Footnotes - Fall 2023 - 12

Empowering Female Voices:
Dr. Stephanie Oexeman and her
" She's a DPM " Podcast
By Stephani Honzura, DMU-CPMS Class of 2025
During the spring semester of my heavy didactic first year, I
came across a podiatry podcast on Spotify. I was looking for
an inspiring outlet to listen to while running on the treadmill
and found the " She's a DPM " podcast. I clicked on the first
episode, " Getting Comfortable, Being Uncomfortable " . I
didn't know who Stephanie Oexeman was, but I loved how
real she kept it, not filtering what came to her mind and the
openness she had in sharing her experiences within the field.
A line from that first episode that resonates with me forever
is, " We all have a voice, and it's time to start using it. " I have
utilized it several times as a confidence booster and reminder
during my time in leadership. Finding this gem of a resource
for females in the podiatric field was motivating during my
first year, as was hearing the different journeys, successes, and
lifestyles practicing physicians experienced.
So, who is the woman behind this incredible show? Dr.
Stephanie Oexeman is a podiatrist from Saint Louis, MO,
and currently lives in Chicago, IL. She attended Des Moines
University and completed her residency at the Franciscan
Foot and Ankle Institute. She pursued a fellowship in
complex deformity correction and limb reconstruction,
emphasizing lower extremity orthoplastic and peripheral
nerve surgery in Chicago, Illinois. When not being a boss
woman in her practice, she enjoys the outdoors, karaoke,
thrifting, being creative, and spending time with friends and
family.
With a successful and growing podiatry podcast, Dr.
12
Oexeman " discovered " podiatry during her senior year of
college. Dr. Oexeman's pathway into podiatry is like that of
many other physicians and current students. She had the
opportunity to shadow several podiatrists during her year off
to grasp a better perspective of the field and ensure podiatry
was the correct path. Her decision to pursue podiatry was
solidified based on her ability to have a clinical and surgical
practice. The inspiration for creating her podcast was to
" establish a platform to highlight the voices of women in
our field, not just about podiatry and medicine but also our
lives and interests outside of podiatry. " She helps highlight
the wonderful stories of practicing podiatrists in the field
and current students in her segment of " She's a (Future)
DPM, " which first aired in October 2022. Her student
segment showcases the unique journey of students from
all 11 podiatry schools, ranging in all classes. Personally, it
feels like a big yearbook getting to meet the diverse students
on her show and learn how different their podiatry school
experiences have been thus far.
Most do not see the devoted hours of recording, editing, and
production that go into an episode, all on top of being the
owner of Oexeman Foot and Ankle, PLLC. Dr. Oexeman
has over 60 published episodes on her podcast featuring
powerful female leaders in the podiatric field. When asked
what moment has been the most significant since starting her
podcast, she referred to her first episode. Dr. Oexeman recalls
when she recorded the first episode and held onto it for a few
months before posting it. Her concern that " no one is going
FALL 2023
Footnotes - Fall 2023

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