Olga Smulders-Meyer, MD

I grew up in the Netherlands where, after completing a Master's degree in English and American literature, I took the difficult decision to change my career path to medicine, and attended Medical School at the University of Amsterdam. In another challenging move, I came to America and did my residency in Internal Medicine in Boston. In 1994 I joined MGH Women’s Health Associates, where I have worked for more than 25 years as a physician. Most of my career at MGH has been as a Primary Care Physician specialising in women's health and wellbeing, but I have also worked throughout with patients in the Medical Walk in Clinic providing urgent care. In the past 2 years, the Primary Care Urgent Access Clinic, essentially the Covid Clinic, was my medical home, where we treated mainly Covid positive patients. I have also over the years taught and mentored many students from the Harvard Medical School.

From this lengthy and varied experience, including with my patients, other members of the MGH teams, and students, I know myself and from others how difficult it can be to face the multiple demands of an ever-changing work environment, as well as private life. Dealing with such challenges, and with those of academic pressure and performance, can give rise to multiple, often difficult, feelings and emotions, such as senses of being trapped, limp with discouragement, and detachment from the job.

Such feelings cannot be explored in one quick 20-minute visit with the PCP, and can be more effectively addressed through Coaching. In Coaching, as I see it, clients are able to sit back and sink into themselves to find the answers to questions that they might not have had the time, courage, or opportunity to fully address until now. By exploring the client's own issues, their (sometimes forgotten) motivations, their true values, as well as their strengths and support systems, hidden or obscured hopes and dreams can suddenly come into view again. In this creative process, which ultimately re-energizes the client, new insights are acquired, new plans are made to make constructive and helpful things happen, which ultimately improves the client’s well-being.

Coaching is a unique creative collaborative partnership. Through an open dialogue, lending a curious ear and listening carefully, the coach helps the client tap into his or her own resourceful self, to find ways to make the changes needed to move forwards again.
I look forward to working with you as your coach.