. Bankhead

IG: @BBankheadMD

IG: @ModernMomLab

Website: https://www.modernmomlab.com/

Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective

In this powerful and unfiltered debut episode of FEMMD, Dr. Lauren Umstattd—a facial plastic surgeon, business owner, and mother—opens up about the beautiful mess of balancing a high-stakes medical career with motherhood, identity, and ambition.

Lauren speaks candidly about what it means to crave complexity, lean into vulnerability, and challenge societal norms around success, femininity, and parenting. From the raw realities of surgery to the emotional demands of parenting, she doesn’t hold back.

She discusses the guilt many working mothers carry, the myth of perfection in both medicine and parenting, and the power of taking up space unapologetically.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective