What happens when science, leadership, and joy converge?

This week, I’m joined by Coach Meg Margaret Moore—co-founder of Wellcoaches, the Institute of Coaching, and the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching—for a profound and forward-looking conversation about the future of well-being, the evolution of coaching, and the art of living a life of purpose.

From her early career as a biotech executive across four countries to becoming one of the architects of modern coaching, Coach Meg shares how decades of work in neuroscience, psychology, and leadership have shaped her latest projects: the Well-Being Index and her new book, The Science of Leadership.

Together, we explore the nine parts of the mind, the relationship between stability and disruption, and what it means to make well-being—not productivity—the measure of success. With candor and clarity, Coach Meg invites us to see joy as both a practice and a responsibility: the thunder that moves us toward wholeness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why our true purpose in life is to promote the well-being of ourselves and others
• How The Science of Leadership and The Well-Being Index are redefining evidence-based coaching
• What the “multiplicity of mind” reveals about personality, purpose, and integration
• How AI and technology can support human flourishing—when guided by compassion
• Why “joy is thunder” and what it means to stabilize during times of rapid change
• How measurement, meaning, and mindfulness come together in modern leadership

If you’ve ever wondered how science and soul meet inside the practice of coaching—or how joy can be both data-driven and deeply human—this episode offers a luminous window into the next era of well-being.

Subscribe for real talk, relational tools, and the spark to reconnect with your joy—new episodes every Tuesday.

A gentle note: I’m a doctor, but not your doctor. This podcast is for education and connection only and isn’t medical advice. Please consult your own clinician about your specific situation.

More from Coach Meg Margaret Moore:

Website: https://www.wellcoaches.com
The Well-Being Index: https://www.wellcoachesnetwork.com
Institute of Coaching: https://www.instituteofcoaching.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmeg/

Stay connected with me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd
Website: https://www.chrissieottmd.com
Solving for Joy Podcast (IG): https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissieottmd/

Full transcript and more: https://www.solvingforjoy.com

Physician Coaches:

Learn, connect, and recharge at the Physician Coaching Summit, November 6-8 at Civana Wellness Resort & Spa in Carefree, AZ.
https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

Next week on Solving for Joy: Dr. Sheri Rosenthal, a former podiatrist turned retreat strategist, joins me to share how she helps heart-centered entrepreneurs design transformational retreats that are both impactful and sustainable.

Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net

When suffering shows up, what does it mean to let no pain go untransformed?

This week, I’m joined by physician, coach, author, and artist Dr. Sarah Bamford Seidelmann for a whimsical and deeply human conversation about joy, creativity, and the sacred absurd. Together, we explore how boundaries sustain our gifts, what it means to make a “feasting table of our wounds,” and why even in moments of grief, laughter and delight have their place.

Sarah shares her journey from fourth-generation physician and pathologist to bestselling author, shamanic practitioner, and coach. We talk about animal messengers, the 100-day projects that changed her life, the power of sustainable boundaries, and the role of self-expression in healing. With warmth and humor, she reminds us that joy doesn’t have to wait—and healing doesn’t have to be linear.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why joy and grief often travel together—and why neither cancels the other out
• What it means to “make a feasting table of our wounds” and transform suffering into service
• How to recognize and honor animal messengers in your own life
• Why boundaries are both compassionate and essential for sustainability
• How self-expression—through art, dance, writing, or story—creates a path back to wholeness
• Why playfulness and delight are not frivolous, but vital

If you’ve ever wondered how creativity, spirit, and science can coexist in the messy middle of being human, this episode is a generous invitation to explore.

Subscribe for real talk, relational tools, and the spark to reconnect with your joy—new episodes every Tuesday.

A gentle note: I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor. This podcast is for education and connection only and isn’t medical advice. Please talk with your own clinician about your specific situation.

More from Dr. Sarah Seidelmann:

Website: https://www.followyourfeelgood.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahseidelmann/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-Bamford-Seidelmann/author/B007P7GRXI

Stay connected with me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd
Website: https://www.chrissieottmd.com
Solving for Joy Podcast (IG): https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast

Full transcript and more: https://www.solvingforjoy.com

Physician Coaches:

Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

Next week on Solving for Joy: Margaret Moore (Coach Meg), pioneer in evidence-based coaching, joins me to talk about the nine parts of the mind, her new book The Science of Leadership, and what it means to lead from the inside out.

Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net

When the world feels divided, dialogue breaks down, and “othering” becomes the language of the day—how do we return to what makes us most human?

This week, I’m joined by internist, public health professional, and trauma-informed coach Dr. Kemia Sarraf, CEO of Lodestar Coaching, for a powerful conversation about choosing humanity, even in dark times. Together, we explore why joy, hope, and courage are muscles to be flexed, how dialogue (not debate) protects our humanity, and why connection literally rewires our nervous systems for safety.

Dr. Sarraf shares her story from public health to medicine to founding a trauma-informed nonprofit and eventually creating her own coaching practice. We talk about the neuroscience of safety and threat, the dangers of othering, and why language matters—because all genocide begins with words. And yet, the shortest distance between two people is story, and dialogue rooted in humanity remains our best bridge.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “default to your humanity” is a practice that protects connection in times of division
• How joy, hope, and courage are muscles we flex daily—not states we wait to feel
• The neuroscience of safety, threat scanning, and why uncertainty is so exhausting
• How trauma-informed coaching helps physicians and leaders unlearn “shellacked” training and reclaim their humanity
• Why dialogue is different from debate—and how story opens the shortest distance between two people
• How to resist othering and instead show up as a cue of safety for those around you

If you’ve ever wondered how to stay human in the face of trauma, division, or uncertainty, this conversation is a call back to presence, connection, and the courage to choose differently.

Subscribe for real talk, relational tools, and the spark to reconnect with your joy—new episodes every Tuesday.

A gentle note: I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor. This podcast is for education and connection only and isn’t medical advice. Please talk with your own clinician about your specific situation.

More from Dr. Kemia Sarraf:

Lodestar Coaching: https://www.lodestarpc.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkemia/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkemia/

Stay connected with me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd
Website: https://www.chrissieottmd.com
Solving for Joy Podcast (IG): https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast

Full transcript and more: https://www.solvingforjoy.com

Physician Coaches:

Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

Next week on Solving for Joy: Dr. Sarah Seidelman—physician, coach, and author—joins me for a spirited conversation about wild creativity, spirituality, and finding joy in unexpected places.

Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net