85. Maddy Brill-Edwards | From the Pitch to the Operating room

Dr. Maddy Brill-Edwards is a former collegiate soccer player at the College of Charleston and a current general surgery resident navigating one of the most demanding training paths in medicine. In this episode, Maddy shares how a childhood plan to become a doctor, shaped by a family of physicians, evolved alongside a deep love for soccer that followed her from youth competition, to playing at a Division 1 level collegiately, and finally to playing professionally in Scotland after college.

Maddy reflects on choosing general surgery over more “glamorous” specialties, the realities of residency life, and why the intensity that once fueled her as an athlete eventually became unsustainable. She explores how stepping away from soccer during the pandemic helped her understand its role as an emotional outlet, and how returning to the game now serves as both joy and therapy. This conversation weaves together identity, discipline, mental health, and the value of having multiple dimensions beyond a single pursuit — in sport, medicine, and life.