Ep 184: Why Coaching Is Evidence Based and How It Can Help You with Dr. Sunny Smith Part 1 episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 10, 2026 · 22 MIN

Ep 184: Why Coaching Is Evidence Based and How It Can Help You with Dr. Sunny Smith Part 1

from Voices of Women Physicians · host Tatyana Reznik MD, FACP

Dr. Sunny Smith is a family physician, entrepreneur, and founder of Empowering Women Physicians (EWP), one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., as recognized by the Inc. 5000. A former Clinical Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Smith has been honored for her excellence in teaching, humanism in medicine, and community leadership. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a dedicated advocate for physician wellness, as featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, JAMA, and documentaries such as Struggling in Silence and Do No Harm. With her background in underserved medicine, patient advocacy, and medical education, Dr. Smith now empowers women physicians to enjoy the lives that they worked so hard to create through her innovative coaching programs.Some of the topics we discussed were:The evidence-based data showing that coaching has effective results, especially in physiciansFindings of a 2019 study where just 6 sessions of coaching decreased burnout and improved overall quality of lifeAnother study that focused on primary care doctors over the course of 6 monthsFindings of improvement in burnout that lasted beyond the course of the interventionNot only does the intervention group get better, but the control group, while waiting, gets worseJAMA study at 28 institutions with 1,000 female residents showing decreased burnout from just group coaching sessions2024 study where physicians trained in coaching trained physician peers at their institution and had those peers coach other people at their institutions Decreased burnout and increased professional fulfillment, the control group also got worse Significant effect sizes of these studiesFindings that after 8 weeks in Dr. Smith’s program, 77% burned out decreased to 33% burned outHow you don’t have to make huge external changes to really start feeling better and making change right where you areQualitative data showing how people’s perceptions of their life change after coaching interventions Once you understand you can change your thoughts and feelings intentionally and change your perspective, you approach everything differentlyHow the ripple effect of people getting coached may extend to the people around them in their own lifeThere’s no question of if coaching works, the only question is how it can be broadly implementedDr. Smith’s Empowering Women Physicians coaching programDebunking the myth that a lot of physicians who train as coaches end up no longer practicing medicineUsing the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Inventory designed to detect changes in a small period of timeHow physicians’ lived experiences make them uniquely qualified for coaching other physiciansWho better to coach a physician than a physician?How coaching looks at where you are and where you want to beAnd more!Interested in learning more about my telehealth direct specialty care practice? At my new practice, I help patients optimize weight and metabolic health, harmonize hormones in peri/menopause, and enhance wellness and vitality. Accepting new patients now: email [email protected] more about me or schedule a FREE coaching call:https://www.joyfulsuccessliving.com/ Join the Voices of Women Physicians Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/190596326343825/ Connect with Dr. Smith: Website:https://empoweringwomenphysicians.com/Podcast:https://empoweringwomenphysicians.com/podcast/&a

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Dr. Sunny Smith is a family physician, entrepreneur, and founder of Empowering Women Physicians (EWP), one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., as recognized by the Inc. 5000. A former Clinical Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Smith has been honored for her excellence in teaching, humanism in medicine, and community leadership. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a dedicated advocate for physician wellness, as featured in Entrepreneur Mag...

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Ep 184: Why Coaching Is Evidence Based and How It Can Help You with Dr. Sunny Smith Part 1

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