59. Dr. Tonya Caylor on Thinking Outside The Box

Jun 2

Coaching is such an important practice, and it’s one that has proven benefits for physicians. Dr. Tonya Caylor joins me to talk about group and private coaching, releasing other people’s expectations, and the importance of self-care.

The Benefits of Coaching

Group Coaching:

You know you’re not alone struggling with that issue
You can help troubleshoot other’s problems which might help you

Private Coaching

It’s a safe space to talk about problems you don’t want everyone knowing

Listen to Episode 59 Here

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About Dr. Tonya Caylor

Tonya Caylor, MD, FAAFP is a family physician in Anchorage, Alaska. She founded Joy in Family Medicine Coaching after realizing the power of physician coaching and seeing a paucity of it at the resident level.

She developed a systematic curriculum and coaching program to give physicians the tools early in their training to not only sustain a life-long career but also to find wholeness and joy in the journey. Tonya continues to enjoy her clinical practice and remains an on-call faculty for the Alaska Family Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Caylor has 21 years of post-residency clinical experience, 12 of those years involving academic medicine at the residency level. She completed the faculty development fellowship through the University of Washington. Dr. Caylor is a certified culinary coach through Harvard's Institute of Lifestyle Medicine as well as a Certified Professional Coach through the Life Coach School.

She has completed additional coursework at the Co-Active Training Institute. She coaches medical students through the AMWA-Ignite program, residents, early-career physicians, and faculty through her own program. She is a generalist at heart and sees her clients as whole, capable and resourceful.

Coaching is for Everyone

You don’t have to hate your life to invest in a powerful life transformation through coaching. In fact, that’s exactly what happened when Dr. Tonya Caylor came to me for coaching. She said, “I like my life,” and how powerful is that?

Coaching helps you apply all those tools you read about in self-help books. Coaching gives you a sounding board, in either a group or private setting, to figure out your next best steps to take.

Tonya offers both private and group coaching. She shares the benefits of group coaching and why she loves it so much. In group coaching, you can bounce off the other folks, learn from what issues they’re receiving coaching on, and work on your own critical thinking skills while figuring out what you’d do in their position.

The Importance of Self Care

As a self-branded “woo coach,” Tonya worried how other people saw her. But she’s also started releasing other people’s expectations of the type of person and coach she should be. This is one of the reasons you should approach coaching with an open mind; you never know if a certain approach to coaching is exactly the type you need.

One of the most common complaints Tonya works with her clients about is burnout. As physicians, it’s so common to experience burnout due to the nature of the job. But by prioritizing self-care and filling your own cup first, you can avoid, or at least minimize, burnout.

Self-care is so important! We both urge you to prioritize your self-care. Do what lights you up, make time for what rejuvenates you, and take care of yourself. You will absolutely be a more effective and present physician.

Homework for Women Physicians

How are you prioritizing self-care this week? What are some of your favorite self-care activities? Where do you fall short in taking care of yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

What the purpose of coaching is [9:00]
The benefits of group coaching [11:45]
What happens when you release other people’s expectations [17:30]
Why you should approach coaching with an open mind [19:45]
Some of the steps to avoid burnout [22:15]
The importance of self-care [23:30]

Quotes

“You can go read any self-help book, there’s plenty of books out there. But what coaching does it take those tools and helps you apply them. Without that coaching piece, you’re just reading nice things that tell you what you should think. But the coaching really makes it tangible.” [9:48]

“There’s evidence out there. Mayo Clinic, Harvard - There are published studies, evidence-based, randomized controlled trials showing the benefit of physician coaching.” [20:21]

“You have to prioritize whatever it is that rejuvenates you and take care of yourself. Then you can be more effective and more present for those you serve.” [22:48]