Hi, I'm Dr Sarah - Founder of Permission to Pause Coaching

I'm a Mum, Step-Mum, GP and Certified Life Coach. For many years, I believed that being a caring healthcare professional meant putting everyone else's needs before my own.

I loved my work and was deeply committed to helping others, but like many women in healthcare, I gradually found myself carrying more and more responsibility. Between the demands of medicine, motherhood, and everyday life, I became trapped in a cycle of people-pleasing, perfectionism, and constantly trying to hold everything together.

Eventually, that way of living led me to burnout.

My own experience of burnout was shaped by a particularly challenging period in my life following the loss of my husband in 2016. As I navigated grief, motherhood, and a return to general practice, I began to see things differently. Not only in my own life, but in the lives of the women I cared for every day.

I saw capable, compassionate women who were exhausted.

Women who loved their careers but felt overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone.

Women who were caring for patients, supporting families, managing households, and meeting impossible expectations, often at the expense of their own wellbeing.

As a GP, I could see the impact this was having on both mental and physical health. Stress, anxiety, overwhelm, sleep problems, exhaustion, and burnout were becoming increasingly common, yet many women believed they simply needed to be more resilient or try harder.

I knew there had to be a different way.

That's what led me to train as a Life Coach and eventually create the Permission to Pause Method™.

Today, I help women in healthcare break free from the cycle of people-pleasing and perfectionism, so they can enjoy a successful career without sacrificing their wellbeing, relationships, or family life.

My approach combines my experience as a GP with evidence-based coaching tools and a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by women working in healthcare. Together, we focus on preventing burnout, protecting your energy, building boundaries without guilt, and creating sustainable success both at work and at home.

Because I believe you shouldn't have to choose between the career you love and the life you want.

You deserve to feel energised, fulfilled, and present. Not just for your patients, but for yourself and the people who matter most.

And sometimes, the first step towards that life is giving yourself permission to pause.