🌟TL;DR

This week, we sat down with Dr. Betsy Grunch (aka Lady Spine Doc) — one of the few women in spine surgery and a total powerhouse. From balancing 3am emergencies with school drop-offs, to accidentally going viral on TikTok, to building a brand and a badass merch line, Betsy shows us what resilience (and realness) look like.

🎉Neurosurgery Meets Real Life

Forget the stiff, white-coat stereotype. Betsy is bringing full-on honesty: chaos in the OR, guilt in motherhood and the secret sauce that makes her social content hit millions. She’s proof you can be brilliant, messy, funny, and respected all at once.

🎙️Key Takeaways

⚡[02:10] Chaos is the gig
Patients always come first, which means no day goes to plan. Flexibility beats perfection every time.

💔[06:05] Why neurosurgery?
Her mom’s spinal cord injury changed everything. Shadowing surgeons turned grief into grit.

👊[12:20] Thriving in a boys’ club
Naysayers said women couldn’t do it. Betsy said “watch me” — and now shows why women in male-dominated fields change the game.

👩‍👧[16:00] Surgeon + mom = possible
It takes a village: a supportive partner, family backup, outsourcing, and knowing when to say help please.

🚪[19:45] Boundaries = sanity
School runs > pharma dinners. No work messaging after hours (unless it’s life-or-death). Family dinner and bedtime are sacred.

⚖️[23:30] The guilt seesaw
Some days she’s a rockstar surgeon but feels like a flop mom, and vice versa. Balance comes in the averages.

🏋️[27:10] Real self-care
No 5am “that girl” routine here — night-owl basement workouts keep her sane.

👶[30:55] Motherhood + medicine
There’s no perfect time to have kids. Stop waiting for “perfect,” it doesn’t exist.

📲[36:40] Social media accident → empire
Her first TikTok (meant for friends!) went viral. A three-month “experiment” became a movement.

🔥[41:15] When content backfires
Made a misstep once, got death threats — took it down, apologized, moved on. Authenticity > perfection.

🏥[45:20] From “unprofessional” to keynote speaker
Colleagues once DMed “what are you doing?” Now she’s invited to speak at national meetings. Patients feel like they know her.

🎬[51:00] Content strategy IRL
Fun daily moments + one in-depth weekly case study (she still edits herself). Team of four keeps it rolling.

👕[55:35] Merch, but cool
Built a spine-themed fashion line, then helped other creators launch theirs. Collab > competition.

🙅[61:25] Troll policy
Block, ignore, or roast them with content gold. If you post it publicly, expect consequences.

👧[66:05] Kids online (with consent)
They only join content if they want to. No schools, no oversharing — just authenticity that inspires other moms.

🎶[69:10] OR playlist check
Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla — neurosurgery runs on beats.

💌[71:45] Note to her younger self
Perfection is a lie. Mistakes are part of the path. Set boundaries early, protect your mental health, and give yourself grace.

💕 Dr. Grunch shows us that brilliance and chaos can coexist — and that being unapologetically authentic is the real flex.

👉Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to hear all the tea straight from the Lady Spine Doc herself.

Until next week, stay bold✨

xoxo,
The Skin Deep MDs Team