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Bavina Sookdeo
DR RACHEL CORRIDON’S life is a balancing act.
The 42-year-old obstetrician and gynaecologist said balancing the roles of doctor, entrepreneur, wife and mother (she has two children) isn’t easy, but she approaches the task with honesty and humour.
“Is there really balance? If there is, I haven’t perfected it.
“Sometimes balance looks like a day off with my husband, or being present for football games and bedtime stories.”
Corridon says faith, compassion and authenticity are the foundation of her practice.
“Faith steadies me, authenticity keeps me grounded, and compassion ensures every patient feels seen, heard, and valued.”
In difficult moments, faith gives her peace and strength, while rest and prayer help her recover from the emotional demands of her work.
“Faith reminds me that rest is also part of obedience – that I can only pour out what I’ve allowed to be refilled.”
“Your purpose is an answer to a problem on the earth,” she said, quoting Dr Darius Daniels.
Corridon, 42, embodies that belief through her work – blending medical expertise, compassion and entrepreneurship to transform the way women experience healthcare through Harmony Health TT – Women’s Health and Home Birth Services.
Known online as “Your Gentle Gynecologist,” Corridon, who lives in east Trinidad, also works as a specialist medical officer in the public health sector.
She told WMN she wasn’t an always an A-student at primary and secondary school, she said what she lacked in grades, she made up for in determination and heart.
Corridon’s academic journey took her from St James Secondary and Sixth Form Government schools to UWI, where she earned a double-major degree in biology and biochemistry with honours in 2005. She was later awarded a national scholarship to do medicine at St George’s University in Grenada, graduating in 2011, and went on to become a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) in 2019.
Growing up in a hospital environment – her mother worked as a theatre nurse and her aunt in a neonatal intensive care unit – she was surrounded by the atmosphere of the medical profession from an early age. She spent countless hours waiting for her mother to finish work, helping to wrap instruments or watching procedures from the viewing gallery.
“From as early as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor,” she recalled.
But she also had big dreams outside medicine – singing like Whitney Houston, or getting involved in drama and the arts – until life steered her toward a different kind of spotlight – in the delivery room. “The hospital always called me back,” she said with a smile.
She still sings in church but her singing career took a backseat to education.
Her interest in women’s health was inspired by accompanying her mother to home deliveries. “Watching her serve those women with such calm, skill and reverence for life shaped my view of what it meant to truly care. Those moments were formative – they taught me the power of compassion, presence and faith in the most sacred of spaces.”
Her vision for women’s healthcare was further shaped by her earliest experiences in obstetrics. She recalled her first day on rotation at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York, walking into the circular labour ward – known as “the fishbowl” – and instantly feeling connected, excited and at the same time, at peace. “It was as if I was exactly where I was meant to be.”
That sense of belonging deepened when she witnessed her first shoulder dystocia (when a baby’s shoulders get stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone after the head has been delivered) during that obstetrics rotation. Though the moment was tense, she was struck by the calm precision of the team’s response – an experience she said revealed “both the gravity and the grace of the profession.”
The idea of Harmony Health didn’t come overnight – it was one that Corridon pondered for years. It took shape in 2016, when a friend asked her to assist with a home birth. With her mother’s help, she supported the same mother through three separate home deliveries over time – and that reignited her desire to create a space where women could feel empowered in their choices.
“That experience reminded me of the beauty of choice and the quiet strength of women.”
After earning her MRCOG and spending two years in private practice, Corridon took what she described as “a leap of faith,” and opened Harmony Health TT in July 2023.
With offices in Port of Spain, Sangre Grande and Signal Hill, she has created a practice whose philosophy is “Your body, your baby, your way” – a principle she describes as more than a tagline: it is a movement toward patient autonomy and respect giving women a voice in their care.
[caption id="attachment_1186783" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Dr Rachel Corridon at her Port of Spain practice on October 22. [/caption]
“They deserve to be informed, respected and involved in decisions about their bodies and birth experiences” she insisted. “It’s about partnership, not prescription – about recognising that women can be empowered participants in their health and still supported by evidence-based medicine.”
With Harmony Health’s inception, Corridon suddenly became the doctor, accountant, social media manager and administrator all at once. The transition from the security of hospital life to business owner was difficult.
“The fear of the unknown – and of failure – was real. But each challenge taught me courage and reliance on faith.”
So how did she come up with “Your Gentle Gynecologist”?
Corridon said her patients helped choose the phrase.
“After exams, they would often say, ‘You’re done already?’ or, ‘That wasn’t as bad as I expected.’ “Those comments made me realise that gentleness was my trademark, and I embraced it.”
But beyond her reportedly impeccable bedside manner, Corridon said she is redefining what it means to be a doctor-entrepreneur and has learned that leadership requires courage and self-awareness.
“Over time, I’m growing brave enough to understand the need to expand my team and share the vision.”
She admitted, “I’ve also come to realise that medical school doesn’t teach you business management, and this is a skillset that has to be actively pursued.”
Asked how she maintains the balance between compassion and commerce and ensuring her business remains purpose-driven but still sustainable, Corridon said purpose must always come first. “Compassion fuels the mission, while structure sustains it. I’ve learned that faith and finance can coexist when your intentions remain pure and service-driven.”
Through her growing online presence, she uses platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to educate and empower women. Her content tackles everything from fertility myths to menopause, always grounded in ethical medical advice.
“Storytelling humanises medicine,” she said. “When I share, I do so truthfully and respectfully – as if speaking to a friend. Authentic stories create connection, and connection builds trust.”
But has she faced any criticism for merging medicine with social media?
Corridon admitted that she has.
“But this is a new era,” she emphasised. “Social media can be used responsibly and ethically to share accurate information, start important conversations and empower women to take action in their health journeys.”
She’s also passionate about mentorship, guiding young healthcare professionals. Her advice to those wishing to merge medicine with a mission is to stay focused, compassionate and curious.
“Keep learning, stay humble and remember that success without service is empty.”
Asked more about her vision, Corridon explained that it extends far beyond her practice. She dreams of establishing a women’s hospital and training facility – a space where women feel valued, healthcare feels peaceful and empowering, and young professionals can be mentored.
“It’s not just about a hospital. It’s about building legacy through compassionate care.”
How does she see women’s healthcare evolving in the Caribbean over the next decade, and what role does she hope to play?
Corridon believes there will be a greater emphasis on holistic, patient-centred care and better access for women through all stages of life.
As for her part in this, “I hope to keep contributing through mentorship, education and creating spaces where women’s health is treated as the priority it deserves to be.”
She often encounters misconceptions that reveal how much misinformation still surrounds women’s health and childbirth.
“Some women believe that having many children means they no longer need antenatal care, or that doctors ‘love to cut,’” she said, adding with a laugh, “And no – garlic cannot cure high blood pressure – it can’t.”
To help women take ownership of their reproductive and overall health, she focuses on education, encouragement and empathy.
“I celebrate every win – a few pounds lost, a lifestyle change made – because progress matters.”
By sharing her own experiences, including her journey as an advanced-maternal-age mother, Corridon says she reminds patients that she understands their struggles and walks beside them in every stage of care.
As Global Entrepreneurship Month approaches in November, Corridon reminded women: “Live your purpose passionately and faithfully – the blessings, both tangible and spiritual, will follow.”
For those who struggle to enter or thrive in traditionally male-dominated industries, she urged them to remain focused, compassionate and grounded in integrity.
“You’re not in competition with anyone or trying to prove you’re better than a man.
“You’re in pursuit of your better self.
“In our field especially, recognising the value of a female perspective is golden. Women bring empathy, understanding and balance to spaces that need them most.”
 
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