lol - lots of coaching letters (they are explained in detail at the bottom of the page)!
Thank you for visiting my website and wanting to know a little more about me and The Happy Physician.
For me, personal coaching has been nothing short of transformational.
Here's my story of becoming a Certified Professional Life Coach:
I've had a career path filled with ups and downs and unexpected craziness.
By mid-career, I was feeling burnt out and wondering if I'd made a monumental mistake in choosing medicine.
I was frustrated, feeling undervalued, overworked and generally taken advantage of.
Everything just seemed so unfair.
I couldn't see what my options were, other than to leave medicine.
And that's what brought me to my first coaching experience.
To be fair, things got pretty dark there for awhile.
I had begun to daydream about what might happen if I were to get sick, or if I were in an accident of some kind and then need to take a leave of absence from work.
I just felt like I needed a break any way I could get it.
But it did occur to me one day, that this thinking wasn't normal or healthy.
It was time for me to do something about it.
So I signed up for a physician life coach program aimed at physicians experiencing burnout. It seemed like a lot of money at the time, but my justification was that once I completed the program, I could then say that I had "done all that I could" to stay in medicine, and then I wouldn't feel guilty about leaving. That was my goal, I was just looking for a way to make myself feel better about it.
But what happened completely surprised me.
About a month into coaching, I became aware of how my default thought patterns and 'programs' were actually contributing to me feeling burnt out.
I started to seeing things in a different way, and felt empowered that I had a choice of who I was "being" in my life.
I realized that while I felt like I had no options at the time, in fact I had an abundance of opportunities.
And I started to become a much happier person.
(Now that's not to say that if you are in a terrible work environment,
that you just need coaching to 'think positively' and all will be right in the world. That could not be farther from the truth.)
Coaching definitely changed my life.
Where I once felt trapped and that I had no power to change my life, I started to see that I had a multitude of options.
I started to think about myself differently.
I started to think about my work environment differently.
I started to become a much better version of myself.
Ultimately the coaching experience was so powerful for me, that I decided one day I would pursue life coach certification, in order to help others in the same way that coaching helped me.
After completing the program, my life (especially work) changed dramatically. I continued working, but with a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment. I was happy and I put the idea of becoming a certified coach on the back burner.
Fast forward a few years, and I started to struggle with a subtle feeling of loss of purpose - the idea that I wanted to be doing something different with my life. The backdrop was a very busy work environment (which was growing leaps and bounds.)
I had that nagging feeling that I could be, should be and wanted to be doing more with my life.
Around this time in 2022, my father died unexpectedly.
It made me realize that life isn't a dress rehearsal.
This is your one life - use it well.
If I wanted to do something different, I realized that I was the only person that could make that happen.
At the time, I wasn't even sure what "doing something" meant to me.
I just knew that it was time to make some changes.
I enrolled in a life coach training program while continuing to work.
The experience was nothing short of transformational.
During my training, I realized that in order to live my best most fulfilling life, I needed to make some changes both professionally and personally.
Some of those changes seemed scary at the time.
But I was no longer willing to tolerate anything less than phenomenal.
This is my one life - and I wanted to use it well.
Within six months, I had started The Happy Physician coaching business and found a new full time job (still in my medical specialty area).
The rest they say, is history.
Each day I continue to work towards living an authentic, happier and more fulfilling life.
You can too - and I can show you the way.
If you are feeling trapped in medicine and ready to make some changes to create your dream life, I can partner with you to find your way.
Your dream life is waiting for you.
You just need to take the first step.
My intent is to share insights and lessons that I have learned during my own journey to creating a life that I love.
My goal is to intentionally live a happier, more satisfying life.
My hope is to inspire you to make positive changes in order for you to live a happier and more fulfilling life.
This is my passion project. I hope that it will inspire you to reach towards living your best life as well.
For more information, please also visit Why I Started The Happy Physician.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT ME
I am a dual-boarded, mid-career, subspecialty physician (dermatopathologist) living and working in the sunny southwest (Arizona). My professional background is in anatomic pathology / dermatopathology, and I have a PhD in cancer biology.
I'm also a landscape photographer, passionate adventure traveler, avid hiker, rare succulent grower, fiction writer, foreign language aficionado, ballroom dancer, passive real estate investor (and inactive realtor), and animal lover.
Other fun facts: I used to be in a kazoo band!!
I trained at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), which is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) - accredited training program. I began my studies in May 2022, and have earned seven distinct professional coaching certifications including:
I earned my Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in March 2024. As a Certified ICF Coach, I continue to strive for professional growth and development, as well as maintain proficiency in the ICF Core Competencies and adhere to the ICF Code of Ethics in coaching.
Thank you for visiting!
Tracy
The Happy Physician, LLC
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Life coaching transformed my life. Through coaching, I can help you transform your life too!