Betting on yourself, building community, and making the big move to the ‘burbs
We’re wrapping up our Moms We ❤️ series with a familiar face to Suburban Jungle, Dr. Hadley Brighton. We featured Hadley last year in our blog post, Moms Helping Moms Series: My Pediatrician Friend, where Hadley and her co-founders discussed My Pediatrician Friend, their concierge-style pediatric service app that brings personalized, on-demand care to families.
“With all that’s happening on the internet, we wanted to be a reliable source parents can trust – and could text,” she says. “We were joking that we all felt like we had a second full-time job just texting our friends. We started to feel like we should try and do this as a full-time thing.”
Today, the platform provides direct, trusted access to Dr. Brooke Spector, Dr. Saskia Gex, and of course, Dr. Hadley Brighton, cutting through the noise and anxiety that often comes from searching online.
For Hadley, though, that’s only part of her story…..
A Career Built in the City
Hadley’s career was rooted in New York City. She completed her pediatric residency and fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian, training across both Cornell and Columbia campuses, before staying on as an attending physician. She had such a positive experience that she wound up living in the city longer than originally planned.
“Training in New York City to be a pediatrician was the best place to learn, ever,” she says. “You see such an amazing variety of patients…it was the most incredible educational experience.”
She and her husband, both originally from the suburbs, had not planned to stay in the city long-term. But life, especially with young kids on the Upper East Side, had a way of working.
“There’s such a community for kids in that area – it really kept us there,” she says.
But, like many families, the idea of leaving the city started to gain momentum and, soon enough, a “someday” conversation gradually became more real, and that’s when they reached out to Suburban Jungle and were connected with New York strategist, Alli Levine.
“I feel like Alli was my therapist,” Hadley says. “She was really positive and encouraging, reminding us that we would find both the right community and the right home for our family.”
Alli’s advice was to get out and start exploring—even if it feels early.
“She gave helpful tips to start spending time in towns before we thought we were ready. She wanted us to get a sense of what we were looking for. That was really helpful and built our confidence throughout the whole process.”
The Reality of the Search
Hadley and her husband navigated a competitive market over two years, while balancing demanding careers and two young children.
“We had to just start seeing neighborhoods and houses with kids in tow to figure out what we liked, so when we were really getting serious, we could get in the game right away.”
That was key to Hadley’s search. Like many Suburban Jungle clients, the decision on where to call “home” ultimately came down to a gut feeling. They narrowed their search to a few Westchester towns, but one town kept coming up again and again.
“We were hearing that community was so central to life in Pelham,” Hadley says. “That kids would run between each other’s backyards and have a really authentic childhood.”
That stuck.
“That’s why you move, right?” she says. “That’s the whole thing – you want to give your kids that kind of experience.”
That’s when Pelham became their home.
| READ MORE… The Suburban Version of Your Favorite NYC Neighborhood When the Suburbs Feel More Social Than the City 7 Common Mistakes City Families Make When They Start Exploring the Suburbs |
When the Lifestyle Shift Becomes Real
While for many, the transition from city life to suburban life can feel abstract, until it doesn’t. But for Hadley, it happened quickly.
“In our first two weeks here, we have made neighborhood friends, the kids have run through backyards, and they even had a lemonade stand already,” she says. “I could see on my Ring camera before I got home from work that there were neighbors visiting the house,” she says. “That was really adorable.”
Her kids, now three and five, are already settling in, making friends, and becoming part of the fabric of the community. “It’s exciting to know that these are kids they’ll probably be with for a really long time.”
Creating Space for Work & Family Life
One of the biggest shifts has been something simple – space.
“In New York City, anytime someone wanted to visit us, it was always, ‘OK, you can get a hotel room nearby,’” she says. Now, in Pelham, everything looks different. With a large extended family on both sides, hosting has quickly become part of their new routine, something that simply wasn’t possible in the same way before. “We moved in on Saturday, and a week later, we hosted Easter,” she says. “I kept thinking, ‘this is the point of getting a house, right?’”
The move also prompted a major career shift. After years working in Manhattan, Hadley transitioned to a role at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester, just minutes from her new home.
“It’s a 10-minute drive from this house,” she says. The change has given her the flexibility she was looking for. “I’ve been home, dropping the kids off, and meeting the neighbors,” she says. That, she adds, has been helping in creating early connections in the community.
“Establishing friendships and getting our kids set up feels exciting,” she says.
Advice for Moms (and Anyone) Considering a Change
Hadley’s advice to parents moving from urban to suburban is to start early, be patient, and pay attention to the details.
“There are so many little nuances about each town that you can’t really overlook,” she says. From commute logistics to daily routines, those small things quickly become the big things. “You don’t want to be surprised.” To avoid that, she notes, having local guidance makes all the difference. “Having people who are local to the towns makes it easy. They can help show you what that would actually look like if you lived there.”
For Hadley, though, her family’s move to Pelham was never just about leaving the city. It was about building something new – a life that works for her family, her career, and everything she wants to do next.
Why We ❤️ Hadley
Hadley’s story is a reminder that even the most thoughtful plans don’t always follow a straight line. What’s helped her through this journey is to:
Stay patient
Trust the process
Make decisions rooted in what matters most to you
It’s that balance of intention, flexibility, and willingness to take the leap that makes her story resonate.
That’s exactly why she’s a mom we ❤️!
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For more client stories, visit Suburban Jungle’s blog page on our website.
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