Dr. Julie Heathcott l Moms on a Mission
PHOENIX - "I was raised in St. Louis. I'm the oldest of four children," said Dr. Julie Heathcott.
Her mother, Mariann, was a teacher, and her dad, William, was a doctor.
He completely inspired me," said Heathcott. "He was a neurosurgeon."
She'd spend time with him at work and talk about his surgeries, knowing one day she'd follow in his footsteps.
"This was me going to work with my dad," said Heathcott.
Julie Heathcott and her dad
She loved dressing up.
"I was a nurse, and he took me to the hospital dressed like that a lot, and so my mom took a picture because I loved getting dressed like that and being with him," said Heathcott.
Fast forward, and Dr. Heathcott graduated with degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans and St. Louis University.
"The first delivery that I saw as a medical student from the corner of a room was the most magical and beautiful thing I had ever seen and brought tears to my eyes, and it still does," she said.
Dr. Julie Heathcott
She moved to Arizona in 1996 for her residency and met her husband, Mike.
"We have been married for 23 years this fall," she said.
And together, they have four beautiful children – their youngest, a set of fraternal twin girls.
"Cole is 21. Mikayla is 19, and Jacqlynn and Scarlett are 17," said Heathcott.
Dr. Julie Heathcott and her family
Dr. Heathcott has been with Arizona Women's Care since 2003 – a practice with an all-female physician team. They connected during her residency.
"Basically wanted to continue on our idea of caring for patients in a way that we all agreed on," she said.
Their degrees cover the walls with more than 100 years of experience combined.
Dr. Julie Heathcott, mom & OBGYN
Every Friday during May, FOX 10's Desiree Fluellen sits down with women who've achieved great success in their respective careers, all while balancing motherhood. The first story begins at the first stage of motherhood -- pregnancy. Dr. Julie Heathcott shares her story.
"We're family to each other – our employees are family," said Heathcott. "Our patients are family. We do our own deliveries Monday through Friday. We show up constantly for our patients and it’s really special. It’s just a home away from home."
For Dr. Heathcott, the nurturing spirit of motherhood has always lived in her heart.
"It is the truest love that there is," she said. "The most amazing gift I ever could’ve asked for."
Dr. Julie Heathcott
And this mom on a mission is helping other women experience that same gift.
"It's amazing," she said. "Every delivery is almost like the first."