For doctors Dani Smith and Rory Hampstead, building careers in medicine has also meant making deliberate choices about the life they want outside of it.

Now based in Dubbo with their two children, Dani is completing her emergency medicine training at Dubbo Base Hospital, while Rory works as a rural generalist. They share how their careers have evolved alongside their relationship and growing family, why a stint in Sydney prompted them to rethink their priorities, and how Rory's decision to change specialty pathways helped them create a more sustainable life.

They also reflect on the changing culture of medical training, the importance of flexibility for rural doctors, and why sometimes "surviving, not thriving" is perfectly okay.