AWL Alumni Spotlight

Describe the six months you spent in the Bloombase experience for Advanced Women Leaders.
The AWL experience was a deep dive for me to learn about myself, deeper than I had ever really been through. I am a radiologist, and I hadn’t considered learning about myself as a way to improve my interactions with others. In AWL, I built new skills and got a deeper understanding of my values and my triggers. I got clear about me. It was life-changing in many respects because of that clarity. In medicine, we don’t learn much about, much less practice, leadership skills or the impact of our interactions on ourselves or others. And that is a huge part of everything we do. During my six months in AWL, I transformed so much that my husband even commented on how much more positive and happy I was by the end of it.

Describe the benefits of the AWL Experience.
I’m an extrovert. I get along with a lot of different types of people and I am pretty good at communicating with different types of personalities. I still have that skill, but my ability to engage and influence are now amplified. I don’t spend as much energy on situations that are hard because I navigate them more clearly. I know what I think and feel and why, and that makes my approach and the goal outcomes clearer. For example, fairness is a huge trigger for me and learning that, revolutionized how I work with some of my coworkers.

Describe the benefits of being a part of the post AWL community.
After I went through the 6 months of the AWL experience, I realized that I still wanted and needed development, and that I had started a journey that doesn’t really have an end. Having the community to lean on as I continue to learn is a unique and powerful benefit.

True development is not something that you learn once,  flip a switch and you’re done. It is continuous. I still connect with women from the experience, including my peer partner. To be able to connect with so many freaking amazing women in the area is priceless, and I love that.

What did you get out of the Executive Coaching sessions?
Coaching was definitely a different experience for me. It was invaluable to have my coach look at a situation from a different perspective, ask me questions, and give me the space I needed to find my own answer, rather than giving me her answer. It’s so powerful to have somebody in your corner, even though they might not work in your field or have had a role like yours.

What does leadership mean to you? To me, leadership is setting an example, communicating clearly, and supporting those I work with and work for.

What legacy do you want to leave? Positivity and kindness.  I hope to raise my children to exemplify these qualities and hope to continue to influence my learners, patients, and colleagues with these characteristics in such a way that they also act with positivity and kindness.