KAREN PATTERSON  is a pulmonologist, researcher, and clinical educator. She previously also has been a critical care doctor and, much longer before that, a hospitalist in internal medicine. She currently lives and works in Europe but maintains strong connections to and a frequent presence in the US. Her interest in coaching developed years ago when she engaged with coaching to help gain clarity around scattered clinical interests and fledgling research goals, and to manage a myriad of competing work-life demands that together resulted in a bit of an unfocused career path. The experience helped re-set her career path (and create measurably more inner calm!).

Since then, she fell into coaching roles in her daily academic work, and ultimately began formally working with doctors in the capacity of a coach (becoming a certified coach along the way). While her initial work focused on early career coaching, she has since developed a passion for, and re-designed her practice to meet the specific needs of mid-career doctors as well.

Her philosophy: Coaching is for anyone who wants to reduce the chaos, feel more in control of their career, adjust their professional focus, develop a program, start a movement, or otherwise achieve goals. Coaching is not miraculous. But done right, it is transformational. Through the process of developing agency and owning your value, the effects are long-lasting. Karen helps doctors examine their career trajectories to create definition around their work lives. Her style is direct, warm, and supportive. She is not pushy, but you’ll move forward.