It’s been quite a journey to the White Coat. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, I completed my residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, followed by a brief career in private practice. I then joined the faculty at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2011.

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From the start of my career at IU, I quickly became interested in faculty development, retention, and diversity. I served as a fellow in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development where I focused on the challenge of retaining women and people of color in academic medicine. This experience inspired me to create a leadership development series entitled, “The Essentials of Leadership.” I believed so passionately in the leadership capability of physicians that I presented this series to any institution that was interested—and many were!

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Teaching the leadership series allowed me to meet hundreds of faculty, residents, and medical students across the country, and soon one thing became clear. Many of us shared the same feeling in our consciousness and in our hearts: something was missing from our lives in medicine. I met physicians who cared deeply about their work and wanted to create change but just didn’t know what to change or how to make a difference. I viewed the medical system, as designed, as a barrier to my professional success and happiness.

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While physicians are trained to provide care, we are not trained to change the status quo or how to successfully navigate complex organizations. How do we become leaders in our institutions and communities? How do we successfully transfer our passion to heal into a passion for change? How do we turn organizational “problems” into sources of growth, scholarship, and fulfillment?

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It was around this same time that I met a physician-coach who offered me a 30-minute coaching session. Those 30 minutes changed my life! Coaching changed the way I thought about my career, my boss, my colleagues, and, most importantly, it changed how I felt about myself. I knew then that I needed to include these same skills of transformation into my own leadership workshops, which led me to enroll in one of the world’s most comprehensive coach certification programs offered by the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). I now share the power of my experiences and what I’ve learned with clients in a more personal 1:1 relationship and to deepen the learning during workshops.

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My coaching style is all about transformation—to reveal your true potential. I work with you to bring out the leader within and help you manifest your personal plan for growth. Whether it’s tackling a career goal, preparing for a life change, overcoming negative self-talk, or just wanting to feel happy about work every day, I ask powerful questions and allow you to find the answer that’s been alluding you. I am not afraid to tell uncomfortable truths if it gets you closer to who you want to be.

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If you would like to discuss how we might work together, please contact me at chemen@whitecoat-consulting.com or by clicking the link below.