Episodes 61 – 70 – Canadian Society of Physician Leaders

Leading the way

Our podcast series was launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased to see that it has evolved to address many of today’s health system and physician leadership challenges. Over 55% of our members are tuning in to these concise and informative interviews.

Leading the way

EPISODE 67

March 18, 2025

Part 2: Dr. Lisa Calder continues our conversation, diving deeper into the essential role of diverse mentorship, sponsorship and coaching in leadership development.

EPISODE 66

February 20, 2025

Part 1: Join us as Dr. Lisa Calder, CEO of the Canadian Medical Protective Association, discusses the blend of inherent and learned leadership skills and the vital role of exposing learners and physicians to leadership and its opportunities.

EPISODE 65

December 18, 2024

In this episode, Dr. David Bowes, the Dalhousie University Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education, discusses his insights on resident leadership and the creation of an innovative medical leadership elective available to residents at Dalhousie.

EPISODE 64

November 13, 2024

Dr. Melissa Lem discusses her leadership journey at the local, national and international level, sharing insights from her work in health, environmental advocacy, and engaging with the media.

EPISODE 63

October 2, 2024

2024 Chris Carruthers Excellence in Medical Leadership Award recipient Dr. Curtis Johnston reflects on how leadership has evolved since the pandemic, highlighting new opportunities for innovation in leadership development.

EPISODE 62

August 19, 2024

Dr. William (Billy) Silverstein, recipient of the Future Leader in Choosing Wisely Award and Associate Editor for JAMA Internal Medicine: Teachable Moments, shares insights into his leadership journey and his efforts to promote resource stewardship in medicine.

EPISODE 61

April 17, 2024

Dr. Victor Do engages in a dialogue with the new podcast host, Dr. Emma McDermott, about the significance of formal leadership education and training, as well as the valuable contributions learners bring to medical leadership.

Cecile Andreas

MB, ChB, CEC, PCC

Since starting her coaching practice in 2014, Cecile is known to bring her deep experience as a physician leader and service provider to her coaching work, with a focus on unlocking the potential in people, teams and organizations. She uses a strengths-based approach with her clients and believes that our best opportunities lie in developing from the places in ourselves in which we already have strong ability.

Geographic Location: Cranbrook, British Columbia, also available on Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or Skype

Certification/Years as a coach: Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching (Royal Roads University) 2014

Advanced Certificate in Group and Team Coaching (Royal Roads University) 2017

Advanced Coaching Psychology Certificate (Royal Roads University) 2018

Certified Daring Way™ and Dare to Lead™ Facilitator

Certified LEADS Coach

ICF Professional Certified Coach 2018 - present

Phone number and/or email: info@cruxcoaching.ca • 250-919-6529

Website: cruxcoaching.ca

Expertise: Leadership, Women in Leadership, Groups and Teams, Managing Stress and Burnout, Resilience for Physicians and Physician Leaders, Daring Leadership

Mantra:

"You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness." – -Brené Brown

Cecile’s mission is to unlock the potential in people, teams and organizations through coaching. She brings her deep experience as a family physician to her work as an executive coach, coach supervisor and educator.

Cecile has a passion for supporting physicians to flourish through reflective practice, where she is able to draw on her whole experience and being to create a space for shared learning. She believes that values, leadership, courage and vulnerability are inextricably linked, and that we rise from our challenges if we are willing to walk through our stories and integrate the lessons in them.

Cecile is an associate faculty member in the Advanced Certificate in Group and Team Coaching and a mentor coach in the Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching Programs at Royal Roads University.

Cecile holds a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching, and an Advanced Certificate of Coaching Practice from Royal Roads University. She is a Certified Daring Way™ and Dare to Lead™ Facilitator and a certified LEADS™ coach. She is certified to use the TotalSDI™ and Integrative Enneagram (iEQ9)™ tools. She holds a medical degree from the University of Stellenbosch.

Amanda (Mandy) Brisebois

MSc, MD, FRCPC, FACP, AoADI, CEC, PCC (ICF), CHE, CCPE, Med., MMgmt (IMHL)
Dr B Free Conflict Coaching for Physicians and Team Optimization

Geographic Location: Location not significant factor for conflict coaching. However, I am in Edmonton, AB and have also practiced in Calgary, AB, and Victoria, BC.

Certification/Years as a coach: Coaching since 2012 with certification from Mayo Clinic - Certified Wellness Coach, Center for Executive Coaching Executive and Healthcare Leadership. Certified through Justice Institute of British Columbia for Mediation and trained in negotiation and conflict coaching.

Phone number and/or email: drbfreecoaching@gmail.com

Website: https://amandabriseboismd.com/

https://www.albertadoctors.org/app/forms/EZMSA/IntakeForm.aspx

AMA Website: https://albertazmsa.com/physician-advisor

Expertise: Dr. Brisebois is a certified Wellness, Healthcare and Executive Coach, a certified mediator, a General Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine Specialist, as well as having extensive training in conflict, negotiation, equity, diversity and inclusion. She has served as the Medical Director for a large 360 bed hospital, the Medical Director of the Covenant Palliative Care Institute, as well as an Associate Chief Medical Officer of Covenant Health. She has completed a Masters of International Health Leadership through McGill University and has trained at multiple world renowned organizations including the Mayo Clinic, Berkeley, Oxford, UBC, London School of Economics, University of Alberta, and the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

Her leadership specialty is helping practitioners and teams create an environment of productive conflict and high-level “in-the-moment” interactions to optimize team successes. She has seen her support create happier, more efficient, and more effective healthcare teams. She has spoken as a keynote speaker at many international events, and she is a published author in her fields of expertise. Her most recent publication in this area is an opening chapter in the AAPL publication “The CMO Guidebook” which outlines her journey facing disappointments in the workplace and turning difficult situations into personal successes.

Mantra:

B Free to get back to Medicine by mastering the art of managing our differences

I am a passionate physician who has worked tirelessly on the front lines caring for patients since 2000. Throughout my career, I have seen changes that have degraded physician autonomy and have negatively impacted our outlook. Health system culture changes and operational pressures have forced physicians to alter how they are practicing medicine, ultimately impacting our ability to focus on patient care. I have concerns regarding the sustainability of the profession and want to help.

Having been through conflict myself in my medical career, I have experienced too many situations in which little attention was paid to consistency and process. A lack of process and transparency can lead to the perception of unsatisfactory outcomes for many practitioners when facing conflict. Seeing this lack of process firsthand drove me into leadership, hoping to impact change and to support physicians facing issues in their practices.

The formal leadership journey that I embarked upon started in 2014 and ended up in my leading a team of 350 physicians through Covid pandemic. During the Covid pandemic, it became apparent that conflict for practitioners and their teams was at an all-time high, and little resource was available to support these physicians. Physicians were losing sleep, sacrificing personal relationships, and removing themselves from their workplaces due to a lack of capacity to achieve satisfactory resolution to conflict. I spent 100s of hours coaching colleagues and teams during this time, but still saw a lack of process in the system to deal with physicians’ issues.

It was clear to me in my coaching that physicians are not trained to handle conflict, leadership, or equity and inclusion. I undertook over 2 years of intense education in these areas to become a respected advocate and teacher in these areas. As society entered summer 2022, and the new generation of the pandemic met us, I made a goal to ensure that practitioners have the skills to create professional success out of conflict. These skills can support practitioners to love their careers once again by freeing time to focus on the field of medicine that they strove so hard to enter. This is my calling, and I want to share the skills and process that can also lead you to productive conflict in your life.

Eve Gaudet

MA, CEC, PCC

Eve is an Executive and Leadership Coach for individuals and teams. After a lengthy career in public service, Eve brings her senior leadership experience in supporting others to achieve their career and leadership potential.

Geographic Location: Victoria, BC. I provide the option of coaching through phone, Zoom or face to face.

Certification/Years as a coach: Since 2014

Phone number: 778-679-3152

Email: evegaudet@eveofchange.ca

Website: eveofchange.ca

Expertise: Coaching executives and senior and physician leaders through change, on-boarding to new positions, and expanding their leadership capabilities.

Mantra:

The Possibilities Are Infinite. The Results Definite.

In this increasingly complex world, Eve is devoted to helping professionals and managers become exceptional leaders. She has worked in senior and executive levels in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Her professional experience spans small business to global initiatives. Clients come from a range of sectors including healthcare, education, telecommunications, hospitality and governments. Known for her
professional, caring and direct approach to coaching, Eve inspires her clients to make the changes they seek and reach their highest leadership potential. As a coach facilitator, Eve inspires participants to deepen their self-awareness and improve their communication and performance. Her public speaking experience ranges from hosting Town Halls and public engagement symposiums to speaking at and hosting conferences.
Eve is certified as an Executive Coach through Royal Roads University and has completed her Masters in Executive and Organizational Coaching through Royal Roads University and is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation. She is certified as a Systemic Team Coach, a Facilitator of Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, and a Practitioner of psychometric assessments including Lumina Spark, Leader, Leader 360 and Emotion, and DiSC Management.

As a coach facilitator, Eve inspires participants to deepen their self-awareness and improve their communication and performance. Her public speaking experience ranges from hosting Town Halls and public engagement symposiums to speaking at and hosting conferences.

Eve is certified as an Executive Coach through Royal Roads University and is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation. She is certified as a Systemic Team Coach, a Facilitator of Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, and a Practitioner of psychometric assessments including Lumina Spark, Leader, Leader 360 and Emotion, and DiSC Management.

Cecile Andreas

MD, MAEOC, MCC, ACTC

Cecile is known for bringing her experience as a physician leader and service provider to her coaching work. She supports others in unlocking the potential in themselves and their people, teams, and organizations. She uses a strengths-based approach with her clients and believes that our best opportunities lie in developing from the areas in ourselves where we already have strong abilities.

Geographic Location: website: Cranbrook, British Columbia, also available on Zoom, Teams or Google Hangouts

Certification/Years as a coach:
Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching (Royal Roads University) 2014
Advanced Certificate in Group and Team Coaching (Royal Roads University) 2017
Advanced Coaching Psychology Certificate (Royal Roads University) 2018
Certified Daring Way™ and Dare to Lead™ Facilitator
Certified LEADS Coach
Master of Arts in Executive and Organizational Coaching (Royal Roads University) 2024
ICF Master Certified Coach 2024 - present

Phone number and/or email: info@cruxcoaching.ca • 250-919-6529

Website: cruxcoaching.ca

Expertise: Leadership, Women in Leadership, Groups and Teams, Managing Stress and Burnout, Resilience for Physicians and Physician Leaders, Daring Leadership

Mantra:

“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live. Now.” – Joan Baez

Cecile’s mission is to unlock the potential in people, teams and organizations. She brings her experience as a leader and service provider to her work as an executive coach, facilitator, educator, entrepreneur and family physician.

Cecile is passionate about supporting physicians in flourishing in their leadership and practice. She draws on her whole experience to create a space for shared learning. She believes that our best work happens when we lead from our values, and that we rise from our challenges when we examine our stories and experiences to integrate the lessons in them.

Cecile is an associate faculty member in the Master of Arts in Executive and Organizational Coaching at Royal Roads University, where she teaches in the Graduate Certificate of Executive Coaching and the Group and Team Coaching Programs.

She holds a Master of Arts in Executive and Organizational Coaching from Royal Roads University. Her thesis research focused on the ways in which coaching supports the well-being of women physicians. She is a Certified Coach Supervisor, Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator and a certified LEADS™ coach. She is certified to use the SDI 2.0™, EQi™ 2.0 and Integrative Enneagram (iEQ9)™ tools. She holds a medical degree from the University of Stellenbosch.

Elizabeth Pedersen

MD, FRCS(C), CCE, ACC

Geographic Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Certification/Years as a coach: CCE, ACC with 5 years experience

Phone number and/or email: melizabethpedersen@gmail.com (preferred), 780 863-8524

Website: accessvita.com

Expertise: EQ2.0 and EQ360 certified, LEADS Canada Coach certified

Mantra:

I believe that physicians are often thrust into leadership positions without any leadership training and coaching is a powerful way to help them navigate their roles, learning needs, and the stressors that are related not only to a career in medicine but also leadership positions within healthcare.

As both a surgeon and an executive coach, Beth can relate to the unique working environment of medical professionals and leaders. Beth understands the satisfaction and privilege of patient care as well as the stress of working with limited resources; the challenges of time management and work-life balance; and how fragile confidence can feel and yet how decisive physicians and leaders need to be. Beth has used her own coach to work through leadership challenges, burnout, building effective teams and knows the power of coaching!

Beth trained as a coach to help physicians and medical professionals identify the clutter in their lives and make room for what counts. She helps physicians interested in leadership to manage work so it doesn’t take over life, to mitigate feelings of overwhelm, to overcome burnout, to move into and out of leadership roles, to find the confidence within themselves to be the best leaders and physicians they can be, and to achieve work-life balance.

Coaching will help you to realign your work and personal life with your values and your own needs. This will make you a better physician and medical leader as well as happier in your personal life. I am motivated to improve patient care by empowering medical professionals to have a better working environment as well as work-life balance.

Beth trained in Toronto and Calgary to become an orthopaedic surgeon and practicse as an adult and paediatric foot and ankle surgeon in Edmonton. Beth studied coaching at Royal Roads University and completed her ICF certification (ACC). She has deepened her understanding of emotional intelligence through EQ certification, and leadership training through LEADS Canada coach certification. Although busy with clinical practice and coaching, she maintains her own wellness by spending time with her family, reading, riding her bike, walking her dogs, and cooking with her husband.

Wendy Pentland

BSc(OT), Med, PhD, PCC

As an ICF certified Professional Coach (PCC) Wendy has provided life and executive coaching services since 2004 to over 600 individuals including professionals, academics and executives internationally in both the public and private sectors. A particular focus has been coaching physicians.

Geographic Location: Kingston, Ontario (services are offered in-person and nationally/internationally via telephone/Skype/Zoom)

Certification/Years as a coach: Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). 18 years coaching experience.

Phone number and/or email: Inquiries are welcome by phone (613-542-8998) or email wendypentland@gmail.com

Website: www.wendypentland.com LinkedIn – Wendy Pentland www.linkedin.com/in/wendypentland

Expertise: Coaching physicians in areas including:

Enhancing communication, professionalism and collaboration competencies.
Leadership.
Transitions (personal and professional).
Health and well-being.
Coaching physicians who have been advised or required by a third party (e.g. regulatory body, professional association, hospital, academic medical organization, legal counsel) to engage in coaching to improve communication, professional behaviours, collaboration skills, self- management and/or interpersonal skills.

Mantra:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom” – Victor Frankl

Wendy completed coaching training in 2004 through the Adler School of Professional Coaching (Toronto) and previously obtained occupational therapy and graduate degrees in Canada and Australia. She maintains ongoing certification with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and draws on additional trainings including Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mind-Body Centred Somatic coaching, Narrative Coaching, Retirement Coaching certification, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and am a LEADS Certified Coach with LEADS Canada/Canadian College of Health Leaders.

Wendy brings to coaching over 35 years of experience in healthcare and academia; as an occupational therapy clinician in Ontario, British Columbia and Australia, health care administrator, tenured university professor, researcher on the relationships between time use, health and well-being and consultant. She has taught, mentored in, presented and published about coaching internationally.

Wendy’s coaching approach is grounded in the belief that people are motivated primarily by two desires: to fulfill their own potential and to make a meaningful contribution to the world; to make a difference. People frequently have difficulty fulfilling these desires because we govern ourselves with beliefs and fictions that hold us back and blind us to what may be greater possibilities.

Wendy has coached physicians on a variety of issues including career transitions, leadership development, managing interpersonal workplace conflict, transitioning through mid-life as well as into retirement, completing book manuscripts, time management, stress reduction, work-life balance, setting and achieving strategic goals, and managing professional and personal relationships. She enjoys and has coached many physician clients who have been advised or mandated by a third party to engage a professional coach to address communication, interpersonal and/or professional conduct issues.

Sarah Smith

Sarah Smith is a Rural Family Physician and the Charting Coach for Physicians. Sarah specialises in helping Physicians improve their office efficiency, particularly in the area of completing charting same day and assisting with strategies for getting today's work done today. Within her program, Sarah also helps Physician business owners with team management and leadership with improvement in office systems and processes.

In addition to coaching, Sarah is a Physician Champion and Improvement Facilitator for her Primary Care Clinic and within the McLeod River Primary Care Network. Sarah is active in her role as Medical Educator and Site Coordinator for the Longitudinal Clerkship Students in her community and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Alberta.

Geographic Location: Zoom online Coaching for Canadian, US and International Physicians. Physical Location Edson, Alberta.

Certification/Years as a coach: Certification 2019, The Life Coach School. Trauma Coach Training through Lodestar Coaching 2021. More than 500 hours coaching Physicians in the specific area of Charting and Office Efficiency.

Phone number and/or email: ceo@reachcareercoaching.ca

Website: www.ChartingCoach.ca

Expertise: Sarah is the Charting Coach for Physicians, with a comprehensive program Charting Champions exclusively for Physicians. Physicians within the Charting Champions program get online modules, a supportive community and individual specific help with weekly group coaching calls. Additionally, the Charting Champions Program is a Lifetime access program.

Sarah also has the Beat the Backlog Mastermind 12 week program designed to help Physicians who have a large and worrisome Backlog of unfinished charts and tasks.

From a Leadership perspective, you may have Physicians within your organisation who are struggling with completing charting, forms, inboxes or a large backlog. Charting Coaching provides the skills and tools these struggling Physicians need to become effective in getting their work done, with the outcome of satisfied and more productive Physicians.

Mantra:

Physician Coaches show you how you are getting in your own way, help you find solutions to your obstacles and walk you into transformation. Prepare for Amazing!

I help Physicians Stop Charting at Night and Create Time for the Things They Love.

We know that the paperwork and the administration burden contribute to Physician dissatisfaction and burnout. Physicians may be overwhelmed and looking to leave their medical career due to this administration and paperwork burden. Physicians are expensive to produce and expensive to replace, organisations often seek out help for their struggling Physicians. Charting Coaching can be a simple effective solution to help Physician satisfaction and improve Physician productivity.

Shayne Taback

MD, FRCPC, CED, ACC. Associate Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba

Geographic Location: Canada-only (Zoom works very well)

Certification/Years as a coach: 2016 (Royal Roads University)

Phone number: shayne.taback@physiciansupport.ca

Website: www.physiciansupport.ca

Expertise: Supporting Physician-Leaders In Action And Development.

Mantra:

Our vision — vibrant physicians thriving in a strong health care system. Our mission — support Canadian physicians to lead significant positive change. Our belief — physician leadership, physician wellness, and quality of care are intrinsically linked

The Canadian Physician Support Company is social entrepreneurship: we strengthen Canadian healthcare by supporting physician-leader success. Our mission is to support Canadian physicians to lead significant positive change

My approach to physician executive coaching integrates my expertise from three areas:

The Personal—Physician-leaders begin to add immense value when they internalize leadership (“moving to the dark side”) as central to their role. Key new skills include 1) maintaining an executive presence (firm and understanding at the same time), 2) reallocating time and setting different boundaries, and 3) using authority (not too little and not too much)

The Organizational—I use leadership models that cover the leadership learning we do not get in medical school: 1) the changes in leadership team behaviour and group culture needed to achieve real world results, 2) how to align people in the face of productive and unproductive resistance, 3) advocating for resources based on change dynamics, and 4) developing current and future leadership talent.

Complex Human Adaptive Systems—In complex healthcare systems, intractable issues can defy standard management process tools including continuous improvement and LEAN systems thinking. I share complexity science based tools to move forward.

Dr. Shayne P. Taback, MD, FRCP, CEC is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine. He is the Founding Director of the University of Manitoba Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) and Chair-Elect of the Royal College National CIP Advisory Committee, and Founder and President of The Canadian Physician Support Company Inc. Shayne has over twenty-five years of experience in academic and clinical medicine including as a physician-scientist and as a physician-leader. His (strictly confidential) executive coaching sharpens leadership by being non-directive, non-judgemental, sometimes fun, and always appropriately challenging.

Shayne graduated from the Royal Roads University Faculty of Management as a Certified Executive Coach in 2016 and completed the Royal Roads University Coaching with LEADS course in 2017. He is a member of the International Coaching Federation and the Institute of Coaching (McLean Hospital / Harvard Medical School affiliate).

Debrah Wirtzfeld

MD CEC CCPE ICD.D MBA

Geographic Location: In person (post-COVID!). Currently by Zoom or phone as per your preference.

Certification/Years as a coach: 2014 Royal Roads University/Seven years as a coach

Phone number and/or email: debrahwirtzfeld@gmail.com , (preferred), 780-819-8031

Website: sheknowsshift.com

Expertise: Physician career transitions (especially into executive positions), women physician leaders, building resilience and confidence

Mantra:

Coaching is meant to develop our individual strengths and bring us from good to great and great to excellent!

Debrah Wirtzfeld is an Executive coach and communications expert with extensive experience in assisting individuals and teams empower their performance, gain confidence, and achieve success! Her multidisciplinary background in psychology, medicine, and leadership development, allows her to assist clients in building and leading teams that can have significant impact in the healthcare sector. Her strongest asset is a deep understanding of the critical importance of effective communications in building successful relationships and teams.

My passion is in supporting professional transitions and assisting clients in adapting to new roles where their relationships and responsibilities have changed. I will work with you to build new relationships and strategic networks, define novel communications pathways, and develop and achieve important goals. I will support you in building a team where your influence will be greater because you have a focus on fostering the development and advancement of others.

As an ICF certified coach, I have extensive experience with the Myers-Briggs Type Indictor, Insights, the Emotional Quotient Inventory and Crucial Conversations. I have a strong background in fostering diversity and building inclusive leaders who want to bring all voices to the table.

I am the co-founder of Inspire Mindset MD (www.empoweringwomenprofessionals.com) where I work to foster empowered performance through a focus on building professional competence and confidence. I am also the founder and CEO of MD Confidence Consulting (www.sheknowsshift.com), an organization dedicated to supporting leaders through professional transitions. I provide consulting and coaching from the moment you are thinking about a change, including how to write an appropriate resume and approach a senior leadership interview, to leaving a position and re-establishing previous relationships and accountabilities.

I have coached Executive leaders, CMOs, Department/Section leads, Provincial Program leads and other administrators in the healthcare environment at the Health Authority and University level. I also have experience in assisting CEOs within the private sector to build teams and recognize required return on investment. I work as a group coach in supporting communication skills and empowering performance.

If you are thinking about a transition, leading from your strengths, or building teams where there is successful communication and a vision for success, I would love to follow along with you in this journey!

Leading the way

Leading the way

Cecile Andreas

Amanda (Mandy) Brisebois

Eve Gaudet

Mamta Gautam

Cecile Andreas

Angie Hong

Michelle Jackman

Anne McNamara

Nancy M. Merrow

Dr Rollie Nichol

Malcolm Ogborn

Elizabeth Pedersen

Wendy Pentland

Sarah Smith

Shayne Taback

Mark C Taylor

Debrah Wirtzfeld

Mikel Segal

Callie Bland