An emergency medicine physician’s journey to a great life through storytelling and coaching

Dr. Dawn Lim’s story extends far beyond her work as an emergency medicine (EM) physician and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto – she is also a passionate coach and photographer, using these roles to help others find meaning and purpose.

She was drawn to EM because of the collaborative, team-oriented nature of emergency departments, where physicians maintained fulfilling hobbies outside of work and forged strong connections with one another. She admired how colleagues would call each other by their first names, remain calm in the midst of chaos and share laughter during shifts.

“I also loved suturing and putting bones back into place,” she says. “On my first shift, five hours had gone by and I felt as if I had just arrived.”

In the third semester of her Master of Business Administration – roughly one year into realizing how burnt out she was – Dr. Lim decided to go on a pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago in Spain in search of space and silence. While on the Camino, she met fellow travelers from around the world who, instead of asking her about her work, inquired about her reasons for walking. This shift away from her career identity was liberating.

“In many ways, the pain of walking 20-40 kilometers a day forced me to simplify my life, unburden my pack and finally realize that I was not paying attention to the true priorities of a great life,” she says.

Throughout this journey, Dr. Lim embraced a slower pace of life filled with reflection, siestas, laughing with friends, reading, eating and stretching – a routine she craves to this day.

“The Camino forced me to get rid of so many things in my life that were ego-based,” she says. “The pilgrimage was a painful lesson in the need to simplify life.”

Another way Dr. Lim sought to remedy her burnout was by exploring new hobbies. In 2013, she started studying photography, and what began as a way for her to improve her travel photos quickly became an obsession.

“I loved being surrounded by storytellers – people who love paper, inks and learning a new craft,” she reflects. “I often say that photographing the emergency department was when my two worlds, medicine and the arts, collided.”

Dr. Lim views her multiple roles – as photographer, storyteller, coach, doctor and educator – as distinct yet interconnected parts of her identity. Though she values each, she believes coaching is the most authentic expression of who she is as it allows her to blend storytelling with active listening, helping clients transform their lives in remarkable ways.

“I've worked with clients ready to quit medicine, but then through coaching, they were able to clarify their throughline again and find purpose in their careers,” she says. “How incredible is that?”

She recalls a coaching mentor once telling her that the only thing more noble than coaching is saving lives. While Dr. Lim has saved many lives, something about coaching feels different. Every doctor she works with will go on to touch thousands of lives every year, so she knows that the impact of her coaching ripples far beyond the one-to-one interaction.

Dr. Lim believes that storytelling can be a powerful tool in medical practice and that one of the most rewarding aspects of her work is hearing patients’ stories. Despite the pressure to move quickly during her shift, she always makes a point to listen to her patients for at least two uninterrupted minutes.

“It's actually really hard to speak uninterrupted for two minutes!” she says. “In that space of rest, I observe their facial expressions, their interactions with the staff and the title of the book in their hand.”

She will also often follow up on a small detail shared by her patient, which can lead to an incredible story from them, making the interaction feel more human.

Through her photography, speaking engagements, coaching and workshops, Dr. Lim works to dismantle the shame-based culture of medicine and advocate for a more sustainable workforce. She recognizes the courage it takes for high-performing individuals to seek help, considering it an act of kindness and compassion.

“A lot of the behaviours we see that lead to burnout are actually shame-based,” she says. “Bullying, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, intolerance and blame for mistakes, and equating one's worth with their curriculum vitae are all examples of how shame shows up in organizations. When we explore these narratives, we need to practice empathy and vulnerability.”

Dr. Lim has a special focus on coaching mother-doctors, understanding that the intersection of motherhood and medicine often creates a unique, unspeakable kind of suffering. Drawing from her own experiences, she aims to support others as she would have supported herself a decade ago.

“When you can step forward and speak the truth, you will realize that you are not stepping into a void, but rather into a community of women who have experienced the same challenges,” she says. “My dream is to build a strong community of mother-doctors who can help each other move through these difficult conversations.”

This vision of support is something Dr. Lim has experienced through her friendship with Dr. Arno Kumagai, Vice-Chair of Education in the Department of Medicine. A key mentor and supporter in her journey, Dr. Kumagai has helped her to embrace her dual passions for medicine and art.

“For so long, I was afraid of speaking up about my interests,” she says. “He taught me that dialogue was key to carving my own path.”

Visit Dr. Dawn Lim's photography website and her coaching website.