About Cynthia Ackrill

Out of the box and off the beaten path...yes! My career path seems to make sense looking back, but that wasn't always clear going forward. I did train and work as a primary care physician for a number of years. (The particulars: Duke Univ undergraduate, Univ of MD Medical School) And while I loved treating disease, I was much more interested in how to prevent it, or even better, what makes us well, what helps us truly thrive? I could see that 2 patients with the same diagnosis had very different experiences- so labs and xrays were not telling the whole story. How can we be our best? 

I spent 10 years working in The Center for Advancement of Human Potential- Institute for Applied Neuroscience, studying the brain, brain maps, and various forms of neuro and biofeedback. It was a bit like getting to look under the hood of human behavior and conditions- so exciting, especially as we learned about neuroplasticity- our ability to change our brains! And again, I got to see how a person thinks, how he/she experiences stress, plays a huge role, not just his/her symptoms in the ability to focus, feel energized, be productive, or happy. The mind and body are far more intrically integrated than we have been taught, and that opens up the possibility to harness that power. At the same time I was going through divorce and finding just how hard that is in real life! 

I wanted to know more about helping someone change a behavior or a way of thinking so I certified in 2 different wellness coaching programs- Wellcoaches and Wellness Inventory. It's clear the way we do business and many of our cultural behaviors do not support the best of human potential. Our 24/7 lives, crazed expections, and attempts to cram more and more in are backfiring and too many people are struggling with overwhelm, difficulty focusing, energy drains, keeping relationships alive, health concerns, depression, or just a feeling that there is a better way. I want to be part of figuring all that out, so I trained in leadership coaching. Without leadership engagement cultures won't shift. There is more than enough scientific evidence that self-care is a critical part of sustainable, resilient leadership, and will hopefully become part of our culture as more and more leaders discover this truth.

Today I coach individuals from many different backgrounds- physicians in leadership, corporate warriors trying to figure out how to balance it all, individuals going through life changes in their careers or relationships, leaders trying to figure out their path. I lead stress and leadership workshops in many settings from coaching and leadership programs to women's conferences, corporate teams, online and keynoting at conferences. It sounds scattered, but it all has the same theme- we are humans trying to figure out how to be happy, healthy, connected, productive, and authentic to our values and purpose... while having some fun!