Successful outside, yet falling apart inside?
What if there was a way out…
I get it. You’ve accomplished everything you wanted. Succeeded at the highest levels. Money, material objects, prestige, everything you’ve sacrificed for. Suffered for. You’ve got it all.
Yet every day, you wake up empty. Burned-out. Exhausted. Disillusioned.
Locked into a cage of your own creation. Nobody to complain to, because from the outside looking in, you have what everyone else wants. A packed professional practice, or high-level career. Yet, a little piece of you is dying every day. Some days, you wish you could just walk away. Yet, you can’t see a way out, and you wonder if it’s just too late.
I coach high-performing, stress-addled professionals who’ve hit a wall and want a different life, but don’t know where to begin. This is my specialty. I am not a generic life-coach, or business coach or really any kind of ordinary coach.
I help people who have succeeded by traditional definitions, but are inwardly wrecked, come back to life. Without the typical rah-rah, oversimplified slogans and superficial antics that tend to inspire a younger set, yet are completely inadequate for someone at your level, with your pain, your needs and your desires. Including the need for real, measurable and immediate outcomes. And, discretion.
About YVONNE
My name is Yvonne Whitelaw. MD, MPH
I am passionate about helping helpers because we all need a hand, someone to lean on and a safe empathetic space to feel like someone’s got our back. Especially those who are constantly leading and serving others.
I have traveled extensively between and lived in Nigeria, London and the United States, established international aid campaigns, attained a Masters in Public Health, a degree in medicine and raised a family. Along the way, I fell apart, too. And, as part of my recovery, I drew upon my extensive background in behavior change, program-development, mind-body wellness, and also trained extensively to deliver scientifically-validated interventions in Positive Psychology and as developed by Brene Brown through her Daring Greatly and Rising Strong initiatives.
I know what it is like to feel the pressure of performing at the highest levels, while secretly having the walls of your life cave in. And, I know how to make it stop. I’ve done it for myself. I’ve done it for others. I can do it for you.
I’m not going to give you any kind of long sales pitch. You’re too busy for that. You just need to answer a simple question right now…
Are we a fit?
I don’t know, and I never sell clients. Not my style.
At any given moment, I have only a handful of spots available (this lets me serve those clients on the highest level and also work on larger-scale initiatives in the global health world and military support space).
I can help you breathe again.
Most important, you’ll stop suffering in silence. And start rebuilding your life.
Despite what you think, it is not too late. I’m here to help you.
Yvonne Whitelaw, MD, MPH
Certified Daring Way Facilitator
Coach, Facilitator and Advocate
Founder, Thriving Idealist, Thriving Physicians
How can I serve you? Ther.
Click on the link below right now to set up a 75-minute Consultation Call. To assess your needs, get to know you, gain clarity with some experiential exercises and create a plan forward for how I can support you. It is a powerful session many find helpful and transformative.
If I can help, and I have availability, we’ll schedule our first “official session, and I will share how we can work together moving forward.
Schedule your Consultation Call. Now.
Schedule Appointment OR Pay What You Choose!
BIO And TESTIMONIALS BELOW:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”― Fred Rogers
Fondly called “The Helper For Helpers and Sheepdog for Sheepdogs”, Dr. Yvonne Ator is deeply passionate about serving those who serve and lead.
As the Founder of Thriving Physicians and Thriving Idealist, she has spent the past several years coaching mission-driven Physicians and other helping professionals who desire to serve and lead sustainably and thrive in their personal and professional lives while making their positive impact in the world without succumbing to disillusionment, moral injury, compassion fatigue or burnout. As a sheepdog for sheepdogs, she equips helpers and leaders struggling with overwhelm, overwork or feeling stuck with tools and resources to master themselves so they can live authentically and serve to their fullest potential. Yvonne is also passionate about creating daring leadership and courage cultures in the workplace.
An immigrant born in England, raised in several states in Nigeria and the United States, Yvonne was the quintessential multipassionate idealist who wanted to change the world through medical missions and music. However, after finding herself at a crossroads, overwhelmed and compassion-fatigued as a new mom having to choose between her mental health and burnout in the medical profession she had sacrificed everything for, Yvonne became an avid advocate for physician wellness, courageous service and leadership, suicide prevention and a more wholehearted culture in the workplace.
After losing her comatose dad during a physician strike and finding herself homeless, divorced and financially destitute, Yvonne realized the pitfalls of burnout and quitting medicine without a safety net. She now empowers helping professionals to step back from the tunnel of overwhelm and burnout, rediscover their values and strengths with a new lens and mindset to see the options before them and make more aligned and empowered decisions.
In addition to a doctorate of Medicine from the Brody School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, she has attained several certifications in resilience, wellness, personal, leadership and organizational development. She is a certified Personal and Executive Coach in positive psychology, Certified Daring Way Facilitator, Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator (Brene Brown’s work) and a certified Unbeatable Mind Coach (Integrated Training in Mental Toughness and Emotional resilience with Retired Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine!).
A physician, musician, coach, writer, author, speaker, advocate and serial-quester, Yvonne is tireless in her mission to empower, equip and inspire those who have sacrificed to serve. She co-created the Veterans Integrated Program with the Courage Foundation to help veterans with post-traumatic stress cultivate the tools and practices to thrive. She has served schools, non-profit organizations, hospital teams and mixed professional groups as a sought-out keynote speaker, executive coach and workshop facilitator on leadership, resilience, work culture and emotional development topics such as Daring Leadership, Rumbling with Vulnerability, Living Our Values and building TRUST, disciplines of the warriors and the big 4 of Mental toughness.
She has also spent the pandemic hosting Respite sessions for frontline workers to help with stress, overwhelm and burnout. She has internationally published several articles including laughter as medicine, caring for caregivers, mindfulness meditation, grief, crisis intervention, trauma resilience and cultivating values. She serves as a Founding Executive Board Member of the Mindful Healthcare collective. She is a co- author of the book “Thinking About Quitting Medicine?” and her story is featured in the bestselling personal development books “SPARKED” by Jonathan Fields and “I Quit!” by Coonoor Behal. She has also served as adjunct professor at the Cal State University San Marcos Master of Public health program.
When she isn’t being chased around by her two unbeatable warrior-princesses, she is either playing guitar in bands, meditating, latin dancing, wanderlusting, hosting free virtual Respite sessions for physicians and other Frontline workers during the Pandemic, doing burpees to support Courage Foundation’s mission to help veterans with Post-traumatic stress, dreaming up her next quest or geeking out on values, leadership, antifragility, emotional intelligence, Unbeatable Mind and Oprah!
TESTIMONIALS:
If you’re curious what others have said about our work together, here are a few words from those I’ve helped:
“Yvonne has picked me up when I’ve fallen apart, more times than I can remember – though most recently this Summer. She’s not a bootcamp style drill sergeant, but she will be straight with you. All the while with kindness and calmness. On this – I’ve literally never met anyone as calm as she is. You just stand next to her and your heart rate starts to go down. If you are someone who spends a lot of their job or life caring for others and it’s getting too much, I really, HIGHLY recommend doing a session with Yvonne.” – Marsha Shandur, Corporate Story Strategist
“Yvonne Whitelaw as I posted earlier has changed my life and given me gifts in knowing her that I cannot begin to describe. If you need some sort of guidance, change or support, she is the real deal!” – Susan Lustenberger
Dear Yvonne, it has been my pleasure and honor to work with you these last few months. I sincerely appreciate your help, and I have considered our work pivotal in allowing me to gain the mindset needed to take the next step in my writing career. The focus on values and strengths has allowed me to work around my struggles with confidence, and the focus on service and sharing my voice with the audience with whom my message resonates has been particularly powerful. I have a feeling that the benefits of our time together will continue to unfold and manifest in different ways in the months and years ahead, but that we have planted some important, necessary seeds. So thank you, and yes, I would absolutely recommend you with the highest degree of confidence and without reservation to any other physicians who could stand to benefit from your services. Thank you for your brilliant coaching.
– Dr. MV, (MD) Psychiatrist, Writer, Mother
I sought Yvonne’s help when I was in a fork in the road regarding my profession. Her suggestion to take a unique personality test I hadn’t heard of in the past gave me insight into myself and clarity regarding the best path for me. Yvonne’s insight helped empower me to confidently decide my next steps in my career. Yvonne is smart, intuitive, and has a huge heart. There is no doubt in my mind that Yvonne’s work will continue to change the world, one professional at a time.
Dr. Kerry Petsinger, (Ph.D) Physical Therapist, Mom and Founder of Your Streamlined Life
Before working with Yvonne I was burnt out with lack of passion for my calling and stuck in a toxic work environment. I knew I needed to make a change but didn’t know how. I was stuck in the “couldn’t” and “shouldn’t’s”, and unable to allow myself permission to pursue something different. I came to know of Yvonne’s services through Physician Mom’s Group and decided to book a session. At the very first session, which I just expected to be introductory and mostly a telling of my story, in addition to being an excellent listener, Yvonne taught me breathing exercises and started immediately giving me professional feedback and plan of actions. It gave me confidence in her expertise and that progress WOULD be made. She remained caring and supportive throughout our coaching relationship. She taught me to look deeper past what I wanted to do or not do, but WHY? What were my driving forces? My core values? My strengths? I gained the strength to leave the toxic relationship (my job) in a way that aligned with my beliefs, on good terms. Her voice (even when not on the phone) became a guiding force for many personal difficulties I happened to be going through at the time. “What would Yvonne say?” became a common thought causing me to reflect often. I would wholeheartedly recommend her sessions, I believe anyone could benefit from her expertise and guidance. I wish she would expand her services to non-physicians as well! – Dr. A. S, (MD.) PM&R Physician, Mom, Designer and Writer
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Schedule Appointment OR Pay What You Choose!
More about Thriving Idealist Coaching
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More Testimonials:
What was going on in my life before working with Yvonne?
Well my life was falling apart despite my best efforts. I was feeling like I was failing at every aspect, from work, to motherhood, to friendships, to my marriage. I was at the end of my rope, seriously contemplating how to get my affairs in order and end everything.
What brought you to book a session?
I was trying to find another way to use my medical skills, looking at a PMG non-clinical site when I ran into a post about another physician suffering from classic symptoms of burnout. It was me on paper. A commenting physician mentioned how Yvonne at changed her life when she herself was at a similar place in life, and so I looked into it.
What was my experience during the first session?
Honestly the stakes were so high for me that I was nervous. I figured she was my last chance, so if she couldn’t do it I was helpless. Now mind you this was all on my end, nothing like that was from Yvonne. She was kind, caring, calm, hopeful and most importantly accepting of me-right where I was at. I was also scared that she would push me to “blowup my life” like many books and websites suggest. She reassured me immediately, this was not her goal- her goal was to help me discover the buried self under the mound of conformity so rampant in the physician mother’s life. She would then help nurture that self to fully blossom.
How was your experience for the duration of your coaching relationship? What benefits did you gain from the sessions?
Thankfully it is still an ongoing relationship- there was a lot to unpack and process. She made recommendations that gave me further insight into myself, which then allowed me to adjust my lens on life. This has truly been a ripple effect in my own sphere of influence. My son no longer displays signs of anxiety, despite the fact that his mother is not currently working. My husband has been able to realize his long-buried dream for his own career and I am finding joy in the chaos of everyday life. My marriage has been revitalized despite life’s inherent uncertainty. I also realized I was losing myself in order to hold onto friendships that no longer served the purpose of building and strengthening each other up. Using the tools she gave me I was able to focus on the relationships that were truly important and in turn rediscovered buried parts of myself. Ironically this really has “blown up” my life. But not just to do so. Instead it is changing so dramatically because I have been able to reconnect with the real me, not the me I became for everybody else.
How would you describe Yvonne’s coaching style?
An unfolding. She never rushes you. I never have felt like a burden to her. I have always felt like we were in this together, that this is truly her passion and her calling. She is not asking me to do anything she has not already experienced herself, so I know it can be done.
What worked for you? What was your biggest aha?
One of the things I enjoyed most was the Yvonne encouraged me to be me. So when I asked to do an exercise my way, rather than the prescribed way, it was embraced by her, rather than seen as a questioning of her style, knowledge or authority. Eventually I would come around to how she asked me to do it, but would not have done so if I was unable to try it my way. She is receptive of feedback, even in the mundane things like grammar and typos, acknowledging mistakes rather than making excuses for them-which for me is HUGE. The most important thing to me however has to be the incorporation of scripture into her council. She brought me back to center, reminding me that no matter what the external world may say, God delights in me, just as I am, right now through the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s a powerful statement, when all around you are being told to change in order to be worthy, loved or accepted. What some may say are detriments, are in fact tools and gifts endowed to me by my creator, who am I to shirk those gifts or refuse to use them in order to alleviate someone else’s discomfort with their own gifts?
Would I recommend a session to others?
Yes. But be prepared. This work is hard, but worth it. Barriers have been broken down in my heart and in my life. I am now vulnerable, for better or worse. I have since coined the term emotional debridement, as I feel it wisely encompasses the initial stages I have passed through to break down those walls. It stings, and makes you angry, and frazzled and at times you want to give up. But only once the wound is fully opened and explored, can the true lasting healing begin. Dr. J.S Family Physician
02 November 2022
I’ll start by saying historically I held a belief that the profession of coaching was full of charlatans
with little training and even less lived experience and therefore had nothing to offer me. I had
tried a group coaching program and found some benefit, but it wasn’t until I crossed paths with
Dr. Yvonne that I softened my stance on coaches. I booked a consultation and after spending
that first hour with her, I decided to take the plunge and book her for a six month term. I have no
regrets about that decision. In fact, I can confidently say that in those six months, I’ve grown and
healed more than I have in my entire adult life!
On our first official call, I was sharing some information about myself and fell into my familiar
pattern of over-explaining myself. You know, classic people-pleaser behavior. Yvonne stopped
me mid sentence and simply said, “You don’t owe me an explanation. Stand your sacred
ground. You do not have to own my discomfort.” It was so simple, but so powerful. I’ve carried
that nugget with me since then and I feel so empowered in my life. Yvonne has helped me
navigate so many things in this short time period, but most importantly, she showed me the
power of mapping out my values, priorities and strengths along with the importance of building
daily routines. In my time with her, I’ve quit drinking (a goal I’ve tried to accomplish many times
in the past, but never made it stick), made significant progress on a novel I’ve wanted to write
for years but was stuck in my own head, and finally, I’ve identified so many patterns in my
behavior that were hidden from me and were holding me back from living a full, authentic life.
My relationships with myself, my partner, my family, my workmates and my community are all
benefiting from the work I’ve done with Yvonne.
The last thing I’ll share is that this work is not for the faint of heart. Yvonne will push you – in an
ever-so-loving way – to uncover and live your truth. I am so grateful that Yvonne came into my
life. I highly recommend her services to anyone who is looking to live an authentic and
intentional life and just needs that little extra support on their journey!
Best wishes,
Jess Nelson
Schedule your Consultation Call now.
Schedule Appointment OR Pay What You Choose!