Thriving on Her Own Terms: How Dr. "Sassy" Weinstein Built a Direct Specialty Care Practice Blending Sports, Lifestyle, and Autonomy
- Maryal Concepcion
- 12 hours ago
- 6 min read
Reflecting on the Path to Freedom, Fulfillment, and Innovation in Direct Primary & Specialty Care
For many physicians feeling stifled by the traditional healthcare system, Direct Primary Care (DPC) and its offshoots offer a tantalizing opportunity: practicing medicine on your own terms, with time and purpose restored. But how, exactly, do you transition from burnout or restriction to building a practice—and life—that truly reflects your passion?
Dr. Sarah "Sassy" Weinstein’s journey, as explored in her interview on the My DPC Story podcast, is a masterclass in self-awareness, strategic pivots, and tailored care. In her story, DPC’s promise of time, authenticity, and connection comes alive - not from theory, but through lived experience.
Read about her insights and journey, offering reflections and concrete lessons for fellow physicians considering or evolving their own DPC or DSC (Direct Specialty Care) path. Whether you’re an established DPC doc longing for a change, or in the early stages of breaking free from fee-for-service, let Sassy’s story inspire - and equip - you for your next move.
Knowing Your Worth: The First Step Toward Professional Autonomy
Stepping away from the insurance-driven model is challenging. As Dr. Weinstein shares, the decision begins with a gut check about your satisfaction and worth:
"For me, it was just taking a step back and realizing this is not what I want to be doing and I'm not happy and I'm not satisfied doing this and remembering how valuable your worth is and making sure that you feel really good about what you're doing...It's so incredibly rewarding when you finally get to be working towards something that you absolutely love doing and that you are so passionate about." — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
That feeling—knowing deep down that something isn't right—was her early warning sign. Even though the “golden handcuffs” of salary and stability in a large orthopedic group were alluring, she was never at home in a productivity-based model. She needed freedom to practice in a way that reflected her values and training.
Reflective questions for your own journey:
What parts of your day or practice genuinely energize you—and which parts drain you?
How often do you feel your medical expertise or empathy is restricted by time or billing codes?
Do you recognize your worth apart from external markers like RVUs or administrator praise?
Drawing On Personal History to Shape Her Care Model
Physicians often become experts at compartmentalizing their personal and professional identities. Yet, Dr. Weinstein’s practice is an explicit fusion of who she is—a lifelong athlete, patient, and family medicine doc—into what she offers.
Her formative experiences as a patient, from a high school Lyme diagnosis to overcoming serious sports injuries, directly inform her approach:
"[My family doctor] was an incredible diagnostician. He really took the time with people. He got to know them, he knew his patients well, he knew their stories...He also diagnosed when I had Lyme disease...It was just listening to kind of the story and also just knowing the background and who I was." — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
Seeing medicine done “the right way,” where the physician knows the whole story, not just the symptom, shaped her standards—and her rejection of the 10-minute visit norm.
Real-Life Application
Dr. Weinstein’s blend of Family Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine is not an abstract menu of services; it’s rooted in her identity:
She knows first-hand the impact of being sidelined by injury or illness
She understands that the root cause is sometimes not obvious and often missed in fast-paced settings
She leverages her fitness expertise and lifelong athleticism to connect with active patients (often quite literally, by teaching their workout classes!)
Reflective questions:
In what ways can your own health history, life passions, or community ties inform your practice philosophy?
Are you drawing on your lived experiences to forge connections and guide care—or leaving them at the door?
Making the Big Decisions: Insurance, Overhead, and Coping With “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know”
Opening a direct care clinic is, at its core, about intentional choices. Dr. Weinstein’s decision not to contract with insurance wasn’t merely about headaches; it was a clear strategy to preserve time, access, and scope for both herself and her patients.
"I knew in my gut that I would not be happy in an insurance model. And I also didn't want to have to hire a staff right away and I didn't want to have to fight with insurance for reimbursement for every last claim...in terms of my practice, I couldn't provide the value that I wanted to and really practice the way that I wanted to while under insurance model." — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
She also:
Used a virtual address for administrative setup while seeking her ideal physical space
Started lean—without staff for nine months, with only essential equipment (a portable ultrasound, basic supplies)
Chose flexibility over fancy—leasing only what she needed, buying equipment as usage justified the investment
She stresses the value of networking and mentorship:
"Talk to as many people as possible. Listen to podcasts, read books, just really reach out to your community, to people who are doing the same thing." — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
Key Takeaways:
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress; start with “enough,” not everything.
Tap into communities, online and local—veteran DPC/DSC docs are generous and eager to help.
Be ready to pivot. “You don't know what you don't know” is not a source of shame; it's an invitation to learn, ask, and iterate.
Patient Experience Over Productivity: Designing a Workflow That Works
Perhaps the most radical shift from traditional medicine is the patient experience Dr. Weinstein now delivers:
Hour-long new patient visits—blurring the lines between sports, family, and lifestyle medicine (because, as she realized, the divisions were artificial)
No insurance “one complaint per visit” nonsense—she relishes telling patients, “Of course we can talk about more than one joint”
Accessibility with boundaries: timely access for acute issues but clear work-life boundaries, made possible because she controls her schedule
“Even with the ultrasound, ideally, if somebody comes with knee pain, shoulder pain, I want to put the ultrasound on every person...but when you're working in this quick pace, you're almost like 'I don't have the time to do it.'... I feel like in my practice now... I can listen to patients and listen to their story.” — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
Patients notice. They’re shocked when a doctor can see them same- or next-day, when their whole story is heard, when their physical limitations are discussed as life goals (“I want to sit with my grandkids”) rather than only pain points (“Where does it hurt?”).
Reflective questions:
Are you structuring your day and intake process to ensure the care you wish you’d received as a patient?
How can you do more of “what only you can do” (i.e., listening, synthesizing, caring holistically)?
Merging Passions, Building Community, and “Practicing” Outside the Office
One of the most unique aspects of Dr. Weinstein’s practice is her literal presence in the community—teaching fitness classes at a local gym, where she is both peer and expert.
"What better way than just to be out in the community doing it and meeting all these incredible people." — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
Her visibility—and relatability—among athletes, active adults, and fitness enthusiasts has become a steady source of both patients and personal fulfillment.
She models for her children, her community, and her colleagues that it’s possible to design a practice around one’s strengths, passions, and real life.
Reflective prompts:
Are there ways you can more authentically embed yourself in your community—outside the exam room?
How might your hobbies or “side gigs” support, not detract from, your medical practice?
Embracing Challenges: Lessons for New and Aspiring DPC/DSC Physicians
Dr. Weinstein is the first to admit things aren’t always smooth. Her story is peppered with moments of uncertainty (leaving a multidisciplinary group that didn’t deliver on promised autonomy), learning by failing (forgetting a Band-Aid for an injection when setting up her own office), and the constant undercurrent of “impostor syndrome.”
“I still have the thought that goes through my head once a month: is someone's going to be like, is this practice really legit?” — Dr. Sarah Sassy Weinstein
But her persistent self-reflection, community-building, and bias toward action have kept her afloat and growing.
Practical strategies for your reflective journey:
Start Small and Iterate: Go lean. Add services, equipment, or staff only as needed.
Seek Mentorship and Give Back: There is a vast, welcoming network of direct care docs eager to pull up the next generation.
Design Your Days for Joy, Not Just Efficiency: Schedule with purpose. Build time for deep, unhurried visits and for your own family and passions.
Don’t Wait for the Perfect Moment: “You just have to start somewhere...and you'll grow and you'll learn.”
The Takeaway: DPC/DSC Is a Journey - Make It Yours
Dr. Sassy Weinstein’s story reveals that building your own direct care practice is as much about self-awareness and self-trust as it is about business models and logistics. It’s about reclaiming the possibility of loving your work—and living the life you want.
By blending her specialties, her lived experiences, and her commitment to authentic patient relationships, she offers both a roadmap and a challenge: let your practice reflect who you are, and dare to make the system work for you.
Where will your journey take you next?
Inspired by Dr. Weinstein’s journey? Connect with other DPC/DSC pioneers, share your story, and continue learning at mydpcstory.com.
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