There are people who walk into the room and bring joy with them. Mary Kathryn Oliver is one of those people.
We met six years ago through Leadership Sumner, and I’ll never forget her interview. Within minutes, I knew we needed her in the program. She’s warm, wildly smart, and full of purpose — the kind of person you just know is going to do something that matters.
Today, she’s doing exactly that as the founder of Music City Pediatric Concierge — a practice she opened just two months ago to offer something truly different to families in Sumner County.
What Makes This Different?
At Music City Pediatric Concierge, pediatric care is personal again. No phone trees. No 2-hour urgent care visits for a quick question. Just direct, relationship-based care from someone who knows your child by name.
It’s the only pediatric concierge practice in Middle Tennessee — and Mary Kathryn is building it around access, trust, and the kind of availability every parent wishes they had.
Here’s how it works:
- Members get direct text access to Mary Kathryn for things big and small — from fevers to food questions.
- There’s no waiting room. She greets you at the door.
- Visits are never rushed, and follow-up care isn’t just a note in the file. It’s a real person, reaching back out to see how you’re doing.
It’s healthcare that meets families where they are — on the sidelines of a ballgame, in the middle of a Target aisle, or packing for a weekend away. And it’s changing the game for parents who want more than 9-to-5 office hours and generic after-hours lines.
Why She Chose This Path
Mary Kathryn has worked in pediatrics since 2004 — starting as a NICU nurse, then becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner. And while she’s always loved the clinical side of her work, she also found herself dreaming about something more relational. More responsive. More human.
“It took me 15 years to find the thing that brought me the most joy,” she said on the podcast. “And it’s this — getting to serve families where they are, while also picking my kids up from school and hearing how their day was.”
You can hear the joy in her voice. This work — and this model — allows her to give excellent care and be a present mom. That’s the beauty of it. It’s not one or the other. It’s both.
The Friday Night We All Remember
At one point in the episode, I asked Mary Kathryn what her Friday nights look like as a concierge pediatric provider.
And of course, she smiled and said: “Usually at a ball field or a cheer competition.”
But unlike a traditional office, she’s still working — in a different way. When a parent texts with a question, she already knows the kid. She knows their history. She can often offer real advice right away, which calms nerves and saves unnecessary trips to urgent care.
And yes — she could’ve saved me from the lice panic of 2011. (Claire, I’m sorry for retelling this.) The phone tree. The sitting up all night. The panicked Googling. She would’ve walked me through what to buy, what to do, and what to skip — and I wouldn’t have cried at 11 p.m. in the Walgreens parking lot.
Why It Matters
Mary Kathryn believes that parents deserve options. And that kids deserve a provider who knows their name.
She’s a nurse at heart — and she’s proud of it. We talked about what makes nurses so special. The way they show up every day — even when their own kids are sick. The way they think on their feet, hold space for fear, and celebrate wins like they’re their own.
And now she’s using all of that — her education, experience, and empathy — to build a new way forward for families.
As she said near the end of our episode, “Leadership Sumner was a turning point. It helped me realize: you can do this.”
You can.
And friend, you are.
Learn more about Music City Pediatric Concierge at musiccitypediatrics.com
🎧 Listen to the full episode of A Good Pour wherever you get your podcasts.