Leading From The Heart
Heart-centered Leadership Coaching for Women Physicians
“A fantastic investment in yourself and your future!” - Female Physician leader
You were chosen for leadership because you are responsible, capable, responsive, and willing to do hard things.
You answer the email. You take the shift. You notice the problem before anyone else does.
Those qualities make you a good physician. But they do not automatically make leadership sustainable.
In medicine, women leaders are often expected to be endlessly available, self-sacrificing, and somehow unbothered by the cost. We are praised for holding more, fixing more, and carrying responsibility that was never ours to carry alone.
I offer leadership coaching for women physicians seeking sustainable success, clearer communication, stronger boundaries, and greater ease in medicine and leadership.
Leading from the Heart is a different way to lead: with presence, purpose, and inner strength—one that supports you, your teams, your patients, and the culture of medicine.
This is not servant leadership.
I do not believe women physicians need another invitation to give more of themselves away.
Medicine already rewards perfectionism, hyper-responsibility, urgency, emotional suppression, and people-pleasing. Traditional leadership models can reinforce those patterns by asking you to become more productive, more available, or more strategic about self-sacrifice.
That is not the work we do here.
You can be caring without carrying everything.
You can be approachable without being endlessly accessible.
You can be committed without becoming a martyr.
Good leaders are not martyrs. They create the conditions for people to do good work, including themselves.
"Working with Jessie has been one of the best decisions I've made professionally. She is simply amazing.”
Three ways to work together
Whether you want private support for a particular leadership challenge, the shared wisdom of a small group, or a program for your physician leadership team, there is a way to do this work together.
1:1 Leadership Coaching
Private coaching tailored to your specific goals, challenges, relationships, and role. Best if you want individualized support, flexible timing, more privacy, and coaching customized to your exact leadership situation.
5 - 6 private sessions • 12 CME credits • $4500-$5500
Leading From the Heart Small Group Coaching
An intimate group experience for women physicians who want meaningful coaching, community, and a more sustainable way to lead. Best if you want the power of shared wisdom, a curated group of peers, deep reflection, and practical tools.
7 sessions • 10 women max • 12 CME credits • $4200 for group and a 1:1 session
Leadership Programs for Organizations
I offer interactive leadership workshops, retreats, and multi-session coaching programs for physician leadership groups, women-in-medicine programs, fellowships, departments, and executive teams.
This is not generic leadership training. Together, we make room for the real conversations physician leaders are having: boundaries, conflict, communication, overfunctioning, team culture, uncertainty, urgency, and how to lead well without losing yourself.
Programs can be offered virtually, in person, or as a retreat experience. Each is tailored to your people, setting, and goals.
”I loved the way Jessie spoke directly to each of us, not letting us off the hook with hard decisions, and gently guiding us back to make changes to help us accomplish our goals of becoming great leaders in our jobs and in our families. “
Why Work with Me?
I know what it takes to lead in medicine — I did it for almost two decades.
I served as a department chief, operational leader, and regional wellness leader at The Permanente Medical Group — one of the largest physician groups in the country.
I led through staffing crises, budget cuts, moves, and system changes - all while raising three sons and navigating health and marriage challenges.
In 2016, I created "Leading with a Lens to Wellness" — one of the first leadership development programs in the country designed to help physician leaders protect their own well-being while leading others. I brought that work to the International Conference on Physician Health in 2018. The ideas in Leading from the Heart grew directly from what I learned building and teaching that program — and from living it.
I’ve coached hundreds of physician leaders across specialties and organizations, including mid-career women leaders in the American College of Cardiology’s Sandra J. Lewis Program, female cardiology fellows at the Medical University of South Carolina, and district physician leaders at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
I learned physician leadership from 18 years of doing it — and from the coaching and mindfulness tools that finally taught me how to do it without losing myself.
Who is Leading from the Heart Group Coaching For?
Female physicians in a formal leadership role — chief, medical director, CMO, APIC, PIC, team lead — who want support from someone who deeply understands the challenges of being a woman in leadership in medicine
Female physicians stepping into leadership who want to do it in a way that’s effective and sustainable - from the beginning
Those who lead in ways that may not be reflected in their title — through influence, teaching, mentoring, or simply being the person everyone comes to
Those who want to navigate conflict, set boundaries, communicate clearly, and quiet imposter syndrome — without losing the parts of themselves that make them a good leader
Those who are tired of leading on empty and are ready for something different
If you want leadership coaching that understands the realities of medicine and the inner life of leadership, you are in the right place.
“This group helped my thinking become clearer. It helped me remove internal barriers so my leadership role feels more easeful and authentic. It will do the same for you.” - TPMG MCH leader
What You’ll Strengthen: The skills of heart-centered leadership
Lead through conflict without losing yourself
Set boundaries without guilt
Communicate clearly under pressure
Regulate your nervous system in high-stakes environments
Respond with intention instead of urgency
Stop over-functioning and lead more strategically
Build trust without over-giving
Navigate change with steadiness
Model wellness instead of martyrdom
Lead in a way that feels aligned, effective, and sustainable
These are not soft skills. They are essential leadership capacities for women physicians who want to lead well without paying for it with their health, relationships, or peace of mind.
Some of the organizations where I have supported physician leaders
American College Cardiology, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UCSF, Medical University of South Carolina, Sutter Health, The Permanente Medical Group, Aurora Health, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, US Veteran’s Affairs, UCSD, UCLA, Children's Mercy
“I can personally attest that as a Family Medicine physician and co-director of Primary Care, as well as a mom of two young kids, with a commute, and a partner who also has a demanding job, I may have left a job I love if it weren’t for physician coaching and development work with Dr. Mahoney.”
— Dr. Samara Nebendzal, Sutter East Bay Medical Director & Wellness Lead
“I loved the way Jessie spoke directly to each of us, not letting us off the hook with hard decisions, and gently guiding us back to make changes to help us accomplish our goals of becoming great leaders in our jobs and in our families.”
— Female Physician Leader
“I got clarity on who I am as a leader and who I want to be, how I want to show up, and how I want to approach making decisions. Jessie is so good.”
— Female Physician Leader, Aurora Health
“I loved feeling heard, understood, and SEEN!” — Assistant Physician in Chief, The Permanente Medical Group
“Jessie helped me understand my professional goals and how they align with, rather than compete with, my personal goals. She listened to my particular concerns and helped me outline an achievable work plan.“
- Stanford Fellowship Program Director
Why Leading from the Heart different?
Leading from the Heart grew from work I began developing inside The Permanente Medical Group in 2016 and later shared at the International Conference on Physician Health.
It has deepened through nearly two decades of physician leadership and years of coaching hundreds of physician leaders.
Unlike traditional executive coaching, this work is designed specifically for women physicians. It understands the culture in which you lead: high stakes, limited resources, relentless responsibility, and teams full of people trained in many of the same patterns you are trying to unlearn.
We do not simply focus on strategy, influence, or performance metrics. We pay attention to how you lead from the inside: your relationship with responsibility, your boundaries, your energy, your thought patterns, and what you model for the people around you.
This is not a lecture series, and there are no prerecorded modules. Every session is live, interactive, and shaped by the women and leadership challenges in the room.
The goal is not to turn you into a different person. It is to help you become more fully yourself as a leader: clearer, steadier, more discerning, and more able to lead in a way that feels effective and sustainable.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Most executive coaching focuses on strategy, influence, and performance metrics. Leading from the Heart also makes room for the inside of leadership: your nervous system, thought patterns, boundaries, relationship with responsibility, and what you model for the people you lead.
It is designed specifically for women physicians by a woman physician who led in medicine for almost two decades. We address the patterns medicine often rewards—perfectionism, hyper-responsibility, urgency, emotional suppression, and people-pleasing—so you can lead with more clarity and less self-sacrifice.
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No. Many participants are emerging leaders, new chiefs, or physicians who lead informally through influence, teaching, or mentoring. If you carry responsibility for others and want to develop effective and sustainable leadership skills, this program is for you.
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Seven 105-minute live group coaching sessions led by Dr. Mahoney. Up to 12 units AMA PRA Category 1 CME credit. Sessions are recorded if you have to miss. I strongly recommend adding two discounted 1:1 coaching sessions for deeper personalized work.
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$4200 for the group program with a 1:1 sessions. Many physicians use professional development funds, leadership funds, CME stipends, or wellness program budgets. This is professional development and is often deductible as a business expense.
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Yes. Many physician leaders use professional development funds, leadership funds, CME stipends, wellness budgets, or institutional sponsorship to cover leadership coaching. Organizations can also bring this work directly to their teams through leadership workshops, retreats, or multi-session coaching programs.
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I offer Leading from the Heart twice a year, usually spring and fall. [Next dates and sign up are here.
If you want personalized leadership coaching right away, explore 1:1 coaching.
Articles on Leadership for Women Physicians
Leading with love and clarity: A physician’s guide to clarity and compassion
Why the future of medicine depends on leading from the heart
Why so many physicians struggle to feel proud—even when they should
Why physicians find negotiating challenging—and what they can do to negotiate better
Disruptive physician labeling — a symptom of systemic burnout