Vitae Wellbeing & Leadership

This is my Monday wellness coach.

She doesn’t know what a deadline is. Or an inbox. But she does know how to bring a little calm into a busy day.

While I work through my to-do list, she squeaks, smells of fresh hay, and reminds me to pause. To breathe. To be in the moment.

Not everyone can bring a pet into their workspace but everyone needs something that helps them feel grounded.

What’s your version of this? A walk? A playlist? A proper coffee break?

Today is Day! A colourful and courageous way to shine a light on mental health in the medical profession – started right here in Australia by Dr Geoff Toogood and now embraced across the globe.

I'm really looking forward to the Doctors' Health in Queensland Art Exhibition opening tonight, it is such a meaningful event. I’ve even added a little something to it: a kintsugi plate I created for the exhibition. Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that repairs broken pottery with gold, highlighting cracks instead of hiding them.

It’s a beautiful reminder that healing doesn't mean erasing the past – it means transforming it into something new.

A blog post is coming soon with more about what Kintsugi means to me and why it matters, especially for doctors.

Let’s talk, share, and support each other. One sock at a time. 🧦💛

Today is Mother's Day and all over the world, mothers are celebrated. Yesterday, I had the chance to speak with 120 women about something many of us feel but rarely name: Motherhood & Imposter Syndrome.

We talked about the beauty of motherhood, but how at can also come with shame, comparison, the mental load, and that sneaky voice that says:
“You should have it all figured out by now.”

What I want to share with you is this: you are not failing. You are navigating one of the most identity-shifting experiences a person can have, often without a village around you. And you are not alone.

💬 I have written a new blog for Mother’s Day to continue the conversation. It unpacks why these feelings show up—and how you can gently shift them.

🧡 There’s also a free download included: the CLEAR model. It is simple, practical, and designed to support you in those harder moments.

📖 Read it here: https://vitaewellbeingleadership.com/home/blog.html
📥 Download the CLEAR model: https://mailchi.mp/vitaewellbeingleadership/overcoming-motherhood-imposter-syndrome

Earlier this week the Doctors in Training group of the Brisbane Local Medical Association organised an evening on interview preparation. It was great to hear Drs Janet Draper and Anthony Llewellyn's tips and tricks for medical interviews.
My presentation was focused on how to mentally prepare for the pressure of interviews (and exams).

We didn’t just talk study tips. We explored how mindset shapes performance and how to train it using, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a framework.

We covered:
✔ Reframing self-doubt
✔ Performing under pressure (without pretending you're fine)
✔ Building confidence from the inside out
✔ A 7-step model to strengthen your mindset before high-stakes moments

If you’re preparing for fellowship exams or medical job interviews, I’ve created a 1-page guide based on this session.
Message me or comment below and I’ll send it through. Designed for busy clinicians.

Vitae Wellbeing & Leadership is proud to support Menstrual Health this May.

Support Menstrual Health this May! With World Menstrual Hygeine day coming up, we’ve teamed up with The Cova Project- a charity that provides menstrual cups and menstrual health education in developing communities around the world!

If you’d like to help, please consider donating via the link or QR Code - All donations up to $1000 are matched! So when you give $25, an additional $25 will be donated to the COVA Project to support better menstrual health globally.

Find out more, and donate here! https://www.thecovaproject.com/pvogs2025

Each year, ANZAC Day reminds me of how far war can feel from Australia—and how close it still sits in our hearts.

ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, honouring those who served and died in war and peacekeeping.

I grew up in the Netherlands, where WWII wasn’t history—it was still in the air. Every May, we remember the start and end of the war with silence, stories, and reflection. Many of my childhood books were about the war, resistance, and choices people had to make—impossible ones.

Some of my friends and family lived through WWII. Today, they’re retraumatised by the images from Ukraine. In Europe, war feels much closer—Gaza, Kyiv… it’s not far.

Now that I have children, I feel those stories differently. Would I have joined the resistance? I used to think about that as a child. Now I know how hard that decision really is.

I can’t bring myself to watch the movie Sophie’s Choice anymore.

Days like these remind me how lucky we are to live in peace—and how fragile this peace can be in current times. Let's remember our past and take lessons from that for the future.

Lest we forget.

This week I attended the CaPS (Communication and Patient Safety) workshop at QEII Hospital. Thank you, Jane Stanfield, for the kind invitation.

It was a powerful experience. A multidisciplinary group came together to talk about medical mistakes, how to change the culture to not to point fingers, but to ask what we can learn. Like in aviation, the focus was on how to change systems and processes—not individuals.

That sounds simple, but in practice? It’s hard. When something goes wrong in healthcare, emotions run high. Families are understandably upset. Healthcare workers feel shame. And that shame can stop them from reflecting, because revisiting a mistake takes enormous self-compassion.

One big theme was the frustration when leadership doesn’t walk the talk. When values are not lived, or misbehaviour goes unaddressed, it leaves teams feeling unsupported. Over time, that silence becomes a risk for burnout and moral injury.

We also spoke about the courage it takes to speak up. It’s not easy when you feel alone. But there are strategies that help: peer support, clear frameworks for feedback, and leadership that listens.

Let’s keep creating spaces where learning is safe, mistakes are shared, and support is the norm.

What has helped you feel safe enough to speak up at work?

We’re so grateful to AMA Queensland for sharing their beautiful boardroom with Queensland Medical Women's Society for our recent strategic planning day.

It’s more than just a space—it’s a sign of support and encouragement for women doctors coming together to lead, advocate, and connect. Thank you for backing the work we do and making space (literally and figuratively) for our vision for 2025!

— QMWS Exec Team

🌟 Feeling Like a Fraud in Medicine? You’re Not Alone. 🌟

Ever feel like you don’t belong in your role as a doctor or medical student? That your success is just luck, and one day, people will find out you’re not as capable as they think?

💡 Imposter Syndrome in Medicine is more common than you think—affecting doctors at every stage, from students to seasoned consultants. The pressure to know everything, handle every challenge alone, and meet impossible standards creates a cycle of self-doubt that can be hard to break.

❌ Overworking but still feeling “not good enough”
❌ Avoiding leadership roles for fear of being “found out”
❌ Attributing success to luck rather than skill

But here’s the truth: You are not alone, and you CAN break free from imposter syndrome.

📖 Read our latest blog on how to identify and overcome imposter syndrome in medicine: https://vitaewellbeingleadership.com/home/blog/65-imposter-syndrome-in-medicine-the-silent-epidemic-no-one-talks-about.html

📥 Take Action Today! Vitae Wellbeing & Leadership has created a free 10-step guide to help you tackle imposter syndrome and build confidence in your abilities.

➡️ Download it here: https://mailchi.mp/vitaewellbeingleadership/imposter-in-medicine

✨ It’s time to silence self-doubt and step into your expertise with confidence. You’ve earned your place. ✨

Imposter syndrome. It’s something so many doctors experience, yet so few talk about.

You can have the qualifications, the experience, the recognition—and still, that nagging feeling persists: Do I really belong here?

I’m honoured to be speaking at the SWIM (Supporting Women in Medicine) event, where I’ll be diving into the hidden struggles of imposter syndrome in medicine. We’ll explore why it happens, how it holds us back, and, most importantly, what we can do about it.

If you’ve ever doubted yourself, hesitated to speak up, or felt like you needed to “prove” your worth (despite all evidence to the contrary), this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

This event was postponed because of last week's cyclone in SE Queensland. Join us tonight for a session packed with evidence-based insights and real-world strategies.

🎟️ Secure your ticket here: https://events.humanitix.com/international-women-s-day-talk-imposter-syndrome-in-medicine?fbclid=IwY2xjawI9sydleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZhShExklRcq9oVBPzUIc-Zu6fjeulgYN-NkiQumi6u8F_ubLr52cJ8_sA_aem_0_-WcYHtHbs1K7QM61-O6g

International Women's Day Talk: Imposter Syndrome in Medicine Get tickets on Humanitix - International Women's Day Talk: Imposter Syndrome in Medicine. Online. Wednesday 12th March 2025. Find event information.