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Growing Up in the Hospital: How Dr. Joey Garcia Became the Doctor He Always Wanted to Be #TheLastZebraPod
What does it mean to follow in your parent’s footsteps — and truly earn it?
In this episode of The Last Zebra, I sit down with Dr. Joey Garcia, a Sports Medicine Physician born and raised in South Louisiana, whose journey into medicine was shaped by grit, persistence, and one defining moment that changed everything.
Joey quite literally grew up in the hospital — coloring at the nurses’ station, riding his bike in the parking lot, paging through medical textbooks in his dad’s office. He always knew he wanted to be a doctor like his father. But it wasn’t until a real-life emergency — being first on the scene of a serious car accident and watching his dad jump into action — that it truly clicked. That moment lit the fire.
What followed was anything but easy.
Dr. Garcia opens up about struggling to get into medical school, attending a Caribbean medical school, learning how to truly study for the first time, living without air conditioning, spending endless hours in the library, and pushing forward when the odds were stacked against him. He talks candidly about missing the match initially for sports medicine fellowship, sending out “Hail Mary” emails, and finally landing his spot — proving that resilience matters just as much as raw talent.
Beyond his personal journey, we dive deep into what sports medicine really is — not just for elite athletes, but for everyday people. We talk about overuse injuries in youth sports, the dangers of year-round specialization, the growing evidence around turf fields and ACL injuries, concussions, and why movement — not rest — is often the key to recovery.
Dr. Garcia also shares the advice his father gave him that carried him through the hardest moments:
“Don’t let them beat you. No matter who or what it is.”
This episode is about perseverance, community, returning home to care for the people who raised you, and redefining success on your own terms.
This is The Last Zebra — real stories, real medicine, and the human side of healthcare.
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🎧 Watch or listen to the FULL conversation with Dr. Joey Garcia on The Last Zebra Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13QjxW49xOkSqkP9zQKyRS?si=_94N98AiTYGFD02EgHXZtA
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-last-zebra/id1715958112
Captivate: https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-last-zebra/
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Hosted by Dr. Ugo Ezema, The Last Zebra explores the stories behind the white coat — where discipline, failure, growth, and humanity intersect.
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