MY STORY
Hi, I’m Cherie — a pediatrician, lifestyle medicine physician, twin mom and the founder of Doctor Moms Lounge.
A few years ago, while organizing my home office, I came across old photos from residency.
Looking at them brought back memories of the residents lounge — the place where we learned, decompressed, laughed, shared advice, and figured things out together in between the chaos of training.
And it made me realize how much I missed that feeling.
Not just the camaraderie.
It was having people around you who understood what you were going through.
A place to ask questions.
Learn from each other.
Get support when you need it.
Laugh and decompress together after hard days.
And sometimes simply feel less alone in the experience that is medicine.
There was something comforting about knowing you didn’t have to carry everything by yourself.
Fast forward several years, and I found myself navigating a demanding career, life outside of medicine, and the constant feeling that there were too many things to keep up with at once.
Not just work itself.
But all the invisible work surrounding it.
The researching.
The planning.
The logistics.
The mental tabs constantly open in the background.
Like many physicians, I went through a period of burnout.
And over time, I realized that while self-care mattered, the deeper issue often wasn’t a lack of resilience.
It was simply too much on our plates.
I still remember hearing Dr. Nisha Mehta describe physician burnout as a stress fracture — too much stress on normal bone — rather than a problem of people simply needing to become “stronger.”
That idea stayed with me.
Because so many women physicians are already incredibly capable, resourceful, and resilient. What we often need isn’t another productivity hack.
It’s more support.
More breathing room.
That realization became the foundation for what eventually grew into Doctor Moms Lounge and The Breathing Room. I started thinking about all the things quietly draining time and mental energy from our lives:
- → Researching Travel
- → Planning Meals
- → Figuring out what to wear
- → Comparing endless options online
- → Organizing schedules
- → Finding trustworthy recommendations
- → Handling everyday logistics
- → Carrying the mental load of remembering and planning everything
And I thought:
What if there were a place designed not just to give women physicians more information… but to actually help lighten the load?
A place where we could share practical shortcuts, trusted resources, life hacks, and support systems that make everyday life easier.
A place where we could learn from each other, laugh together, and stop feeling like we had to figure everything out alone.
That’s what Doctor Moms Lounge became.
And The Breathing Room grew out of that idea even further — adding real-person VA support, AI tools, coworking sessions, consult access, and practical help designed to make life outside of work feel lighter in a tangible way.
At the end of the day, my goal is simple:
To help women physicians spend less time carrying everything alone — and create a little more breathing room in everyday life.
Does this resonate with you? Join us.
EXPLORE FREE MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Weekly Meal Plans
Receive weekly meal plans which include a shopping list, recipes, and an easy structure for the week.
Use as much or as little as you like — whether you need quick inspiration or something to follow, it’s there to save you time and reduce the mental load.
Curbside Chats
Get an invitation to join select live conversations over Zoom with women physicians sharing practical ways to make life easier.
Think of it like a curbside consult — but for everyday life.
The Bulletin Board
At the bottom of each weekly email, you’ll find a few things worth sharing — small, practical ideas that make life a little easier.
Think of it like a bulletin board in the doctor’s lounge — the kind of thing someone mentions in passing that ends up being surprisingly useful.
When you want a little more support
The Breathing Room
A smaller, more supported space inside Doctor Moms Lounge.
For when you want:
- •A place to think things through
• Help when you need it
• Time set aside to actually get things done
• Support that fits into real life