AWL Alumni Spotlight
Lauren Ladd, Radiologist, Assistant Professor and Program Director
IU Health & IU School of Medicine
"In AWL, I built new skills and got a deeper understanding of my values and I got clear about me. It was life-changing in many respects because of that clarity."
Meet Lauren Ladd
Lauren is a musculoskeletal radiologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology at Indiana University Health, as well as Associate Program Director of the IU School of Medicine Transitional Year Residency Program. A graduate of Butler University and Indiana University School of Medicine, she completed her internship and residency at Indiana University, followed by a fellowship in musculoskeletal imaging and intervention at the University of Wisconsin. Lauren has special interests in teaching resident and fellow physicians, empowerment of women in medicine and specifically radiology, diversity and inclusiveness efforts in her department and the medical community, and spending time with her amazing husband and two awesome children. As a busy working mom, there are so many people who help and have helped her work towards reaching her goals, including many of the leaders and friends from AWL, and for that, she is eternally grateful.
We asked Lauren a few questions to help us all get to know her better. Here’s what she had to say...
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.
Describe the six months you spent in the Bloombase experience for Advanced Women Leaders (AWL)?
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.
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.
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.