Sarah Lea, MD, CEC, is a physician leader and Certified Executive Coach (Royal Roads University) with additional training in resilience and leadership wellness through the Leadership Wellness Group. She is also a Certified Meditation Instructor, integrating both evidence-based leadership frameworks and mindfulness practices into her coaching.

With over a decade of diverse clinical and leadership experience in family and addiction medicine, physician onboarding and education, and medical staff leadership development, Sarah brings both depth and breadth to her coaching. She understands firsthand the pressures of medicine: the blurred boundaries, the culture of self-sacrifice, and the silent toll of burnout. Her lived experience informs her work as much as her training — allowing her to connect with physicians not only as colleagues but as fellow humans navigating a complex system.

Sarah’s approach to leadership coaching is grounded in the LEADS in a Caring Environment framework and the CanMEDS roles, particularly the physician as leader, communicator, and collaborator. She helps physicians cultivate self-leadership and self-awareness as the foundation for leading others, recognizing that sustainable leadership begins with clarity of purpose, alignment with values, and an ability to regulate one’s energy and presence.

Her mission is simple yet transformative: to help physicians create a reality where they no longer have to choose between a successful career and a fulfilling life. Coaching with Sarah is not about adding more to the “to-do list” — it’s about unlearning hustle culture, reclaiming agency, and developing the tools to thrive in both medicine and life.

Geographic location: Victoria, BC, and available by Zoom

Certification/Years as a coach: ICF Certified Executive Coach as of May 2023

Email: hello@drsarahlea.com

Website: www.drsarahlea.com

Expertise:

Through both one-on-one coaching and group programs, Sarah helps physicians:

• Build emotional awareness and resilience in the face of complex systems.
• Lead with humility, authenticity, and presence.
• Counter burnout by aligning time and energy with core values.
• Enhance productivity without sacrificing personal health and well-being.
• Develop strategies to navigate conflict, difficult conversations, and change with curiosity rather than defensiveness.

Mantra: 

“Embrace the present moment, honor authenticity, and build connections that empower, heal, and inspire. True growth is found in aligning actions with values, dismantling hustle culture, and courageously walking the path toward transformation.”

Her group coaching offerings, such as The Alignment Sessions and The Expansion Series, foster a supportive community where physicians find accountability, connection, and a sense of belonging in what can otherwise feel like an isolating profession.