Today, we are joined by Charles Pfeffer.

Charles is an organizational consultant and executive coach with over 30 years of experience helping leaders harness their own and their organization's inherent ability to create change through learning and adaptation. He guides partly through his listening skills, honed through a life-long engagement with self-awareness approaches and group dynamics training, guiding his clients to clarify what they want – for their enterprise, their teams, themselves, and the world. Has assisted executives across many varied industries and organizations, including FedEx, Xerox, DuPont, and Medifast, to align teams, develop leaders, communicate rigorously, and produce results, and has coached teams with assignments ranging from bringing the world's first production digital color printer to market to safely closing the NASA Space Shuttle program. Collaborating with Nvolv Partners, Charles worked with Starbucks and Save the Children to align leadership, strategy, and talent, and has teamed with Brimstone Consulting on strategic change initiatives at the New York Times, ExpressScripts, and the State of Maine. Working with the pioneering DEI firm, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Charles helped to bring the power of inclusion to accelerate strategy deployment at Merck, United Airlines, and EcoLab.

In the conversation, Charles shares insights from his "accidental" journey into personal growth work and executive coaching, highlighting how he helps leaders navigate complexity and change while maintaining authentic purpose.

We also cover:

• The fundamental question he poses to clients: "What do you want?" and how this simple inquiry can unlock deeper purpose
• How organizations navigate change through disruption and the role of leaders in transforming systems
• The parallels between executive leadership challenges and healthcare professionals' experiences
• The connection between oath, authenticity, and purpose in professional identity
• His vision for healthcare environments that provide calm, competent care through better alignment of capacity and demand

Charles concludes by sharing his personal approach to flourishing, which includes time in nature - walking in the woods, kayaking, and skiing - as restorative practices that help him maintain balance while supporting leaders through complex challenges.

Website: https://www.charlespfeffer.com/

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlespfeffer/

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Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:15) Charles Pfeffer’s Background

(04:15) Charles' Journey into Personal Growth and Coaching

(08:00) Early Influences and Moving Beyond Blame

(10:30) The Concept of Polarities: Freedom and Responsibility

(13:00) How Executive Coaching Works

(17:00) Understanding Leadership and Organizational Complexity

(22:45) The Challenge of Integration in Healthcare Systems

(26:45) Complexity, Disruption, and Organizational Change

(33:45) Flourishing Through Authentic Purpose

(37:30) What Allows Charles to Flourish in His Work

(41:00) Imagining a Better Healthcare Future

(45:15) Personal Wellness Practices

(46:15) Conclusion

Today, we are joined by Dr. Carter Lebares.

Dr. Lebares is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of General Surgery and the Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. She is a gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon who specializes in treating gastrointestinal disease, using minimally invasive surgery, such as robotics and surgical endoscopy. Her expertise includes treatments for reflux disease, obesity, early esophageal or gastric cancer, esophageal motility disorders, hernias, gallbladder disease and some kinds of biliary disease.

Lebares' research interests include resilience and mindfulness in surgery, mindfulness and nutrition in metabolic syndrome and obesity, the neuroendocrine and cognitive effects of stress on learning and performance. She has developed and studied a customized curriculum specifically designed for surgeons, the Enhanced Stress Resilience Training (ESRT), which has been demonstrated to improve burnout and global executive function.

In the conversation, Dr. Lebares shares her journey from biochemistry to academic surgery, driven by a deep commitment to advocacy and empowering others through resilience-building approaches.

We also cover:

• Her early experiences advocating for disadvantaged youth that ultimately led her to medicine
• The evolution of surgical training environments and challenges to physician wellbeing
• Development of the Enhanced Stress Resilience Training (ESRT) specifically designed for surgeons
• Her vision for systemic changes in healthcare to preserve medicine as a "pillar of civilization"

Dr. Lebares concludes by reflecting on finding joy in the simplicity of everyday life - being outdoors, connecting with people outside medicine, and appreciating ordinary moments that meditation helps bring into focus.

Guest: Carter Lebares, MD

Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of General Surgery

Director, Center for Mindfulness in Surgery

Principal Investigator, The Lebares Resilience Lab

University of California, San Francisco

Faculty webpage: https://generalsurgery.ucsf.edu/faculty/acute-care-surgery/carter-lebares,-md.aspx

Lebares Resilience Lab Website: https://carterlebares.org/

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carter-lebares-a3970b8/

Selected Resources/References:

About Ann Masten PhD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Masten

Libby Zion Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby_Zion_Law

Luton OW, James OP, Mellor K, Eley C, Hopkins L, Robinson DBT, Barlow E, Lebares CC, Lewis WG, Egan RJ; Welsh Surgical Research Initiative (WSRI) Collaborative. Enhanced Stress Resilience Training for UK Surgical Trainees; Effect and Evolution Evaluated. J Surg Educ. 2023 Oct;80(10):1395-1402. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.07.017. Epub 2023 Aug 9. PMID: 37567800.

Luton OW, James OP, Mellor K, Eley C, Hopkins L, Robinson DBT, Lebares CC, Powell AGMT, Lewis WG, Egan RJ. Enhanced stress-resilience training for surgical trainees. BJS Open. 2021 Jul 6;5(4):zrab054. doi: 10.1093/bjsopen/zrab054. PMID: 34323917; PMCID: PMC8320339.

Lebares CC, Coaston TN, Delucchi KL, Guvva EV, Shen WT, Staffaroni AM, Kramer JH, Epel ES, Hecht FM, Ascher NL, Harris HW, Cole SW. Enhanced Stress Resilience Training in Surgeons: Iterative Adaptation and Biopsychosocial Effects in 2 Small Randomized Trials. Ann Surg. 2021 Mar 1;273(3):424-432. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004145. PMID: 32773637; PMCID: PMC7863698.

Lebares CC, Guvva EV, Ascher NL, O'Sullivan PS, Harris HW, Epel ES. Burnout and Stress Among US Surgery Residents: Psychological Distress and Resilience. J Am Coll Surg. 2018 Jan;226(1):80-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2017.10.010. Epub 2017 Oct 26. PMID: 29107117.

Today, we are joined by Dr. Maura Kenny.

Dr. Kenny is a psychiatrist with Southern Australian Health and a mindfulness teacher, trainer and researcher with 20 years of experience teaching mindfulness courses in both clinical and organizational settings. Her special interest is the wellbeing and resilience of healthcare staff, and she's developed a six week mindfulness course that has been delivered for several years in South Australia's public health settings and in other healthcare and university settings around Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Taiwan.

Maura is also the inaugural director of Staff Wellbeing at the largest healthcare network of over 17,000 employees in South Australia Health.

In the conversation, Dr. Kenny traces her journey from aspiring domestic science teacher to psychiatry, driven by her fascination with biology and a desire to alleviate suffering.

We also cover:

• Her pivotal encounter with Professor Mark Williams that introduced her to mindfulness
• Adapting mindfulness practices specifically for exhausted healthcare professionals
• The limitations of individual interventions without system-level changes
• Her role as Director of Staff Wellbeing and the challenges of connecting different parts of the healthcare system
• The importance of peer support and camaraderie in medicine

Dr. Kenney concludes by reflecting on finding joy amid the inherent challenges of healthcare and the privilege of being present for patients during significant moments in their lives.

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:00) Dr. Kenny's Path to Medicine

(11:40) Introduction to Mindfulness in Practice

(15:20) Pivotal Workshop with Professor Mark Williams

(19:40) Adapting Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals

(24:20) Healthcare Staff Wellbeing in Australia

(31:00) Social Justice in Australian Healthcare

(34:00) Leadership Challenges and "No Villains" Mantra

(37:20) Importance of Peer Support and Camaraderie

(41:00) "A Brief for the Defense" Poem Reading

(44:20) Finding Joy Amidst Challenges

(48:00) Conclusion and The Guest House Poem

Guest: Maura Kenny, MBChB, MRCPsych, FRANZCP

Director, Staff Wellbeing, SA Health (South Australia Health)

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-maura-kenny-b5bb1b53/

Website for the Mindful Self Care Course: https://www.mindfulscp.com/

Resources/References:

Kenny M, Luck P, Koerbel L. Tending the Field of Mindfulness-Based Programs: The Development of International Integrity Guidelines for Teachers and Teacher Training. Glob Adv Health Med. 2020 May 7;9:2164956120923975. doi: 10.1177/2164956120923975. PMID: 32426180; PMCID: PMC7218322.

Amishi Jha, PHD and her work and research: https://amishi.com/

Guest House Poem, Rumi: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/guest-house/

Mindful Self-Compassion, Kristen Neff PhD, and Chris Germer PhD: https://centerformsc.org/about/

A Brief for the Defense, Poem by Jack Gilbert: https://genius.com/Jack-gilbert-a-brief-for-the-defense-annotated