Solving for Why Coaching—Mark Shrime, MD PhDReviews of markshrime.com

I initially chose Mark to help me make a difficult career choice because of his similar professional profile to mine- a highly trained surgeon who has faced similarly difficult choices in his medical career- rather than his focus on “decision science.” In fact, at the time, it seemed more like "pseudoscience" and was a major source of skepticism rather than confidence in his ability to coach me through a difficult time in my life. The decision to pay the fee for the course was an acceptance that even if the "science" part turned out to be non-scientific, at least his career experience in a field relatable to my own would be more valuable than the advice of a general "career coach" with no experience in clinical medicine. Now that I am on the other side of the decision he helped me make, I can honestly say that the reality was the complete opposite of my initial impressions. The science is not only real, but the way Mark turned it into a practical and applicable academic course is truly impressive. Mark's curriculum taught me to convert the unquantifiable emotional factors influencing my decision into hard "data." Then he walked me through the theories and studies behind decision science in such a way that at the end of the 8-week course this major decision, with all of my personal nuances and complicating factors, had been boiled down to simple mathematical equations. To accomplish this seemingly monumental task, he created a professional product that is worth the price of tuition. The organization of the curriculum, the weekly video sessions, the "homework," the online tools, etc., all made the experience feel like that popular undergraduate course where you feel lucky to have been enrolled complete with the most popular instructor who is generous with his time and conducts productive "office hours." I can't recommend Mark or the course highly enough.

The Solving for Why course is a phenomenal, asynchronous course with interactive roundtables which provide clarification of any course material and live, interactive discussions. Most important, it allows for what we commonly do not practice, which is self-reflection. This program allows for guided self-reflection and understanding of values. It provides a framework for organizing thoughts and feelings about one’s career, past choices and future directions. It is a primer on decision science that objectifies feelings about self and explains the science behind the fears and uncertainties we possess. My personal uncertainty was that of financial security and what any shift in career would entail. There is an excellent module that assists in development of a financial runway which hits that specific uncertainty right on the head. This course lays the groundwork for making career transitions, starting at the core which is psychological. Mark is an enthusiastic, encouraging and approachable guide who really wants you to achieve your value based goals. He is patient, listens and offers constructive input to make any career path come to fruition.

My 6 weeks working with Mark were fantastic! The coaching gave me guidance on the particular aspect of my career that I am working on, but it went far beyond that. I learned a lot of valuable information about why I make certain decisions, where my drive/motivation come from, and how to use this information to make better decisions in all aspects of my life. I highly recommend this experience for others!!