Â
Meet the Coach
Â
Â
Tonya Caylor, MD, FAAFP, PCC, founded Joy in Family Medicine Coaching Services® after experiencing the power of physician coaching and seeing how rarely it was available in residency training. She developed a coaching curriculum and practice to help physicians reconnect with what matters and build sustainable, fulfilling careers. She also serves as founding program director of the Moses Lake Family Medicine Residency and remains clinically active.
Learn more about my Foundational Framework of coaching support.
 Read my journey to coachingÂ
Curious how my clinical career unfolded?
Before becoming a full-time coach, I had a winding journey through private practice, underserved care, academic medicine, and burnout and back to joy again. I shared it in the first post of my Careers in Family Medicine blog series.Â
Read My Career Journey
Experience & Parternships
Â
Â
Clinical, Academic, & Program Leadership Foundation
Dr. Caylor brings nearly three decades of clinical experience and nearly two decades in academic family medicine. A graduate of the UW Faculty Development Fellowship, her years as core faculty at the Alaska Family Medicine Residency included close collaboration with the behavioral health team, work that helped shape her coaching and faculty-development approach. She now serves as founding program director of the Moses Lake Family Medicine Residency, holds clinical associate professor appointments at the University of Washington and Washington State University, and serves as Coach Advisor for the UW/Madigan Hybrid Faculty Development Program.
National Faculty Development & Coaching
Dr. Caylor is an active member of STFM’s CBME Task Force and contributes to STFM’s Faculty Development Delivered initiative, where she supports faculty in building coaching skills.
She leads the faculty team that designed and delivers STFM’s CBME Certificate of Distinction: Adaptive Coaching in GME, a 10-month longitudinal program for family medicine residency faculty.
She partners with family medicine residency programs to provide individual, group and team coaching for residents, faculty, and GME leadership teams - and also works directly with physicians seeking support.
Collaborative Coaching Programs
In addition to her own coaching program, Dr. Caylor collaborates with organizations across specialties including Better Together Physician Coaching and AMWA. Through current and prior collaborations, she has contributed to research with the Mayo Clinic (RISE) and the University of Colorado (Better Together).
Trusted by Physicians Nationwide
To date, she has coached over 1000 physicians. A generalist at heart, she partners with her clients on their identified goals, always seeing them as whole, capable, and resourceful.
Â
Training & Qualifications
- Credentialed, ICF PCCÂ
- Credentialed, ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC)
- Certified, Systemic Team Development Practitioner
- Certified, CHARM GME Well-Being Leaders CourseÂ
- Certified TIPC, Lodestar Trauma Mitigation Master Coaching ProgamÂ
- Certified, The Life Coach School Professional Coach 6-month Program
- Certified, Harvard's Institute of Lifestyle Medicine Culinary CoachÂ
- Co-Active Institute Foundations
- Positive Intelligence Foundations
Â
Ethics
In addition to my ongoing commitment to the AMA Code of Medical Ethics and to following the ICF Code of Coaching Ethics, I’ve developed additional guiding practices tailored to the nuanced contexts I work in—especially in academic medicine and residency education.
These include boundaries related to mentorship, faculty roles, conflict of interest, and how I partner transparently with institutions.
Read my full Personal Code of Ethics Statement
Joy in Family Medicine Coaching Services® is my independent coaching practice and is separate from my employment and academic affiliations.
Casey Kernan, MD
Residency is hard. I think we all question, at some point our abilities and our purpose in medicine. Professional coaching was new to me but Tonya made it valuable, convenient and fun. She is a joy to work with and helped me find the joy in family medicine. I highly recommend her to anyone in medicine that experiences burnout, frustration in their careers or simply needs to refocus.
Rima Butler, MD
"She brings a gracious confidence to the challenges of residency and clinical practice. I have grown so much from her coaching!"
Many physicians I work with also enjoy the free resources I’ve created to support well-being and growth.
Review the Rource HubSign up for your Strategy Call
Meet me on a low-pressure call (via zoom or phone). Talk through your current challenges and goals and develop a personalized strategy to meet your goals.Â
Schedule a CallMembershipÂ
Dr. Caylor is a contributing member of Society of Teachers in Family Medicine Faculty Development Delivered, Coaching for Institutions, CU's Better Together Coaching Program , & is a Professional Fellow of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School affiliate, and an ICF Credential holder.