1:1 Physician Coaching

Personalized, high-touch coaching to help you stop over-functioning and start actually living.

“I feel optimistic for the first time in a long time about my career in medicine.” -Dr. Leach

To practice sustainable, satisfying medicine in healthcare today, it’s essential to optimize both your mindset and your physiology

The culture of medicine teaches us to override our bodies, ignore our needs, and default to perfectionism and over-responsibility.

These patterns benefit the system but deplete us. They make an already demanding career in medicine even harder.

Physician coaching helps women physicians feel calmer, clearer, more grounded, and more in control of their work and lives.

It helps you learn to practice medicine in a healthier, more humane, fulfilling, and sustainable way - if that’s what you want.

If you are pulled toward another dream, coaching helps you get there.

“My coaching investments are as important as my med school investments. It’s that good.” - Female MD

Why Coaching Is Especially Helpful for Physicians

Coaching works for physicians because it is practical and immediately useful. It changes the question from "what's wrong?" to "what's possible?"

Personally, coaching gave me something I couldn’t find anywhere else in medicine — a creative way forward.

It invites you to stop reacting and instead choose how you want to show up — both at work and at home.

“Jessie’s coaching is incredibly helpful for physicians. Honestly, it should be required in medical school -- before we get these thought patterns so ingrained.“

- Dr. Jenny Kang, Neurosurgeon

What I do as a coach

I help you see how you were taught to think and show up in medicine and the cost of approaching the world this way. Once you are empowered with awareness, you can start making intentional, discerning choices.

Coaching builds skills that we weren’t taught in training that are essential and transformative. It is a skill set necessary to practice medicine today.

Beyond that, it is a protected space for thinking, reflecting, and exploring - free of judgment and agendas. It is also one of the few places in life where you get to focus on yourself —thoughtfully, deliberately, and without apology.

What I offer at Pause & Presence goes well beyond physician coaching.

I weave neuroscience, psychology, physiology, and mindfulness into my coaching. I bring the perspective of a physician who was a physician-wellness leader for several decades. I add wisdom from multiple coach trainings, mindfulness and yoga teacher training, and from someone who lived primary care, hospital medicine, and leadership for a long time. I understand the realities of practice, culture, trauma, and training.

I don’t want you to simply learn to function better in an unsustainable culture. My intention is to help you restore your passion, purpose, energy, and capacity for deep connection, presence, and joy.

“Coaching with Jessie is transformational. It is an investment that is well worth it.

It made me a better spouse, sibling, child, colleague and leader.”

- Dr. Supriya Narasimhan, Infectious Disease & Chair of Medicine, SCVMC

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Why Physicians Choose to Coach With Me

  • Coaching and physician wellness were not a career pivot for me.

  • I bring decades of wisdom and experience as a practicing pediatrician, department chief, physician wellness leader, and physician coach. I started leading physician wellness at my institution in 2002. I began coaching physicians in 2019.

  • I am a mom, daughter, and wife. I had a baby during medical school in 1996. I had my second baby in residency, and another one in early attendinghood. I have lived through the conflicts between family and medicine.

  • I know the challenges of neurodiversity and caring for aging parents. My husband is neurodivergent, and my youngest son has severe ADHD. I am the eldest daughter and only physician in the family. My parents are in their 80’s.

  • I have weathered numerous significant personal health issues stemming from the stresses of practicing medicine.

  • I am an intuitive and insightful coach. Physicians gain practical tools, insights, and a fresh perspective that inspire hope, build courage, and create real, meaningful shifts.

  • I blend coaching, physiology, psychology, mindfulness, and strategy in a grounded, compassionate way. I offer my clients a perspective-shifting framework and an abundance of concrete and fun tools.

Learn more about my background and training here.

A smiling middle-aged woman with short, gray, curly hair sitting outside on a bench, wearing a black sleeveless top and a blue necklace.

“Working with Jessie is revelatory. She provides practical tools that help us manage the daily demands of our profession more effectively.

This work serves as an antidote to our work-induced stress responses, while cultivating calm, patience, and clarity.” - ER MD, TPMG

Is Coaching What You Need?

Coaching is a collaborative approach that provides relief and transformation for those who are ready to move beyond consuming, listening, and collecting insights and finally change things. I offer you practical tools you can use immediately—at work and at home.

If you want to stay in medicine but feel like it is unsustainable to do so or want to leave medicine - or think you might - but have no idea what’s next or how to get there, I can help.

If you feel resentful, burdened, depleted, and anxious and/or want deeper connections with your partners, children, and friends, working with me will help.

If you are navigating leadership roles, want a career change or a career pivot, or feel you want more from your life, I will help you get there.

The Details

I offer two options for 1:1 coaching: with or without CME.

Both include:

  • Compassionate, nurturing, and personalized virtual coaching sessions

  • Customized thought work and practices between sessions to support integration

  • Access to a private resource page with tools and materials

Investment:

  • Without CME credit: $4,500 (includes five sessions)

  • With CME credit: $5,500 (includes six sessions and up to 12 AMA PRA Cat 1 CME credits)

If you’re unsure which option is best (CME vs non-CME), we can discuss it during your consult. About the CME Option: If you choose the CME track, complete your coaching within the required time frame and submit the CME survey at the end, you will receive a CME certificate for up to 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ through the Mindful Healers Physician Professional Development Program. More info here.

How to Get Started

I don’t offer a simple “sign-up” button because 1:1 coaching requires a significant investment of time and energy for both of us.

If you’re interested in working together, the next step is to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

The intention is to ensure that both we and 1:1 coaching are the right fit. Most people get great value and feel calmer, more hopeful, and clearer after the consult alone.

Assuming we’re a good fit, which is most of the time if you have perused my website or listened to my podcast, I’ll send you a link to sign up.

I can usually get your coaching started within two weeks.

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FAQs: Logistics

  • We talk about what you are hoping coaching will help you with. The purpose is to make sure coaching is the best next step for you and that we are a good fit to work together. I’ll also explain how I work and answer any questions you have.
    When you sign up for the consult, you will answer a few quick questions so we can use our time together efficiently. I look forward to meeting you on Zoom. These sessions are always fun.

  • Coaching sessions are held on Zoom. I offer lots of daytime hours (on Pacific time). I have never not been able to accommodate clinic schedules, call schedules, and time zones. I have even made Europe and India work. After you are signed up, I send you a scheduling link. You can book your sessions at times that work for you on the link or we schedule the next session at the end of each session. I always tell you when I think is best for your progress to meet next.

    I typically meet with every other week. This cadence is ideal for most women physicians because it allows time to integrate new skills and patterns between sessions, without losing momentum.

  • It depends. I recommend 3-4 months for your first coaching experience with me. This timeframe creates enough space for insight, practice, and meaningful change without feeling rushed. After that, many people continue coaching with sessions monthly or every other month. Others join one of my topic based coaching groups or come on a retreat. Some people are complete after one round. Most choose to continue because the results are feel amazing.

  • Once you confirm you want to proceed with 1:1 coaching, I send you an invoice. Once you pay, you’ll receive a link to all the resources, the pre-work, and we schedule your first session.

  • I require payment in full up front. If essential to proceed, I can offer a split payment, no more than one month apart.

    If you are trying to use CME, education, or professional development funds and want to split your payment over two fiscal years, I try to work with you on this.

  • I don’t offer prn coaching or shorter coaching packages to new clients because a coaching foundation is key for optimal results. After you have completed an initial coaching package, been to one of my retreats, or joined a group program, I do offer shorter “prn coaching” packages.

What can 1:1 coaching can do for you?

  • “Jessie reframed situations for me that allowed me to invite peace and compassion into situations that initially felt stuck and hopeless. I feel ten times more resilient as a physician.” — FAM MED

  • “When I started I felt like I had to save myself or be a doctor. Now I can take care of myself AND do my job well.” - ONCOLOGY

  • “The compassion, joy, and love you’ve helped me find in this incredibly transformative journey has illuminated the countless and creative ways I can enjoy a career in medicine.” — MD/PHD, MEDICAL DIRECTOR GENENTECH

FAQs: CME and Reimbursement

    • Number of sessions, cost, and administrative work.

    • I offer non-CME coaching as a cheaper alternative for those who do not have financial support for CME, and/or do not need or want a CME certificate or credit.

    • Whether you choose the CME option or not, physician coaching is ‘professional development.’ It is often deductible as a business expense and/or reimbursable by your institution as an educational expense. Please consult with your employer and/or tax professional.

  • Many physicians use professional development funds, leadership development budgets, wellness grants, or CME/education reimbursement. Here is language you can forward to your organization if ‘approval’ is needed.

  • You should confirm with your accountant/tax advisor. It is generally considered professional development which is usually an allowable business expense if you have a private practice and/or are a 1099 or C or S- Corp.

FAQ’s: Special Situations

  • If you’ve been labeled “disruptive,” start by pausing before you make it mean you’re a bad doctor.

    In many cases, these write-ups are a signal of depletion—burnout, moral injury, chronic overload—not a sudden loss of professionalism. That doesn’t mean you ignore the feedback. It means you respond strategically: get clear on the specific behaviors being cited, document patterns and context, and seek support that helps you regulate under pressure and communicate with steadiness.

    Coaching can be especially helpful here because it’s a confidential, non-evaluative space to build skills quickly—emotional regulation, boundaries, and language for high-stakes conversations—so you can protect your career and your capacity at the same time. Read this blog to learn more.

Why physician coaching is “worth it”

  • “It’s evidence-based, thought provoking and necessary to practice in the economic and political environment of healthcare.” - CMO & Hospitalist, Jefferson Healthcare

  • “I am so fortunate to have crossed paths with Jessie at a time when I felt both professionally and personally burnt-out. She helped me to overcome the feelings of overwhelm and helplessness, to be present, find joy in small moments, the positive in every situation, and even calm in the chaos of everyday life.” - Dermatologist, Private Practice

  • “Jessie helped me understand my professional goals and how they align with, rather than compete with, my personal goals. She listened to my very specific concerns and helped me outline a plan for work that was achievable. “ - Anesthesiologist Stanford

Not sure whether 1:1, a group, or a retreat is better?

Schedule a consult, and I will help you choose based on your situation and desires.

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EXPLORE GROUP COACHING OPTIONS
EXPLORE COACHING RETREATS