Rachel Welcomes You to 4Front Pharmacy

Rachel Dungan — The Pharmacist Coach

I do this work because I believe deeply in our humanity.

I’ve seen — in myself, in patients, and in the many professionals I’ve worked with over the years — what happens when we lose conscious connection to why we care. When that connection fades, even the most capable, values-driven people can become exhausted, frustrated, and quietly burnt out. Our creativity, compassion, curiosity, and joie de vivre get squeezed out by the busyness of day-to-day survival.

You’re very welcome here — exactly as you are.
This is a space grounded in curiosity, care, and reflection, not judgement or comparison.

My path here

I am a registered pharmacist, a Trinity Scholar, and a professional coach. I’ve worked in pharmacy and healthcare leadership for over 25 years, often at the intersection of clinical responsibility, people leadership, business pressure, and family life. Like many pharmacists, I carried a deep sense of responsibility — for patients, teams, outcomes, and standards — often with little space to pause and attend to my own needs.

Before I trained as a coach, one of my greatest professional frustrations was this:
many patients knew what would help their health, knew how to do it, and genuinely wanted to be well — yet still struggled to follow through.

More information wasn’t the answer.

Why coaching changed everything

Learning coaching transformed how I engaged with people — and how they engaged with me. Conversations deepened. Patients began to share what was really going on in their lives: their fears, pressures, grief, hopes, and constraints. The relationship shifted from “expert and advice-giver” to partner in care.

That shift changed everything.

It also changed how I led teams, how I parented, and how I related to myself. I began to notice that frustration, impatience, or reactivity were often signals that my own needs were not being met. Learning to listen to those signals — rather than override them — became central to sustainable leadership.

Coaching helped me focus on what was within my control, develop new skills, access new supports, and navigate periods of significant unchosen challenge with greater clarity and self-compassion. Many people I work with now come to coaching at similar moments — sometimes through crisis, sometimes through growth — both of which require capacity.

From knowing to enabling

Like many professionals, my early identity was shaped by what I knew. Over time, my leadership identity shifted. I came to see my role not as the source of wisdom, but as someone who could create the conditions for others — patients, colleagues, pharmacists, leaders — to access their wisdom, values, and strengths.

This is leadership as I now understand it:
leading ourselves well, so we can lead others with care, clarity, and integrity.

This philosophy is expressed through my 6Ps framework — Purpose, Personal, Professional, People, Products & Services, and Prosperity — supporting people to deepen lived alignment between what matters most to them and how they live, work, and lead.

An integrative curiosity about life and leadership

Personally, I hold an integrative curiosity about life.

I’m drawn to stoic philosophy, adult development theory and practice, integral life approaches, and diverse ways of knowing and being. I’m fascinated by how difference — neurodiversity, cultural diversity, linguistic diversity, lived experience — shapes how we learn, relate, lead, and contribute.

I don’t believe leadership, wellbeing, business, family life, or community exist in separate compartments. We bring our whole selves — our energy, values, emotions, bodies, histories, and hopes — into everything we do. Sustainable leadership honours all of who we are.

Why I founded 4Front Pharmacy Solutions

Being a pharmacist can be professionally isolating. Many pharmacists give deeply all day — to patients, teams, and families — and collapse exhausted at night, often for years on end.

I founded 4Front Pharmacy Solutions as a home for pharmacists who want depth, not just compliance. A place to think, reflect, practise, and grow — where leadership, wellbeing, and professional excellence are developed together.

Through 4Front, I support pharmacists, pharmacy owners, healthcare leaders, and coaches through:

  • 1:1 coaching

  • team coaching

  • accredited CPD and leadership development

  • mentoring and reflective learning spaces

This work supports people to reduce burnout, strengthen teams, and reconnect with confidence, meaning, and professional satisfaction.

How 4Front and LCI fit together

4Front is the pharmacy-specific expression of my broader leadership and coaching philosophy.

For those who feel curious to expand further, I am also Co-Founder and Director of Education at the Lead With Coaching Institute (LCI). LCI offers ICF-accredited leadership and coaching education, including the Diploma in Coaching for Leaders, delivered in a multi-disciplinary learning environment.

Pharmacists learn alongside leaders from other sectors, gaining fresh perspective, while being supported by faculty with deep sectoral expertise. This combination is intentional — leadership capacity grows best when professional context is honoured and broadened.

Professional stewardship

Alongside my coaching and leadership work, I’ve contributed to the pharmacy & coaching professions through roles including:

  • IIOP Peer Support Pharmacist

  • IIOP Mentor within the Pharmacist Peer Mentoring Programme

  • Co-developer of accredited CPD programmes (including mental health in pharmacy practice)

  • IPU Academy Continuing Education Tutor

  • Co-Leader of the ICF Global Health & Wellness Coaching Community of Practice

  • Coaching.com Mastermind Facilitator
  • Reciprocoach Group Mentor Coach & Super-Visor
  • Subject-Matter Expert to ICF Credentials & Standards - coaching, mentor coaching & coaching super-vision

I am also one of only ten Master Certified Coaches (ICF-MCC) based in Ireland, and the first pharmacist to achieve this credential.

Is this for you?

My work is not for people looking for quick fixes, one-size-fits-all answers, or someone to tell them what to do.

It is for pharmacists, healthcare leaders, and coaches who are curious, reflective, and willing to engage with themselves as whole humans — people who want to lead with integrity, build capacity rather than dependence, and live in greater alignment with what matters most.

  

 

For the curious, Click Here to read Rachel's LinkedIn Profile.