Personal Note from Rachel

Your Q3 Check-In: Reflect. Celebrate. Focus. Finish Strong.

Greetings

🍂 As September draws to a close, you might feel the weight of unfinished goals, the pride of progress or the frustration of being pulled in too many directions. Wherever you find yourself, now is the moment to pause, take a breath and check your compass.

💬 A pharmacy owner partnership I coached this year began with ambitious expansion plans. By Q3, their desk was buried under paperwork, their inbox overflowing, and their energy drained from putting out daily fires. Staffing gaps and regulatory changes had pushed those plans into a folder marked “someday.”

“I felt like I was running hard but not moving forward,” they told me.

In coaching, we stepped back from the chaos, clarified their priorities and built a simple Q4 roadmap. They not only revived their project, but also regained their energy and confidence.

🌱 This is why a Q3 Check-In matters. Without it, we risk drifting into Q4 on autopilot, carrying the same challenges into next year. With it, you can realign your actions with your goals, focus your energy and create a realistic plan to end 2025 with purpose and impact.

📅 Book your Q4 Strategy Session today to set yourself up for a strong finish:
👉 Reserve Your Session

The Day I Realised Coaching Had Infused My Pharmacy Consultations

As I reflect on my journey from pharmacist to pharmacist coach, I remember a defining moment that shifted how I showed up both at the pharmacy counter and as a leader. I had no idea the impact coaching was having on my work until my patients began sharing things they had never confided in me before:

“I’m not taking the tablets because they’re affecting my libido.”
“I know it’s just Solpadeine, but… my husband’s having an affair, and I don’t know how to cope.”
“I’m sick of being told what to do. Cigarettes are my only friend.”

What changed? It wasn’t them, it was me. Coaching skills began to subtly infuse every conversation.

The pharmacy counter was no longer just a transactional space. It became a place of deeper transformation. I listened with greater presence, asked more meaningful questions and my patients responded with more openness, honesty and real insights about their lives, their struggles and their health.

This shift didn’t just affect my pharmacy practice. It planted the seeds for my journey as The Pharmacist Coach. I began to see that when we invite others into a space of reflection and awareness, powerful change can happen. Not just for individuals, but for entire teams, organisations and systems.

How Coaching Helped Me Prioritise My Health and Leadership

At the time, I was juggling the stress of running a business while raising three small children. Our family was navigating the financial fallout from the recession, and the weight of leading a pharmacy was onerous.  I realised that while I was helping others, I wasn’t paying enough attention to my own well-being. That’s when coaching became a lifeline.

Coaching gave me the clarity and mental space to reconnect with my values and reframe how I was showing up. Not just for my patients, but also for my team and my family. I realised that in order to serve others with integrity, I had to prioritise myself first: my health, my mindset and my boundaries. This wasn’t about being selfish. It was about sustaining my capacity to serve from a place of fullness.

When I made space for myself to reflect, rest and plan strategically, I showed up with greater presence and confidence as a leader, as a coach and as a pharmacist.

Your Leadership, Your Way

Q3 Recap and World Pharmacist Day

As we celebrate World Pharmacist Day on 25th September, we honour the unique contributions of pharmacists whose expertise, empathy and insight shape the health of our communities. This year’s theme, “Think Health, Think Pharmacist”, reminds us of the critical role pharmacists play in patient safety, healthcare delivery and supporting well-being.

It also reflects the leadership themes we’ve explored together this quarter. In coaching and leadership, just as in pharmacy, awareness is the heartbeat of impact. It allows us to step beyond routine tasks, notice patterns and engage with challenges in a way that opens doors to better outcomes—whether at the pharmacy counter, in the boardroom or leading a team.

This quarter, our community explored key Coaching Competencies that underpin this kind of leadership:

July – Maintains Presence - Staying grounded, curious and responsive, even in uncertainty.

August – Listens Actively - Going beyond hearing to truly understand, notice and connect.

September – Evokes Awareness - Asking the questions and creating the space that sparks transformative insight.

These skills are not just coaching techniques. They are daily leadership practices, especially in healthcare and pharmacy contexts, where complexity, time pressure and responsibility are constant. Practising presence, deep listening and evoking awareness creates spaces where better decisions, stronger teams and meaningful outcomes can flourish.

Whether you are a pharmacist, a leader or both, reflecting on these competencies can help you recognise where you are showing up well—and where you might want to focus more intentionally as we move into Q4.

💌 Missed our last newsletter? No worries. You can catch up anytime. It’s packed with reflections to help you reset and refocus.
👉 Click here to read it

Celebrating and Acknowledging the Work of Pharmacists 

One of the most demoralising aspects of being a healthcare professional is that our work is often unseen, unheard and underappreciated. The constant service to others, whether patients, teams or family, can leave us drained, without a moment to stop and acknowledge our own contributions. Yet, as healthcare professionals, we cannot give from an empty cup.

Pharmacists: This World Pharmacist Day, I invite you to pause and reflect on your impact. Acknowledge the expertise, empathy and commitment you bring to the healthcare ecosystem and celebrate the role you play in supporting your patients and your profession.

If you are not a pharmacist, take a moment to recognise the pharmacists in your life. The ones who guide, support and empower your well-being. They are often working quietly behind the scenes, ensuring the health of our communities with little fanfare and deep dedication.

And if you are a pharmacist, today is your day. Celebrate yourself. What makes you proud to be a pharmacist? How might you honour a colleague, a team or an organisation that inspires you?

👉 Click here to add your comment on the World Pharmacist Day LinkedIn post

🧑‍⚕️ Know a pharmacist who has made a difference?
📢 Tag them, share what makes them brilliant, and let them know the impact they’ve had
⚕️ Let us fill LinkedIn with heartfelt gratitude and well-deserved recognition

Join me in celebrating the pharmacy community. I would love to hear how you are acknowledging the invaluable role pharmacists play in your life and the lives of those you serve.

Why Prioritising Your Own Health Matters

As a healthcare professional, coach or leader, you are in service of others all day long. And for those of you with family commitments, that service often continues well into the evening and night. But here is the hard truth: we cannot give from an empty cup.

I know from personal experience, and from coaching over 1,000 leaders, that in order to lead with integrity, we must tend to our own health and well-being. If we are to truly “Think Health, Think Pharmacist”, we must include ourselves in that vision.

This means creating space for reflection, self-care and strategic planning, so we can sustain our capacity to respond to the needs of others.

The consequences of neglecting your own needs:

• Burnout becomes inevitable when we push past our limits without rest or recovery

• Stress spills over into decision-making, team dynamics and personal relationships

• Unclear priorities create reactive leadership rather than intentional, purpose-led actions

A Special Invitation for Pharmacists and Leaders

If you are feeling the weight of serving others day in and day out, consider how coaching can help you reconnect with your values, prioritise your health and lead with renewed clarity.

Book your Q4 Strategy Session today and finish 2025 strong:  👉 Reserve Your Session

Reflection and Self-Care: Wheel of Life or Year in Review

Two of the most powerful tools I use with my clients are the Wheel of Life or Year in Review. It is not just about tracking progress. They help you assess how you are showing up in life and leadership and where you might need to course-correct.

Questions to guide your reflection:

• What areas of your life or work need more attention?

• Where are you thriving, and how can you expand that?

• What changes will help you end the year with intention and clarity?

Professional Development Opportunities

As we move into Q4, ask yourself:
What does finishing the year strong look like for you?
Whether you need structure, reflection, accountability or a fresh perspective—support is available.

For Leaders and Decision-Makers

🧭 90-Minute Strategy Session - Step back, reflect and build a clear Q4 plan. 👉 Reserve Your Session

🤝 1:1 Coaching for Healthcare and Business Leaders - Make space for insight, clarity and renewed direction. 👉 Get in Touch to Learn More

🎓 Lead With Coaching Certificate and Diploma - Empower yourself and your team with a culture of trust and performance.  👉 Learn More and Enrol

For Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners

📋 Independent Pharmacy Assessment System (Ireland) - Stay compliant, identify growth areas and strengthen systems. 👉 Book Your Review

📝 CPD Mentoring - Gain confidence, reduce stress and align your learning goals. 👉 Get Support Today

For Coaches and Coaching Teams

🎯 ICF Mentor Coaching - Refine your skills and grow your impact with professional supervision. 👉 Reserve Your Session

🪞 Reflective Practice Super-Vision - Deepen your insight and support your own development as a coach. 👉 Book Your Super-Vision Session

Reflecting on Progress: Preparing for Q4

As we step into Q4, take a moment to check in—not just on goals but on how you have grown, adapted and led this year.

Areas to explore:

🔭 Vision and Direction
🏆 Milestones and Wins
🧩 Challenges and Lessons
🧱 Habits and Systems
📚 Learning and Growth
⚡ Energy and Wellbeing
🤝 Relationships and Support
🎯 Alignment and Fulfilment
🧠 Resilience and Mindset
🚀 Looking Ahead

📌 If your reflection reveals a need for clarity or support, this is your sign to take action:👉 Book Your Q4 Strategy Session

I’d Love to Hear From You

✨ What is one insight or tool from this year that has helped you most?
✨ What is one change that would make this newsletter even more valuable for you?
✨ What is one challenge you are currently facing that I can address in a future edition?

Just hit reply and share your thoughts. I read every message personally.

Coming in October: Facilitates Client Growth

Next month, we will explore how to transform awareness into intentional action, support sustainable progress and create meaningful results that last beyond the coaching conversation.

Let’s Stay Connected

Join me across platforms for practical insights, reflective questions and behind-the-scenes perspectives.

📘 Facebook – Rachel The Pharmacist Coach
📸 Instagram – @rachel_thepharmacistcoach
📍 Google – View on Google

Your next insight might be one post away.

Warmest wishes,
Rachel
The Pharmacist Coach
Director of Education, Lead With Coaching Institute

P.S. Not sure what kind of support would help most right now? Pop me a quick email at rachel@racheldungan.com and we will figure it out together.

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