Karen J Souter, MB BS, ACC

Karen is a practicing anesthesiologist and an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with over two decades of experience as a university faculty physician. Her extensive knowledge of academic medicine informs her work as a coach. Karen’s areas of coaching expertise are in career planning, promotion portfolio development, medical leadership, and navigating the fine balance between a successful career and a nurturing home and family life.

Karen’s philosophy as a coach centers on the partnership between coach and coachee; she works to create a safe space for her clients to explore and find alignment between core strengths and values and their goals. She believes that the greatest wisdom comes from within, and her coaching focuses on deep listening and using powerful questions to re-frame limiting beliefs and behaviors. She works with clients to shift mindsets towards growth, curiosity, and creativity.

Karen has successfully coached mid-career medical faculty moving into leadership roles in areas such as navigating difficult conversations, using 360 evaluations, leading teams, negotiating, and developing their own personal leadership style. She has created an effective program coaching academic faculty on successfully navigating university promotion pathways.

Karen trained as a physician anesthesiologist in the UK (MB BS) and Canada and moved to the US to join the medical faculty at a large academic center where she currently holds the rank of full professor. She served as the anesthesiology residency program director for 12 years and received the ACGME “Parker J Palmer Courage to Teach” award in recognition of her leadership and innovation as a program director. She has a Master’s degree in education & academic medicine (MACM) and throughout her career she has taken an active leadership role nationally in a number of professional societies related to anesthesia and education.