Why you should consider working with a coach

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills200:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.300:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients.400:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find500:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research600:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200program.700:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit.800:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs.900:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians1000:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.1100:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,040Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene.1200:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,460Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast.1300:01:03,460 --> 00:01:07,540I'm your host Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is a pleasure to be speaking with you today.1400:01:07,540 --> 00:01:12,220I'm really excited about today's episode because I'm talking about why you should consider1500:01:12,220 --> 00:01:15,600engaging a coach in your research career.1600:01:15,600 --> 00:01:20,480Yes, why you should consider engaging a coach in your research career.1700:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,880And for many of us, we have mentors, and mentors are awesome people.1800:01:23,880 --> 00:01:29,880I want to just shout out all the mentors who are making sacrifices, moving the careers1900:01:29,880 --> 00:01:31,820of so many mentees forward.2000:01:31,820 --> 00:01:38,180You are awesome, and you deserve all the goodness in the world because of the goodness you create.2100:01:38,180 --> 00:01:39,180Thank you.2200:01:39,180 --> 00:01:46,040And I will tell you that even though mentors are absolutely amazing, they're kind of limited2300:01:46,040 --> 00:01:51,800because their focus really is just on research and your research methodology.2400:01:51,800 --> 00:01:58,880And really, you are really so much more than the research that you do, so much more than2500:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,360the grant writing that you do, so much more than the papers that you submit.2600:02:03,360 --> 00:02:09,200And one of the great things is an opportunity to bring everything that you are to the table2700:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,880and have a coach help you shape your career.2800:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,560And when I think about coaching, so I will tell you that I had no idea about coaching2900:02:17,560 --> 00:02:21,940until, gosh, maybe eight years into my faculty career.3000:02:21,940 --> 00:02:24,300And I was part of this career development program.3100:02:24,300 --> 00:02:29,400And actually, up until I had had a couple of times where I had met with coaches, and3200:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,200I remember thinking, wow, this is so awesome.3300:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,840And I remember I finally got to a point in my life where I was like, I think I need a3400:02:34,840 --> 00:02:35,840coach.3500:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,560And so I attended this career development workshop, and there was this amazing coach3600:02:39,560 --> 00:02:45,800who was just talking about the importance of coaching in our research and mentoring3700:02:45,800 --> 00:02:46,800life.3800:02:46,800 --> 00:02:53,400And then she did a demonstration coaching session, and I was the person who stepped up to have3900:02:53,400 --> 00:02:54,400the demonstration done.4000:02:54,400 --> 00:02:56,280And it was just so powerful.4100:02:56,280 --> 00:03:02,040I was talking about something that actually was tangential to my research, wasn't directly4200:03:02,040 --> 00:03:03,040related.4300:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,220It was really about me getting...4400:03:05,220 --> 00:03:08,080It was kind of tangential to my research.4500:03:08,080 --> 00:03:13,200It wasn't exactly like germane, but it was about me getting enough sleep, which is important4600:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,280because if you don't get enough sleep, then how can you kind of get the best use of your4700:03:17,280 --> 00:03:18,280mind?4800:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,320And so this coach came and she worked with me through the process.4900:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,920And I had so many aha moments in that space.5000:03:24,920 --> 00:03:29,480And I was like, oh, my goodness, I want to work with you.5100:03:29,480 --> 00:03:32,560And so I will tell you that it's three years later, and I'm still working with the same5200:03:32,560 --> 00:03:33,840executive coach.5300:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,440And it's been a phenomenal, phenomenal relationship.5400:03:37,440 --> 00:03:42,120And since then, because I've kind of recognized the power of coaching, I've done so much coaching5500:03:42,120 --> 00:03:43,440in so many areas of my life.5600:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,040I have a peer group and we coach each other.5700:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,760I have a peer coach and we coach each other.5800:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,160I have a grant writing coach that I work with.5900:03:52,160 --> 00:03:57,520I right now recently have actually gotten a health and wellness coach as well.6000:03:57,520 --> 00:03:58,520I love coaching.6100:03:58,520 --> 00:03:59,520I think it's awesome.6200:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,840So I want to talk to you about why you should consider it, especially from the perspective6300:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,480of your career as a research scientist.6400:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,840So why you should engage a coach alongside your research career.6500:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,680And today I have five reasons, five reasons to share with you.6600:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,800Okay, so coaching has changed my life.6700:04:16,800 --> 00:04:21,480And one of the ways it's changed my life is because it really helps you develop clarity6800:04:21,480 --> 00:04:22,640of purpose.6900:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,080So maybe I'll speak in the first person.7000:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,400It's helped me develop clarity of purpose.7100:04:27,400 --> 00:04:32,240And I will tell you that when I first started my faculty career, it felt nebulous to me7200:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,660what I was expected to do as a faculty member.7300:04:34,660 --> 00:04:39,000And I don't know about you unless someone's really guided you and shown you the way it7400:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,660feels a little nebulous because it's like, okay, well, medical school is pretty straightforward7500:04:43,660 --> 00:04:47,840because you have to finish the curriculum, pass exams, and you knew you were done when7600:04:47,840 --> 00:04:49,960you got the certificate at the end.7700:04:49,960 --> 00:04:50,960And the same for residency.7800:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,040Okay, these are the competencies that you're supposed to develop.7900:04:54,040 --> 00:04:58,240And at the end of the residency program, here you are, you get to graduate.8000:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,260And the same if you went on to fellowship.8100:05:00,260 --> 00:05:02,440These are the competencies that you need to develop.8200:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,520You go through people's clinics, you do rotations.8300:05:05,520 --> 00:05:10,600And at the end, having met all the requirements, you get a certificate.8400:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,280It's like, congratulations, you're done.8500:05:13,280 --> 00:05:19,980And then you get into your faculty career, and it's not exactly clear what is a win.8600:05:19,980 --> 00:05:20,980It's not clear.8700:05:20,980 --> 00:05:25,120It's like, okay, so I need to see X number of patients in clinic, make sure I meet these8800:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,880RVU targets, and then I need to meet my scholarly writing metrics.8900:05:28,880 --> 00:05:29,880Okay.9000:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,160And then I also need to teach and mentor.9100:05:33,160 --> 00:05:34,240Okay.9200:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,240And it's just there's so much to do.9300:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,680And there's so many bosses, and there's so many people who seem to be yelling at you9400:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,280to produce things or to create things.9500:05:42,280 --> 00:05:47,120And the things that people say are most important have no accountability and no structure.9600:05:47,120 --> 00:05:52,880So it can be overwhelming to be a new faculty person.9700:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,440And even after you've been in the process for a couple of years and you finally figured9800:05:56,440 --> 00:06:01,160out what you're supposed to do, it still can be so hard.9900:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,240And depending on who you meet with and who you talk to, they have different ideas for10000:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,020what your career should look like.10100:06:08,020 --> 00:06:12,560And so you are a trusting, wonderful person, and you're like, okay, mentor, mentor me.10200:06:12,560 --> 00:06:13,880And they're like, this is what you should do.10300:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,360And if you talk to another mentor, they're like, well, no, no, no, no, no, don't do that.10400:06:17,360 --> 00:06:18,360This is what you should do.10500:06:18,360 --> 00:06:22,360And then there are people who say, no, no, no, focus on only one mentor, only one mentor,10600:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,880ignore what everybody else says, just focus on this one mentor.10700:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,840And then there are other people who say, well, you should have multiple mentors because you10800:06:28,840 --> 00:06:30,480have multiple aspects of your life.10900:06:30,480 --> 00:06:32,640It's like, which one is it?11000:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,600There's so much.11100:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,520And for the average faculty member, there's so much chatter.11200:06:38,520 --> 00:06:42,880It's hard to decipher which is the most important, what is the most important thing I'm supposed11300:06:42,880 --> 00:06:43,880to be doing?11400:06:43,880 --> 00:06:45,880Like, what about the rest of my life?11500:06:45,880 --> 00:06:47,640And it just feels overwhelming.11600:06:47,640 --> 00:06:48,640I can.11700:06:48,640 --> 00:06:56,440One of the things coaching did for me was to just pause on all that noise and really11800:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,280put me at the center of my career.11900:06:59,280 --> 00:07:01,640Oh my goodness.12000:07:01,640 --> 00:07:02,640It was revolutionary.12100:07:02,640 --> 00:07:08,160It was the first experience I had had in my life where I was the center.12200:07:08,160 --> 00:07:14,760Oh, I was the center, not the curriculum, not the medical school, not the metrics, not12300:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,000the mentor, but me.12400:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,400Oh my goodness.12500:07:19,400 --> 00:07:25,600And it gave me such clarity of purpose because to be honest, let's just be honest, this career12600:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,320is about me and it's always been about me.12700:07:29,320 --> 00:07:34,080But somehow it becomes confusing because it seems like it's about the mentor or it's about12800:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,400the division chief or it's about the needs of the department.12900:07:37,400 --> 00:07:43,080It's not always clear that you are the center of this career, but you are.13000:07:43,080 --> 00:07:49,440And what coaching did for me was to put me in the center of my career and say, let's13100:07:49,440 --> 00:07:51,840lead with you as the center.13200:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,760And that put everything in perspective.13300:07:54,760 --> 00:08:00,640It put everything in focus because now I could start to look at my career through the lens13400:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,080of me.13500:08:02,080 --> 00:08:03,700What do I want?13600:08:03,700 --> 00:08:04,700What do I need?13700:08:04,700 --> 00:08:06,880Where do I want to go?13800:08:06,880 --> 00:08:08,600How do I want to get there?13900:08:08,600 --> 00:08:10,840It was such a beautiful experience.14000:08:10,840 --> 00:08:16,800It just made the, you know, it's like when you're like, when you're farsighted and you've14100:08:16,800 --> 00:08:23,000never had a glasses prescription and you finally go to the eye doctor or the optometrist and14200:08:23,000 --> 00:08:27,120they give you a prescription and you put it on for the first time and all of a sudden it's14300:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,760like, wow, the sharpness of the focus.14400:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,660It's like, oh, it's like seeing for the first time.14500:08:32,660 --> 00:08:35,540It's like, wow, everything is so sharp.14600:08:35,540 --> 00:08:38,380That was the kind of clarity that I had.14700:08:38,380 --> 00:08:39,960Clarity of purpose.14800:08:39,960 --> 00:08:45,920It was so, so awesome just to finally see my career through the lens of me.14900:08:45,920 --> 00:08:51,800I mean, who else, who else is so important to this career but me?15000:08:51,800 --> 00:08:57,640And to be honest, one of the things that happens for better or for worse is that people make15100:08:57,640 --> 00:09:04,480our mentors the centers of our careers and it's not healthy and it's not right because15200:09:04,480 --> 00:09:05,980it's not their career, it's ours.15300:09:05,980 --> 00:09:09,800And they came along maybe 20 years ago, 10 years ago and things are a little bit different15400:09:09,800 --> 00:09:14,000now and they don't have the same kind of experience that you have because you're different from15500:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,000them.15600:09:15,000 --> 00:09:21,440And so to be the center of your own career is the only way and being in an experience15700:09:21,440 --> 00:09:26,680with a coach allowed me to do that in a way that none of my well-meaning mentors had been15800:09:26,680 --> 00:09:33,280able to do for me because yes, they have more knowledge and more insight than I do but what15900:09:33,280 --> 00:09:37,440they don't have is more knowledge and more insight about the life I'm living today.16000:09:37,440 --> 00:09:42,560And coaching allowed me to bring my life front and center as the most important piece of16100:09:42,560 --> 00:09:44,560my career.16200:09:44,560 --> 00:09:47,400That was number one.16300:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,200Number two is that it allowed me to bring my whole self to the table.16400:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,600You know, I want to appreciate my mentors.16500:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,040They are, they're good at what they do.16600:09:58,040 --> 00:10:04,120They've succeeded and nobody succeeds in academic medicine as a clinician scientist without16700:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,400major effort and major self-sacrifice.16800:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,440And I think we're sacrificing in different ways today than perhaps our mentors did 10,16900:10:12,440 --> 00:10:18,16020, 15, you know, years ago but we're still making sacrifices because this journey is17000:10:18,160 --> 00:10:19,600hard.17100:10:19,600 --> 00:10:25,360But even though our mentors are so awesome, one thing they don't get into and I don't17200:10:25,360 --> 00:10:29,920blame them and to be honest I don't want them to get into it is our family stuff, is our17300:10:29,920 --> 00:10:33,220family drama, is our family challenges.17400:10:33,220 --> 00:10:37,880You know, some of us have children, some of us do not, some of us have aging parents that17500:10:37,880 --> 00:10:42,660we're looking forward to, some of us have significant others that, you know, are a big17600:10:42,660 --> 00:10:46,760component of our lives and some of us don't.17700:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,920But all of that stuff stays under the radar.17800:10:49,920 --> 00:10:57,320But the thing is, even though they stay under the radar, they are driving a significant17900:10:57,320 --> 00:10:58,680portion of our experience.18000:10:58,680 --> 00:11:05,840Like if we have a bad relationship or we are struggling with maybe infertility or something,18100:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,640those are not issues we bring to the mentoring table.18200:11:08,640 --> 00:11:14,160I mean it's just rare that you would be so comfortable to do that.18300:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,400And but it's your life and those things are affecting you.18400:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,520And if you don't bring them forward, they can be in the shadow in the background, but18500:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,800they absolutely are driving your career.18600:11:25,800 --> 00:11:32,440And so to have a coach where you can really bring everything in your life that is relevant18700:11:32,440 --> 00:11:40,680to your career to the table is very freeing, very liberating, very illuminating and so18800:11:40,680 --> 00:11:41,680critical.18900:11:41,680 --> 00:11:45,640I mean because in reality it's like trying to pretend you don't have an arm and a leg19000:11:45,640 --> 00:11:50,600because the only thing that's important in this particular research mentoring meeting19100:11:50,600 --> 00:11:52,200is your head.19200:11:52,200 --> 00:11:56,880But your arm and your leg exist and if they hurt, they're going to affect your head's19300:11:56,880 --> 00:11:58,880ability to focus.19400:11:58,880 --> 00:12:04,480And so it's really important that you're able to bring all of yourself to your career experience.19500:12:04,480 --> 00:12:06,240And coaching allows you to do that.19600:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,480Coaching allows you to do that because coaching doesn't tell you, well this is the only thing19700:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,180we can talk about.19800:12:11,180 --> 00:12:14,920Coaching doesn't say, well I'm only here for your research side of things.19900:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,440Like what is going to help you be the best that you can be?20000:12:18,440 --> 00:12:22,160What is going to help you achieve the goals that you set out for yourself?20100:12:22,160 --> 00:12:27,520And if a family relationship is getting in the way of you being everything you can be,20200:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,840then the family relationship is on the table for discussion.20300:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,520And it's a beautiful thing that you can do that because there are not many spaces in20400:12:35,520 --> 00:12:40,400our academic environment where we can bring up those things without fear of judgment or20500:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,800fear of censure in some way or the other.20600:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,860And so I really have appreciated my coaching relationships because everything can come20700:12:48,860 --> 00:12:49,860to the table.20800:12:49,860 --> 00:12:54,980My whole self can come to the table because my whole self is important in moving my research20900:12:54,980 --> 00:12:55,980career forward.21000:12:55,980 --> 00:13:02,240Okay, so number two, that it allows you to bring your whole self to the table.21100:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,920Number three is it helps you learn to trust yourself.21200:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,060I really like this one.21300:13:09,060 --> 00:13:11,760It helps you learn to trust yourself.21400:13:11,760 --> 00:13:17,560Okay, so when I first started in my faculty career, I had no idea what I was doing.21500:13:17,560 --> 00:13:18,560I didn't.21600:13:18,560 --> 00:13:24,040I mean, I didn't have research, much research background.21700:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,360I hadn't really submitted grants very much.21800:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,160I mean, I'd submitted one or two.21900:13:28,160 --> 00:13:29,640I hadn't written many manuscripts.22000:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,560I'd done a couple, but there was so much I didn't know.22100:13:33,560 --> 00:13:37,640And so I was always looking around for who knows, who's the expert, who's the brilliant22200:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,040person, who's the person who's done this?22300:13:40,040 --> 00:13:44,160And of course, invariably, there are all these amazing mentors who've done so much.22400:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,480It's like you're in awe of them.22500:13:46,480 --> 00:13:48,160And everything they say is like gold.22600:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,960Oh my goodness, they recommended I do this.22700:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,360I must do it now.22800:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,920You know, there's just the sense of like the mentor is the expert.22900:13:58,920 --> 00:13:59,920They're the leader.23000:13:59,920 --> 00:14:01,760They know everything.23100:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,960They're so awesome.23200:14:04,960 --> 00:14:09,120Until you find out that, well, you know, they're kind of human.23300:14:09,120 --> 00:14:13,160Like, oh, maybe they're not thinking as critically about my career as I'm thinking as critically23400:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,200about my career.23500:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,040And it's not that we find out that there are flaws in our mentors.23600:14:18,040 --> 00:14:22,440It's just that we find out that, you know, there's only so much someone external to you23700:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,640can do to move you forward.23800:14:25,640 --> 00:14:27,760And it's not a judgment on the mentor.23900:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,120It's just a judgment of the process.24000:14:30,120 --> 00:14:31,400Maybe not even so much a judgment.24100:14:31,400 --> 00:14:35,880It's just the reality of the process that nobody is thinking about your career more24200:14:35,880 --> 00:14:37,360than you are.24300:14:37,360 --> 00:14:42,560Even if you have the most amazing mentor in the world, they can't be thinking about you24400:14:42,560 --> 00:14:44,400more than you.24500:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,720Because yeah, they may be thinking about you and thinking, OK, what opportunities can I24600:14:48,720 --> 00:14:49,720give to this person?24700:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,560But they don't know anything about what's going on in your house with a newborn baby24800:14:53,560 --> 00:14:54,880who doesn't go to sleep.24900:14:54,880 --> 00:15:00,800They have no idea of how much you struggle just to get into work in the morning because25000:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,880maybe of all the arguments that you're experiencing at home.25100:15:03,880 --> 00:15:08,780They just don't have any idea about how you're needing to care for your aging parents is25200:15:08,780 --> 00:15:10,680impacting your work.25300:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,480And you don't necessarily want them to know because you don't want them to stop giving25400:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,600you this great stellar advice.25500:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,400But what happens is that you have to bring all these things to bear in making your own25600:15:22,400 --> 00:15:23,400decisions.25700:15:23,400 --> 00:15:24,400When do you slow down?25800:15:24,400 --> 00:15:25,920When do you speed up?25900:15:25,920 --> 00:15:30,200And maybe the mentor is telling you, like, look, you have one more year until tenure,26000:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,480drop everything you're doing and focus.26100:15:32,480 --> 00:15:37,680And you're like, oh, I can't do that because right now we have a sick child at home that's26200:15:37,680 --> 00:15:40,040taking a lot of time and energy and attention.26300:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,680And I recognize that the tenure clock is one year to go.26400:15:43,680 --> 00:15:46,920This is not the right time in my life to accelerate.26500:15:46,920 --> 00:15:52,620And in reality, what it helps you to do is it helps you learn to trust yourself.26600:15:52,620 --> 00:15:55,360It helps you learn to trust your instincts.26700:15:55,360 --> 00:16:00,720It helps you learn to stop outsourcing the direction for your career.26800:16:00,720 --> 00:16:08,160It really helps you look inward and to trust that the way you feel, your gut reaction is26900:16:08,160 --> 00:16:09,440real.27000:16:09,440 --> 00:16:15,520It helps you to trust your inner witness, your inner voice, your inner sage.27100:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,920It really helps you do that.27200:16:18,920 --> 00:16:25,240And the reality is we're needing to learn to do that again because much of our experience27300:16:25,240 --> 00:16:34,040kind of, I think maybe the word I want to use is denigrates our experience or it denigrates27400:16:34,040 --> 00:16:38,840our, yeah, our experience because it's like you haven't had much experience.27500:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,440I'm the one who's been here for the last 30 years and I'm successful and they are.27600:16:43,440 --> 00:16:50,120But there is a thing that works for you that may not be conventional, but you know, you27700:16:50,120 --> 00:16:51,680know it will work for you.27800:16:51,680 --> 00:16:58,480You know this is the way to go and you can't explain it fully to a mentor who's done it27900:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,880differently, but you know it's the right way to go.28000:17:02,880 --> 00:17:08,940And so learning to trust yourself is important and a coach allows you to do that.28100:17:08,940 --> 00:17:14,480Number four is it helps you shape a career that's actually fully yours.28200:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,320In general in life, we're autobiographical people.28300:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,680What's worked for us is what's worked for us.28400:17:21,680 --> 00:17:25,080And so when we give advice to people, we're going to give advice about what's worked for28500:17:25,080 --> 00:17:26,300us.28600:17:26,300 --> 00:17:29,960We're rarely going to give advice about things that haven't worked for us or that we have28700:17:29,960 --> 00:17:31,960no clue about.28800:17:31,960 --> 00:17:37,620And so many times when our mentors and they're so, they're great people, they're helping28900:17:37,620 --> 00:17:44,000us shape our careers, they're helping us shape our careers according to their experiences.29000:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,760And most of the time if you follow your mentors, you may not go wrong, you probably won't go29100:17:48,760 --> 00:17:54,680wrong, but you won't be shaping your career, you'll be shaping their careers, or you'll29200:17:54,680 --> 00:18:00,400be developing a mini me career, or you know, you'll be like going off of a template that's29300:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,480not you.29400:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,720And the reality is that your career is yours.29500:18:06,720 --> 00:18:11,040But in order to make it fully yours, what you need to do is take all the ideas that29600:18:11,040 --> 00:18:16,740you're given and then shape it into a career you actually want.29700:18:16,740 --> 00:18:22,800And so working with a coach allows you to stop looking to other people as the trusted29800:18:22,800 --> 00:18:29,540source for how your career should be, and just collect ideas from all of them, and then29900:18:29,540 --> 00:18:35,520synthesize it into one direction that really moves you forward in the way you want to move.30000:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,840And so that ultimately at the end of your story, at the end of your journey, you're30100:18:39,840 --> 00:18:45,920shaping a career that's fully, wholly, 100% yours, not somebody else's, that's not a clone30200:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,160of another person's career, it really is your career.30300:18:49,160 --> 00:18:52,920And you are learning and using so much from other people, from your mentors, from your30400:18:52,920 --> 00:18:58,240sponsors, that you're not recreating their careers, you're making your own.30500:18:58,240 --> 00:19:02,320And so it's been really awesome for me because I'm shaping a career that's mine, that's30600:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,880not somebody else's, it's actually fully mine.30700:19:05,880 --> 00:19:11,320And yes, it's got components of other people's careers because I appreciate all the people30800:19:11,320 --> 00:19:15,800who are around me making waves and doing amazing things.30900:19:15,800 --> 00:19:21,520So I can take what they've learned and I can apply it to my career in a way that's fully31000:19:21,520 --> 00:19:27,480authentic and fully reasonable, like it's real for me.31100:19:27,480 --> 00:19:32,080So that's number four, it helps you shape a career that's fully yours.31200:19:32,080 --> 00:19:37,320Number five is that working with a coach helps you identify resources that help you move31300:19:37,320 --> 00:19:38,320forward.31400:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,800And so you would say, well, this is the function of your mentor, and to some extent it is.31500:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,080But again, I think your research mentor is really focused on you succeeding in the research31600:19:47,080 --> 00:19:52,840sphere and your whole life really is still in your hands, right?31700:19:52,840 --> 00:19:58,080Because research is one component of your multifaceted life, but it's all got to come31800:19:58,080 --> 00:20:02,320together to create the life you want.31900:20:02,320 --> 00:20:06,880And having a coach allows you, because your focus is not just on one aspect, like it's32000:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,840not my research or nothing else, it's your whole life.32100:20:10,840 --> 00:20:14,840And because of that, you start to identify resources that are helpful to you.32200:20:14,840 --> 00:20:22,000For example, I once attended a coaching program where we had a say in who would be members32300:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,560of our group coach.32400:20:23,560 --> 00:20:28,840And I looked at who would be members of our group coaching experience, and I looked at32500:20:28,840 --> 00:20:34,160my life and I thought, you know what one thing that's really, really big in my life right32600:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,400now is the fact that I have young children, and young children kind of drive my experience.32700:20:38,400 --> 00:20:39,600I mean, it really does.32800:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,520It changes how much work you can do when you're not at work, it changes how long you can be32900:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,760at work, it changes how you can attend meetings early in the day, later in the day.33000:20:47,760 --> 00:20:54,180And so it felt like at the stage at which I was in my career, having other people, having33100:20:54,180 --> 00:21:00,320other faculty members, other faculty peer mentors who are at the same stage is going33200:21:00,320 --> 00:21:01,520to be so important to me.33300:21:01,520 --> 00:21:03,360And so that's the request I made.33400:21:03,360 --> 00:21:08,680I said, I want to be in a coaching group with women who have young children.33500:21:08,680 --> 00:21:10,480And that's the coaching group that I was in.33600:21:10,480 --> 00:21:16,740And it was so awesome and so powerful because I didn't have to explain, I didn't have to33700:21:16,740 --> 00:21:21,200explain why the fact that the baby wasn't sleeping at night was a big problem for my33800:21:21,200 --> 00:21:22,200research productivity.33900:21:22,200 --> 00:21:23,440I just didn't have to.34000:21:23,440 --> 00:21:24,440It was just a given.34100:21:24,440 --> 00:21:26,240It was just known.34200:21:26,240 --> 00:21:30,760And there's something about that experience where there's just a baseline level of what's34300:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,040known and you can just build on that.34400:21:33,040 --> 00:21:39,360You don't have to spend time just creating context and helping people understand why34500:21:39,360 --> 00:21:41,160things are the way they are.34600:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,080It's just lovely for everybody to just have the same frame of reference.34700:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,480And it's been a real privilege.34800:21:47,480 --> 00:21:52,800At that time in my career, that was the biggest, biggest issue.34900:21:52,800 --> 00:21:58,440And allowing that to be front and center as part of my coaching experience helped me because35000:21:58,440 --> 00:22:03,000then I could be real about the real barriers to productivity.35100:22:03,000 --> 00:22:08,880And then when people gave me advice, when people coached me through these scenarios,35200:22:08,880 --> 00:22:13,240they could do it from the perspective of someone who's actually walked through this before35300:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,320is currently walking through it at the same time.35400:22:16,320 --> 00:22:21,520And so that was really awesome because I could identify resources that maybe I wouldn't have35500:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,720ordinarily been able to identify.35600:22:23,720 --> 00:22:28,800I don't know about you, but many of my mentors are men who have a different experience when35700:22:28,800 --> 00:22:37,560it comes to childcare and when it comes to the bulk of the work in the house.35800:22:37,560 --> 00:22:42,040I think in general, people who identify as men tend to have a different experience from35900:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,880people who identify as women or are the primary caregivers.36000:22:45,880 --> 00:22:55,280And so it is helpful to have coaching experiences in which I can really seek the resources that36100:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,900I want and identify resources that help me move forward.36200:22:59,900 --> 00:23:06,280So those are five reasons why you should consider engaging a coach alongside you as you are36300:23:06,280 --> 00:23:08,240building a research career.36400:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,000And I'll just summarize those five things.36500:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,200Number one, it helps you develop clarity of purpose.36600:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,280Number two, it really helps you bring your whole self to the table.36700:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,640Number three, it allows you to learn to trust yourself.36800:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,360And before, it helps you shape a career that is fully yours.36900:23:21,360 --> 00:23:26,080And number five, it helps you identify resources that moves you forward.37000:23:26,080 --> 00:23:31,200And this is a great point for me to say, if you are considering working with a coach,37100:23:31,200 --> 00:23:37,320especially as you move forward your career as a research scientist, as a clinical scientist,37200:23:37,320 --> 00:23:38,740consider working with me.37300:23:38,740 --> 00:23:41,240I invite you to work with me.37400:23:41,240 --> 00:23:46,540Now you can go to our website, coicoach.com and get on the wait list or you can direct37500:23:46,540 --> 00:23:53,760message me and we can work out a one-on-one coaching experience or you can be part of37600:23:53,760 --> 00:23:55,640our group coaching as well.37700:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,080I'm open to doing both at this time.37800:23:58,080 --> 00:24:04,560I have some slots for individual coaching, but I want to just invite you to really consider37900:24:04,560 --> 00:24:09,520building your career alongside working with a coach and think about the fact that when38000:24:09,520 --> 00:24:13,200we think about coaching, coaching kind of comes from the business world, but before38100:24:13,200 --> 00:24:17,160the business world, it came really from the sporting world.38200:24:17,160 --> 00:24:21,360And coaches really don't work for their clients, right?38300:24:21,360 --> 00:24:24,220They don't do the work for their clients.38400:24:24,220 --> 00:24:27,960Their clients do the work for themselves, but the coach helps them really identify strategies38500:24:27,960 --> 00:24:29,760to help them be the best that they can be.38600:24:29,760 --> 00:24:33,600And when you think about it, in sports, the best players have coaches.38700:24:33,600 --> 00:24:35,320All the best players have coaches.38800:24:35,320 --> 00:24:42,360And I think in our work as clinicians, as clinician scientists, as scientists, wow,38900:24:42,360 --> 00:24:47,720if we're really going to be at the top of our game and really have an optimal experience,39000:24:47,720 --> 00:24:53,960I think that we would be best served as other professionals are by working with coaches.39100:24:53,960 --> 00:24:58,480So I invite you to think about who are coaches that you can identify in your life that you39200:24:58,480 --> 00:25:03,520can work with right now, even if you're not necessarily available or open to working with39300:25:03,520 --> 00:25:09,640me, who can you work with that helps make you the center of your career, not somebody39400:25:09,640 --> 00:25:16,640else's expertise, but makes you the center of your career and allows you to lead from39500:25:16,640 --> 00:25:22,720the center and discover what resources you need or want to access and allows you to help39600:25:22,720 --> 00:25:29,240and helps you do that, helps you really build the career that's totally 100% completely39700:25:29,240 --> 00:25:30,240and fully yours.39800:25:30,240 --> 00:25:31,240All right.39900:25:31,240 --> 00:25:33,440Somebody else needs to hear this podcast.40000:25:33,440 --> 00:25:34,440Please share it with them.40100:25:34,440 --> 00:25:39,280And if you have insights that you want to share, please leave us a voicemail on our40200:25:39,280 --> 00:25:42,400podcast website, clinicianresearcherpodcast.com.40300:25:42,400 --> 00:25:49,200Again, that's clinicianresearcherpodcast.com and share with us how we can create an episode40400:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,280that's especially tailored to a question that you have.40500:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,160I look forward to playing your voicemail on a future podcast episode.40600:25:56,160 --> 00:25:57,160All right.40700:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,160It's been a pleasure talking with you today.40800:25:59,160 --> 00:26:00,920Thank you for listening.40900:26:00,920 --> 00:26:01,920Take care and goodbye.41000:26:01,920 --> 00:26:15,360Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast, where academic41100:26:15,360 --> 00:26:20,680clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they41200:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,160have a mentor.41300:26:22,160 --> 00:26:28,260If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself.41400:26:28,260 --> 00:26:30,000Someone else needs to hear it.41500:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,040So take a minute right now and share it.41600:26:34,040 --> 00:26:39,520As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation41700:26:39,520 --> 00:27:00,560of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.