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
More In-Depth Testimonials
What was going on in your life before booking a session? I was struggling with figuring out how to bring more balance into my life. I wanted to create more space for reflection, meditation, and writing, but didn’t know how to do that in the midst of my busy practice and family life.
What brought you to book a session? I admired the work I saw Yvonne doing with physicians, and wanted to see if working with her could help bring me closer to my personal goals for myself.
How was your experience during the session? I worked with Yvonne for about six months. Every session began and intended with meditation. I also had homework in between sessions. I felt that Yvonne helped me to clarify my thoughts, values, and strengths, and helped focus my decision making to align with my values and strengths. Yvonne is smart, kind, empathic, funny, and well versed in Brene Brown’s work and many other areas of positive psychology. She integrates her knowledge with her innate wisdom and experience to help you see things that you couldn’t otherwise see clearly for yourself.
What benefits did you gain? During my work with Yvonne, I established morning and nighttime rituals that supported my well being, including meditation, journaling, gratitude practices, and limiting social media. I also became more conscious of when I needed to set boundaries in my life and say no. I became more focused on working from a place of alignment with my strengths and values. I also became more comfortable with being honest and vulnerable in my writing, and sharing my writing via social media and other platforms, which previously was very challenging for me.
Would you recommend a session to others? Yes, wholeheartedly.
Thank you Yvonne for everything!!!! Let’s please stay in touch.
– Dr. MV
What was going on in your life before working with me?
Feeling dissatisfied, disgruntled, discouraged, disappointed, and distraught. Having felt dishonored, discarded, rejected, neglected, ignored,and betrayed, I needed emotional justice and safety to be my most authentic version of me as a doctor but more than a doctor. Professionally, I had retired from the practice of Gen Obgyn in practice, accelerated my graduate studies to full time in my Exec MPH program AND decided to explore leaving a very abusive and traumatic fellowship program after being a doctor for 10 years.
What brought you to book a session?
I felt I was going nowhere really fast, like a hamster on a wheel….pursuing goals and dreams that were not authentic to me. I needed help to do better. I also felt I needed someone to trust and believe in ME.
How was your experience during the first session?
I felt that finally someone understood me and offered insight, wisdom, and understanding about the origin of my above dis-comforts and dis-eases. Instead of pointing blame at me, Yvonne affirmed my goodness, my authenticity, my truth, my intentions, and my vulnerability. She said things to me that I had NEVER heard another fellow physician say to me. She created an emotionally safe and sacred space and relationship for me to exhale and inhale with ease, with joy, with confidence, and with peace. I was no longer alone and I was no longer the disruptive physician or trouble maker.
How was your experience for the duration of your coaching relationship?
Sacred. And I am crying ….
Accepting. Affirming. Breathtaking. Inspiring. Therapeutic. Liberating. Transformative. Empowering
Yvonne accepted me as I am and held me accountability to my own values and provided the resistance with empathy and love to never give up on me. Even in my darkest and scariest most vulnerable moments, she did not bend to my doubt. She believes in ME and holds space for me in my good, bad, and ugly times. I felt secure and safe to be me in my multiplicities, complexities, and vulnerabilities. And she never ran away. She never gave up. She was brave enough to walk alongside me during my journey. That’s the most powerful act of humanity and selflessness. Agape love.
What benefits did you gain from the sessions?
Clarification and articulation of values. Self acceptance. Self love. BRAVING. BIG. Skills to be stand up strong in my beliefs while still demonstrating compassion and courage. Identification, clarification and articulation of strengths. Utilization of my values to inform my decision making and relationship building in personal and professional matters.
Utilization of my strengths to celebrate myself MORE and to amplify my values and passions. Alignment of values, strengths, and passions to my career planning. Forgiving and honoring myself daily. Forgiving others and finding the good in others. Practicing empathy and gratitude daily. Flourishing in my own authenticity, vulnerability, transparency, and truth. Viewing the world through a lens of abundance and gratitude. Creating and maintaining my blog. Setting aside time for me to participate in affirming rituals and activities. The exercise where I write down my triggers, write the messages in the triggers (aka the lies), and write down my truths (there may one more part)
How would you describe Yvonne’s coaching style?
Physician-Centered. Democratic. Holistic. Empathetic. Collaborative. Participatory. Love Centered. Solution focused. Zen-like/meditative. Mindful. Wholehearted
What worked for you? What was your biggest aha?
Everything. I would do it all over again….and again with enhancements so I could continue to grow upward and onward…from Glory to Glory
Would you recommend a session to others?
With the utmost love, gratitude, joy, peace, and enthusiasm. Everyone deserve a Dr Y relationship and experience.
Anything else you would like to share?
I pray God’s continued peace, love, grace and mercy upon Dr Y, her family, and her expanding territory. I love you
Testimonial by:
Karen A. Scott, MD, FACOG
Sexual and Reproductive Health Epidemiologist
Board Certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology
——————————————————————————————————————-
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.
J.S, DO Family Physician