Her Why
Growing up, I wanted to be either a journalist or a psychologist because human behavior has always intrigued me. More recently, I’m curious as to why some people never burn out.
I’ve discovered the answer is passion—even if you’re in a high-stress role with exacting needs, people who are passionate about their purpose are less likely to burn out. Mark Twain says it better: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
During a period of peak burnout in my life, I had to start small in my fight to regain a sense of purpose. That’s one of the best things about purpose: it’s burnout’s kryptonite.
A sense of purpose is the single most important factor in your success. It clarifies what success looks like – for you, and it clarifies your role in making that vision a reality.
Using my background as a wellness and healthcare journalist and my passion for purpose as a gateway to high performance, wellbeing and happiness, I’m making my dent in the world by helping others identify their purpose. I help them articulate why they do the work they do and through awareness and behavioral change, self-reflection and accountability, they can reconnect with their purpose and the meaning that brings to their role, they can reconnect with their peers at a much deeper and more authentic level, and they are better positioned to create a better workplace, a better family life, and better communities.
A great day is seeing people cry with emotion when they realise they are living their life’s purpose. So many people die with their music still in them and watching people realise they are doing the work they were born to do gets me—every time. And I know I’m doing the work I too was born to do.
Praise for Deirdre Coleman
“My Purpose call was PHENOMENAL! It was like talking with an old friend. I couldn’t believe how well she reached into my mind and captured my story perfectly.”
– Lina Miranda, Senior Strategic Healthcare Partner
“Huge thanks once again – you basically left me speechless…I truly enjoyed the discussion and I am very grateful for the atmosphere you created for the interview. I sincerely admire your talent to capture everything right and present it in this fabulous way!”
– Petya Dimitrova, Country Medical Lead, Pfizer
“Thank you for helping me craft my purpose story. You captured my sentiments very well. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
– Nikos Baibas, European Mid-Size Markets Cluster Medical Lead , Internal Medicine, Pfizer
“It was a terrific experience understanding the why and bringing the purpose to the forefront. My purpose is in my mind every day now and it’s a great reminder. I think this purpose is buried and Deirdre was able to bring that out. It’s a great reminder for all of us to bring that back into our conscious mind because it’s not every day we look back on our childhood and recall why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
– Martha Bellamy, Senior Therapeutic Speciality Representative Rare Disease, Pfizer
“That was so magical – like a fairytale. And what an emotional experience hearing about how my dad inspired me. I still miss him. Thank you for capturing my story so beautifully.”
– Marge Viira, Medical Lead, Baltics, Pfizer
“What a gift. Thank you so much Deirdre for capturing my story so succinctly and the way you weaved together the personal and professional story. Altogether, an amazing experience and I’m so grateful for it.”
– Holly Moore, Pfizer
“What a wonderful experience. It allowed me to think about topics that we wouldn’t typically reflect on on a daily basis – the why of what we do and where that comes from – I love how all the topics came together so beautifully – all the small parts that make up my entire picture. That felt great.”
– Sylvia Nanz, Country Medical Director, Pfizer
“You nailed it. What an emotional experience. It’s invigorating and liberating and amazing how in just one hour, we can stop and think about ourselves and our why and our purpose. It’s truly a very powerful exercise.”
– Susana Marques, Country Medical Director, Pfizer
“Deirdre seemed to capture the essence of my story in a succinct and precise manner and I’m so grateful for her help in putting it all together based on our conversation.”
Eric Hjelvin, Medical Director, Pfizer
“What an emotional experience to hear my story replayed to me and how every experience I’ve had with patients has led me to where I am today. I can see now that when our goals and choices are driven by and clearly connected to a sense of greater purpose, we are able to contribute maximum performance and be rewarded with maximum satisfaction. It’s been a very enlightening exercise.”
– Orlaith Gavan, Country Medical Director, Pfizer
“It’s great to take a step back to self-reflect and articulate my purpose in order to bring it the forefront of what I do. It’s very motivating, especially on days where you feel you haven’t made an impact in order to keep myself buoyed and do my best work for patients.”
– Brian Field, Clinical Account Manager, Travere Therapeutics
“That’s fascinating. I don’t know how you took all that from our conversation. Thanks for pulling my story together – that’s some talent.”
– Lauren Flanagan, Director, SBS & CPF Consumer Marketing, Takeda