Upon returning home from golf on a rare afternoon free of responsibilities, Dr. Beverly Joyce, a busy and beloved OB-GYN, listened to a phone message that would shake her identity and send her on a life-changing journey of self-discovery. That call would instantly help free her from the hidden doubt, guilt, and shame that had plagued her throughout her life.

In The Birth of Joy, Joyce gives readers an intimate view into both her professional and private lives—as a child, a student, a physician, a mother, a daughter, and a coach. She chronicles her most influential life experiences and her journey to today, revealing with raw honesty and vulnerability how she effectively suppressed her childhood traumas while still excelling in her educational and professional endeavors. She describes the pressures of balancing career and family, trying to be the perfect doctor, daughter, wife, and mother, and eventually experiencing extreme burnout at being none of these. Her deep dive into physician wellness, spurred by her own need for healing and change, ultimately led her to discover her truest self and, with it, a deeper calling.

Throughout this deeply revealing and engaging memoir, Joyce attempts to answer the questions so many women physicians have struggled with: Who am I? What do I believe about myself? How do I find meaning and satisfaction in life as a physician and outside? What excites me and keeps me focused on the path ahead?

With honesty and grace in describing her journey, Joyce inspires readers to reflect on their own experiences and to search for and find their most authentic selves.

Barbara Fernandez

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