by Diane W. Shannon | May 14, 2021 | Burnout, Coaching, Thriving
Toward the end of my clinical career, I didn’t feel like I had control over much at all. The patient safety issues loomed large. We used ridiculous workarounds for broken processes. The constant vigilance to provide excellent care in a suboptimal environment was... by Diane W. Shannon | Sep 4, 2020 | Coaching, Identity, Thriving
When my first child was born and I stepped over the mighty threshold to “parent,” I felt elated, awed, and grateful—and at the same time as if my life had completely fallen apart. Meditation had been a daily sanity-saving practice for me. Have you ever tried to... by Diane W. Shannon | Jun 19, 2020 | Coaching, Thriving
A few weeks ago I started a ritual that I’ve only done once before, and come August, won’t do again. I began creating a “movie” for my 18-year-old son to mark his leaving home. Three years ago, I spent several months before my daughter left for college creating a... 
by Diane W. Shannon | Nov 20, 2019 | Coaching
About two years ago, I had an experience that opened my mind to the wider possibilities of professional coaching. After interviewing one of its founders, I participated in the Novant Health Leadership Development Program, which involves small group coaching in a... by Diane W. Shannon | Nov 7, 2017 | Coaching, Tools for Preventing Burnout
I am VERY resistant to burnout solutions that focus solely on the individual, as these seem to imply that the problem originates in the affected person. This approach pokes at a sore spot, because of the years I spent secretly worried that the reason I left practice... 
by Diane W. Shannon | Oct 21, 2016 | Coaching, Identity, Understanding Burnout
Physicians have long been seen as superhuman—able to jump the academic hurdles required to gain entrance to medical school, willingly delaying many of the gratifications associated with young adulthood, surviving long hours during training and later when in practice,... 