The Core of Coaching Is Universally Human | with Dr. Jessica Singh

Jessica Singh was a board-certified emergency physician — trained at Stanford, credentialed by ICF and NBHWC — when she realized that none of her expertise was what was actually transforming people. What was? The coaching relationship itself. The presence. The inner work. The willingness to sit with someone without needing to fix them. In this episode, Jessica shares the journey from a Pediatric ER where she was told burnout and suicidal thoughts were "completely normal," through yoga, Ayurveda, and a physician wellness fellowship at Stanford, to building a brand-new Health and Wellbeing Coaching Certificate at NYU — the university where she started as a pre-med student decades ago. We talk about what whole-person coaching actually demands of a practitioner, why health and leadership coaching have stayed stubbornly apart despite being inseparable, and how to build a curriculum that is rigorous enough for a world-class institution and alive enough to genuinely transform someone. And we talk about the gap — the one between the professional bio and the interior life — that Jessica is still working to close herself. Because the core process of coaching is universally human. It doesn't require an expert. It requires someone willing to do the work. In this episode, Jessica and Rebecca explore: Jessica's journey through burnout and depression during residency, and how a yoga teacher training became the first time she truly learned what health meant What Jessica discovered during her Stanford fellowship about why healthcare institutions are structured the way they are, and why it isn't the individual doctor's fault Building a new health and wellbeing coaching program at NYU and how Jessica has created a coach education program that blends evidence-based rigor with a whole-person, heart-centered approach Why health and wellbeing still lack a universally agreed-upon definition, and what coaches must be willing to face in themselves before they can genuinely hold space for others Bridging leadership coaching and health coaching and why these fields have stayed stubbornly apart Integrating AI into coach training and how AI is already mirroring back what people truly need support with, and why ethical AI literacy is essential from day one of a coaching program Jessica's upcoming book inspired by the question: what if physicians knew the issues before they entered the system, instead of getting destroyed and having to rebuild? Resources & Links: Jessica's Podcast "The Health and Wellness Coach Journal" The NYU Health & Wellbeing Coaching Program Manifesto for AI in Coaching: vivalacoaching.com/manifesto Become AI-informed — Rebel Store: vivalacoaching.com All episodes: vivalacoaching.com/vivapodcast