Personal Note from Rachel
As we come to the end of Q1 2026 — and as I approach my birthday on 27th March — I find myself pausing. Another threshold.
Not just of a quarter, but of perspective.
This month we also celebrated Mother’s Day - a day on which my daughter turned 18. It is hard to imagine I now have three adult children! My parents have four adult grandchildren. And my grandmother — who turned 106 on 12 March — has four adult great-grandchildren.
Four generations.
Time becomes visible in a different way when you stand in the middle of that.
Not just in years.
But in values lived, challenged, passed on, and reshaped.
Before we move into what’s next, I want to begin where I always come back to:
Thank you.
For reading. For reflecting. For replying.
For doing the quiet, often unseen work of leading in your homes, your teams, your communities. You are creating a legacy each and every day.
A Moment to Acknowledge the Season You’re In
Q1 can feel like momentum.
But for many leaders I speak with, it’s something else entirely.
A continuation of what hasn’t yet settled.
A quiet noticing of what isn’t quite right.
A growing awareness that something needs to shift — even if it’s not yet clear what.
So before reading on, I invite you to pause for a moment:
How are you, really, at the end of this first quarter?
Not as a role.
Not as a leader.
But as a human being.
Listening Through the 6Ps of Positive Practice
This quarter, our theme has been Listening to Self — through the lens of:
- Purpose
- Personal
- Professional
And yet, as always, these ripple into:
- People
- Products & Services
- Prosperity
Because leadership is never contained to one domain.
As you scan your own Q1 through these lenses, notice:
- Where did I feel aligned?
- Where did I override myself?
- Where did something feel off — but I kept going anyway?
Remember, listening isn’t about fixing.
It’s about noticing what is already present.
A Personal Reflection: Four Generations, One Question
This month, I found myself reflecting on birthdays, and especially my grandmother.
At 106, she represents something extraordinary — not just longevity, but continuity.
I still remember her 100th birthday - March 12th 2020.
She used her “President’s money” to bring our whole family together in Dunbrody House Hotel.
Connection. Love. Celebration.
On the way there, with our three children, the announcement came that schools were closing due to COVID.
Safety. Uncertainty. Disruption.
In one day, so many values were honoured — and so many were challenged.
And I think many of us felt that in those years- and still do:
- In protecting safety, we compromised the connection.
- In preserving structure, we lost spontaneity.
- In doing our best, something still felt off.
That tension doesn’t leave us untouched.
It lives in the body. In the nervous system. In our energy.
And if we don’t listen to it, it doesn’t disappear.
It just goes quieter and drains our energy from within.
What I Noticed in My Own Q1 (Through the 6Ps)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken time to reflect, be a coachee and listen honestly to my own experience.
Not the polished version.
The real one.
Here’s what I’ve noticed:
Purpose
I am clearer than ever on the work I’m here to do — and the kind of leadership that resonates for me.
Through my work and life, I am committed ‘To bridge science, coaching, and leadership in a way that helps us, as leaders, to listen for alignment, act with integrity, and build sustainable, values-led cultures that support wellbeing, performance, and meaningful impact’.
Personal
My family, friends, colleagues & daily practices — yoga, walking, stillness — continue to support me.
And I am learning, again, that boundaries are not something you set once. They are something you live.
Professional
I feel proud of what has been built — particularly the LCI Diploma, achieving international accreditation and completing my pharmacist ePortfolio for 2026. I celebrate the wins of our 1:1 clients & LCI graduates in scaling & growing their careers & businesses and gaining ICF credentials themselves. These matter. They represent integrity in practice.
People
This has been a deeply relational quarter.
From family milestones, to showing up for people navigating grief and transition, to appreciating the LCI and 4Front teams who quietly hold so much — especially when things don’t go to plan (including tech challenges that tested us all).
I am also watching the next generation step into themselves — learning, travelling, working, failing, trying again.
There is something profoundly hopeful in that.
Products & Services
I feel deep appreciation for the leaders I work with.
Many of you are carrying complex, high-stakes realities — with limited time, energy, and support.
Your courage, honesty, and commitment to doing things well (even when it’s hard) does not go unnoticed.
Prosperity
For me, prosperity is not just financial.
It’s:
-
ROI – Return on Investment
-
ROT – Return on Time
-
ROE – Return on Energy
-
ROC – Return on Capacity
And my review brought clarity.
Where the leaks are.
What the trade-offs have been.
What it has cost — not just financially, but personally.
My priority for 2026 is simple, but not easy:
Plug the leaks. Protect capacity. Build from there.
Many of the leaders I work with recognise this immediately.
We cannot sustainably give what we have not protected.
A Moment of Celebration (and Appreciation)
Before we move on, its important to acknowledge what is working.
-
Our LCI 2026 graduates — stepping into coaching cultures, shifting from doing everything themselves to developing their teams
-
My 1:1 coaching clients — navigating complexity with courage, integrity, and care
-
IIOP mentoring partners — committed to reflective practice in pharmacy
- The wider professional community — including events like being a panelist at SETU Department of Pharmacy’s Education and Networking Event on Tues evening. This event brought together pharmacists, technicians, educators, and industry partners for an engaging exploration of theme very close to my heart: “Self-Care, Wellness, and Resilience in Pharmacy.”
These are not small things.
They are the quiet foundations of healthier leaders, teams, and systems.
Looking Ahead: Q2 Theme — Listening in Relationships
As we move into Q2, our focus shifts to:
Listening in Relationships
(6Ps: People & Professional)
How we listen:
- To our teams
- To our partners
- To our families
- To the systems we’re part of
And this works best when the foundation is firmly in place.
When we listen to both ourselves and others —
both our own & others values, needs, limits, and aspirations —
then our listening, learning & ability to co-create solutions will be enhanced and more inclusive (of self AND others).
A Few Questions for You
As this quarter draws to a close, I encourage you to take a few moments with these:
- Where in Q1 did I feel most aligned — and what made that possible?
- Where did I override myself — and what did that cost me (energy, clarity, relationships)?
- What am I being invited to let go of, that I am still holding onto?
- What would it look like to lead the next quarter from a place of greater honesty and capacity?
- Where might I benefit from support — rather than continuing to carry this alone?
If you’d like to share your reflections, I would genuinely love to hear from you.
Just reply to this email.
If Reflection Is Pointing to a Next Step
For some of you, this reflection will be enough.
For others, it may be highlighting something that needs space.
Not to fix.
But to think through, properly.
If that’s the case, I offer 90-minute Strategic Thinking Sessions.
A private space to:
- Explore what’s really going on
- Clarify what matters now
- Consider how you want to lead forward
No pressure. No ongoing commitment.
Just space to think.
If that would support you, simply reply to this email and I’ll send you the details.
If Developing Others & Team Strength Your Next Growth Edge
consider LCI's Diploma in Coaching for Leaders.
Our only Q2 open programme is being held in Mullingar, starting 25th May.
https://www.leadwithcoaching.org/
It is a great opportunity for multi-disciplinary, experiential learning that is also fun!
Closing: Standing at a Different Point
This isn’t the end of a calendar year, but it is a moment to pause, reflect celebrate the wins & readjust where needed.
It's a chance to notice what has already unfolded — and what is quietly asking for your attention.
As I step into my own next year — now half my grandmother’s age — I’m more aware than ever:
Leadership isn’t about getting it all right.
It’s about staying in relationship with what’s emerging & what is true.
May you carry forward what is strengthening you.
Release what is no longer yours to hold.
And step into the next quarter with a little more clarity, and a little more care.
With warmth and appreciation,
Rachel
The Pharmacist Coach
MCC | ACTC | NBC-HWC | EMCC
Director of Education, Lead With Coaching Institute
Founder, 4Front Pharmacy Solutions
P.S.
Please share!
What has supported you most this quarter?
What would you like more of in Q2?
Would you be open to sharing your story?
Just reply to this email — I’d love to hear from you.
Email me anytime at rachel@racheldungan.com
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