155. Become Your Future Self

The Mindful Healers Podcast with Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang

From stuck, depleted and despairing to grounded, aligned and hopeful.

"Today was a breakthrough for me. You not only gave me the permission, but also the courage, to dream, innovate, and create something I never thought was possible. I've reached the tipping point and it's a place I never ever imagined landing in.”

Dr. Dowling initially practiced Ob/Gyn in Alaska. She then transitioned to private practice Ob/Gyn in Washington state. Next she switched to a full-time hospitalist OB at a large hospital-based system.

She was working 1.2 FTE, was the primary breadwinner for her family of five, and felt stuck, reactive, and exhausted.

She felt unable to find a spot in medicine that felt authentic and aligned for her. She was angry and frustrated and was not able to be the present parent and spouse she wanted to be.

This was when she decided to coach with me.

Dr. Dowling shares the pivotal moment in her transition. When she was able to see an inflammatory and denigrating work email “as a gift.” This email, and her new story about it, was the catalyst for her breakthrough. Coaching gave her the courage and the tools to stop thinking and acting “unskillfully” and start living into her dreams.

The coaching “model” was transformative for Dr. Dowling. Understanding how her thoughts, stories and assumptions impacted her feelings, actions, and results “changed everything”. The coaching model and consistent coaching and practice allowed Dr. Dowling to make the changes she wanted in her life.

Dr. Dowling has now become the exact version future self she wanted to become at the outset of her coaching journey.

She shares how coaching helped her stop thinking, feeling, and acting “unskillfully.” When she learned to show up with mindful intention, her life shifted dramatically.

Learning to see frustration with “loving amusement” was powerful and liberating.

She also reflects on a specific Pause & Presence blog- Unsettled May be your Superpower and why she reads it almost every day to ground and inspire her as she opens her new solo practice.

The written component of coaching was especially powerful for Anna - in particular the “future self exercise.”

At the end of the episode, she reads what she wrote about who she hoped to become. She shares how proud and amazed she is that she has now become this woman.

Dr. Dowling shares how she continues to use a homemade “card deck” from her coaching journey called “Jessie's Pearls of Wisdom.” She explains how she uses it daily, even after coaching, to keep her living with intention. She also turns to it whenever she is feeling stressed, challenged, or stuck.

Five of her favorite “cards/pearls” are:

• Of Course

• Ask Good Questions

• Nothing Changes Unless You Change

• Being Mad at Yourself Doesn’t Help

• Peace Begins with Me

Dr. Dowling is now in a place “so far from where she started.”

She is opening her dream solo Ob/Gyn practice and is parenting with presence, patience, and flexibility.

It’s a powerful and emotional listen.

If you would like to become your optimal future self and live a life that feels exciting, aligned, and authentic, reach out for mindful coaching with Jessie https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/. As Anna shares it will be the best thing you ever do for yourself.

If you want to do in person coaching, join me at a Nourish and Transform Retreat. It’s a delightful way to connect with your future. https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreat-nourish-and-transform