My DPC Story

If you run a Direct Primary Care clinic, you’ve probably asked: What happens to my family if I can’t work for months? In this episode, Zion HealthShare President Ashton Casper and DPC practice administrator Camila Guerrero share how medical cost sharing works, what “coverage” can look like without insurance, and how Zion pairs with DPC. 

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In celebration of Black History Month and Heart Health Month, we're re-airing our powerful conversation with Dr. Gabrielle Williams, founder of Gateway Direct Health in Georgia. Dr. Williams shares her inspiring journey from severe burnout in fee-for-service medicine where she dreaded waking up each morning to discovering Direct Primary Care as her "second chance into medicine." As the first person in her family to a...

Most physicians are trained to manage what’s in front of them.

What we’re rarely taught is how to step far enough back to ask whether the direction itself still makes sense.

In this January Reset re-air, I’m bringing back my conversation with Dr. Neal Douglas, a family medicine physician at Heritage Family Medicine in Hood River, Oregon.

Dr. Douglas shares openly about building a successful career that slowly drifted out of alignment ...

Not all misalignment shows up as exhaustion.

Sometimes medicine works - the protocols are correct, the outcomes are acceptable - and yet something essential feels missing.

In this January Reset re-air, I’m revisiting my conversation with Dr. Meena Julapalli, a pediatric dermatologist whose work spans direct care, creativity, and healing.

Dr. Julapalli speaks honestly about practicing inside systems that prioritize efficiency and algor...

At the start of a new year, many physicians don’t feel burned out, they feel unsettled.

In this January Reset re-air, I’m bringing back my conversation with Dr. Cindy Dafashy, a family medicine physician who opened her direct primary care practice directly out of residency.

This episode isn’t about how quickly she launched or whether her path should be copied. It’s about the distinction she names so clearly between being clinically p...

This episode is a homecoming!!!

As part of our January Reset Series, we’re re-airing a powerful conversation with four physicians from three specialties who each share a one-year update on their Direct Primary Care journeys.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

• Dr. Christina Much and Dr. Jake Much (Family Medicine) founders of Defiant DPC who are sharing about growth beyond expectations and how they planned maternity leave without pan...

This is a great episode to listen to and send to a Med Student or Resident you may know! In this episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Debbie Lupeika, Director of the UC Davis Network of Affiliated Family Medicine Residency Programs, moderates a graduate panel featuring leading family physicians sharing their diverse career journeys post-residency within the UC Davis Network of Family Medicine residencies. From rural practi...

In this My DPC Story Patreon episode, Dr. Ashlee Hendry of Mid South DPC in Petal, Mississippi, for an inspiring update on her Direct Primary Care journey. Nearly four years after her clinic’s rapid growth, Dr. Ashlee Hendry discusses the evolution of healthcare access in her community, the power of patient advocacy, and the impact of price transparency. She shares invaluable business tips on scaling her practice, hiring staff, and...

In today's episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion and guest Dr. Amber Beckenhauer reflect on the transformative landscape of Direct Primary Care (DPC) as 2025 ends and 2026 approaches. They discuss critical updates like HR1 and HSA regulations, sharing insights on how legislative changes, practice resources, and evolving patient needs are shaping the future of DPC clinics. Both physicians explore topic...

A Letter From Me to You

As we close out 2025, I wanted to take a moment to speak directly to you - doctor to doctor, human to human.

This episode is a little different. It’s a twist on ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, written as a reflection of our shared journey as physicians. It honors not only the work we do in exam rooms and inboxes, but also the quiet, unseen work that happens in kitchens, cars, call rooms, and living rooms - t...

Today Dr. Demetrio Aguila, a Direct Care surgeon and Host of the Direct Care Movement Podcast interviews the Host of My DPC Story, Dr. Maryal Concepcion.  For those listeners new to the podcast, or for those who are always happy to hear a DPC doctor talk about before and after opening a DPC, today you get to hear some of our Host's back story. Dr. Concepcion, a family physician and DPC pioneer in rural California, shares her j...

Today Dr. Emily Holt, a Direct Primary Care (DPC) physician based in New Orleans, shares her inspiring journey from working in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and university clinics to opening her own DPC practice amidst a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. The discussion dives deep into the effects of the "one big beautiful bill," the challenges facing marginalized communities following recent legislative ...

Today’s episode is one of the most important conversations we’ve had on My DPC Story. As of July 4th, we are standing at a true inflection point for Direct Primary Care—and for every physician, employer, broker, advocate and patient who believes primary care should be personal, accessible, and free from insurance middlemen.

In this special session, I’m joined by Jay Keese, Executive Director of the Direct Primary Care Coalition, who...

Today we hear from Dr. Maria Rutmann, founder of Lionheart Direct Primary Care in northern Maine. She discusses the transformative power of the Direct Primary Care (DPC) clinic model as physician burnout and healthcare system challenges escalate nationwide. Dr. Rutmann shares her journey from working in a traditional fee-for-service hospital group - where mounting administrative demands and loss of autonomy led to emotional exhaust...

In this episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion interviews Dr. Sarah "Sassy" Weinstein, a triple board-certified physician in family, sports, and lifestyle medicine. Hear how Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein turned personal health experiences - including Lyme disease and sports injuries - into a compassionate approach for patient care. Discover why she left insurance-driven medicine for a direct specialty...

In today's episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion welcomes Dr. Stephanie Lucero, the pioneering founder of Northern New Mexico’s first Direct Primary Care (DPC) clinic, Hometown Doc, LLC. Dr. Lucero shares her journey from growing up in the Pojoaque (Puh-Wah-Kee) Valley to becoming a board-certified family physician deeply committed to her local community. The conversation dives into DPC’s benefits ove...

Today's episode features Dr. Rob Lamberts, one of Georgia’s early pioneers in Direct Primary Care (DPC). After nearly two decades in traditional insurance-based practice and facing severe burnout, Dr. Lamberts shares his journey opening his DPC practice in 2013—one of Georgia’s first. He discusses the challenges of the fee-for-service model, the healing power of direct physician-patient relationships, and the benefits of membe...

In today's episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion interviews Dr. Isabel Amigues, the first Direct Specialty Care rheumatologist in Colorado and founder of Unabridged MD in Denver. Dr. Amigues shares her inspiring journey through training in both France and the US, and how surviving stage 4 metastatic breast cancer transformed her medical approach. Blending Western medicine with holistic healing techniq...

This weekend Maryal spoke at the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows event in Washington, D.C. about the growing impact of the Direct Primary Care clinic model in combating physician burnout and promoting sustainable, relationship-based healthcare, so the next main episode will drop next Sunday. 

This episode continues to spotlight the latest issue of “The Toolkit,” a free DPC magazine curated by My DPC Story, designed to supp...