“When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
- ALEXANDER DEN HEIJER
What I do as a coach for physicians
As an ICF-certified coach, I walk alongside my physician colleagues to help them develop their strengths as they embark on a path to greater meaning and purpose in medicine and in life.
Through a personalized process, I support a transformative journey that helps YOU:
- Gain clarity, a renewed sense of agency, and hope
- Identify barriers to personal wellness and professional fulfillment, and take actions to overcome them
- Discover ways to stay connected with your purpose and experience more meaning in life and at work
- Navigate transitions and new seasons of life knowing you are not alone
- Act on what you discover as you grow in self awareness
- Achieve a more abundant and healthier life
WHY I COACH PHYSICIANS
Countless physicians strive daily to do the impossible despite inadequate support with mounting barriers and regulations that add pressure to an already high stakes, complex profession. The epidemic of physician burnout points to a system problem, not an individual problem.
Exhaustion and burnout are expected outcomes in settings that fail to assess their soil with honesty to identify the hidden thorns and overgrown weeds that keep choking those committed to excellence.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING WITH ME
In our often chaotic and time-starved healthcare reality, meaningful relationships between physician and patient are increasingly elusive. It is my joy to walk alongside my colleagues as a coach as they journey to reclaim what burnout steals and discover more fulfilling ways to practice medicine. Most of my coaching is done by phone and my colleagues appreciate the privacy and flexibility this provides.
Coaching Alleviates Physician Burnout
Coaching has been a successful intervention in the business world for decades and has finally reached the medical profession. Studies show that, for physicians, the most effective interventions are peer-to-peer. This is not surprising, since physicians receive a standardized education throughout the United States that creates a bond of trust and mutual understanding.
Physicians I coach often say something like, “It’s so nice that you ‘get it.’” After 25 years in clinical medicine and researching these topics for over a decade prior to publishing Recapturing Joy in Medicine, I do get it. Yes!
We now also have studies showing that one-on-one coaching alleviates physician burnout in particular, increasing professional and life satisfaction even after a very short time (6 coaching sessions). A 2019 Mayo Clinic study offers evidence for benefits of external professional coaching by credentialed coaches working with physicians. These benefits include improvements in life and work satisfaction, decreased emotional exhaustion and other signs of burnout, and a greater sense of autonomy over life and work.
Added Perks of Coaching for Physicians
Tax Benefit
Professional coaching can be deducted as a professional business expense.*
CME Credit
You may be able to obtain CME credit from your institution and/or professional medical entity for coaching with me in the area(s) of wellness, leadership development, and/or burnout recovery and prevention.**
Healthier Relationships
Coaching impacts not only your professional life but also (potentially) all your relationships, including interactions with your children, spouse, boss/supervisor, family, and friends. Ask me how HERE!
Personal Growth
Coaching with me is not cookie-cutter but personalized and targeted. From day one, your coaching will be in the areas we identify as your highest yield zones. This is one reason coaching with me begins to help right away, from our very first conversation. This is also one of the aspects of coaching I find most rewarding.
Leadership Development
Most credentialed coaches grasp that “all coaching is life coaching,” and I certainly agree with my peers. But coaching with me will also impact your journey as a leader, since we will discuss leadership concepts throughout the coaching journey and consider needed building blocks for the various stages of your life in medicine and beyond.
As a physician leader who has served as chief resident, president of a state medical association, medical director, and more, I know from experience that every rung up the medical leadership ladder requires new skill sets. This is an invaluable benefit of choosing a credentialed coach who is also an experienced physician leader.
* Consult your CPA/accounting expert to ensure this applies to your individual circumstances and state.
** Consult with the applicable organization to ensure credit will be given.
Start a Coaching Conversation with Me
What Other Physicians Are Saying
“(Dr. Mari) is like a breath of fresh air in a suffocating field.”
“Thank you for waking me up and helping me remember who I am.”
“This (coaching journey) is about soooo much more than my job!”
“Coaching with you has been one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever done.”