Consultants

Contact: john@intersections.group

John Beranek brings a unique approach to intersecting learning and strategy, particularly in the realm of strategic planning. Acknowledging that the terms “strategy” and “strategic planning” are often casually used, John and his team adopt a highly focused and accountable approach to guide organizations in their evolution. When your organization is at a pivotal point, striving to maintain authenticity while evolving, John facilitates a thoughtful exploration of the best strategies to leverage existing resources, align vision and leadership, and set meaningful milestones and accountabilities.

Intersections Consulting excels at developing customized programs that propel companies, leaders, and aspiring leaders forward.  The core of John’s philosophy lies in the strategic intersection of intention and action.

Contact: dcfalck@gmail.com

Dr. Darilyn Falck is passionate about advising, coaching, and mentoring.

She is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. She is a graduate of Eastern Virginia Medical School and completed her residency in emergency medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center. 

Dr. Falck has held various leadership roles including Chair of both her hospital’s Emergency Department and Bioethics Committee, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs while serving as medical school faculty, and board member of a national non-profit organization. Dr. Falck is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and has also been awarded the Federation’s (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. 

She has over twenty years of clinical emergency medicine experience and currently practices telemedicine urgent care. Dr. Falck is transitioning from clinical work to focus more on professional coaching and mentoring. She has completed an International Coaching Federation Level 2 Accredited Coach Training Program. She uses coaching as a tool to help clients navigate transitions with confidence, gain clarity about their values and strengths, and achieve a greater sense of purpose.

patricia.goodmote@wapitimedical.com

Patricia L. Goodemote, M.D., Working Genius Certified, is a tremendous asset as a leadership and team coach.  As a 20-year Air Force Veteran, she distinguished herself as the USAFP Family Physician of the Year in 2011 (1 of 2300), and Teacher of the Year for 3 of her 9 years at a Family Medicine Residency.  No matter her position in the Air Force (flight surgeon, residency director, or disaster team triage chief), her leadership was applauded.  Since retiring from the military, she’s worked for Wapiti in our Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), both as an ER physician and hospitalist.  As an ER medical director for an Iowa Critical Access Hospital (CAH), the Emergency Room received their 1st Women’s Choice Award in 2020, for being in the top 1% of US hospitals, just 1 year after she took this position.

            Three years ago, Wapiti was fortunate to tap into Dr. Goodemote’s skills as a consultant, where she has thrived.  Her intuition has been extremely valuable when coaching hospital leadership, teams, and individual providers.  Dr. Goodemote excels at coaching to improve patient satisfaction, cultivate communication skills of teams and individuals, utilizing bad outcomes to learn and grow, strengthen middle managers, and increase positive interactions with patients, all which accelerate staff retention and heighten a hospital’s community reputation.  Her leadership opportunities in the military, experience on a CAH administration team as the CMO, and as an ER Medical Director, give her insight into the unique challenges of CAHs and their leaders.  She credits the tremendous mentors and coaches in her life for her success and wants to share with others. 

Contact: margaret@sumptionandwyland.com

Margaret Sumption’s roots are deeply entrenched in the rural landscapes of Northern South Dakota. Born as the youngest of seven children to parents who were lifelong farmers and had not pursued education beyond the eighth grade, Margaret embodies the spirit of resilience and innovation. Her journey from a farm to becoming a first-generation college graduate is a testament to her determination and commitment to personal and professional growth.

Margaret initially embarked on a career in special and elementary education but soon realized her passion did not lie in working with children. This realization steered her towards a path where she could make a profound impact on adults facing developmental, mental health, and substance abuse challenges. The first 15 years of her career saw Margaret advancing in the disability services sector, where she played a crucial role in developing community-based services and resources.

With a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling and Personnel Services, Margaret’s expertise expanded into counseling and mental health, laying the groundwork for her subsequent ventures into consultancy and strategic planning. Alongside her then-partner, now husband, she co-founded a consultancy firm specializing in grant writing, administration, and management, with a significant focus on the healthcare sector. Her work predominantly revolves around strategic planning and organizational development for hospitals and health systems, specializing in governance excellence and education programs for large non-profit organizations.

Approximately 12 years ago, Margaret ventured into career coaching, establishing a coaching practice dedicated to assisting individuals in crafting strategic career development plans. Her approach, deeply influenced by her background in education and counseling, focuses on helping clients set and achieve their career goals through personalized strategic planning. Her workforce and organizational planning expertise underpin her work in career coaching, skills she has honed throughout her 33 years in consultancy. 

Contact: roots.wings.coach@gmail.com

Marsha Wakefield, MD, MHPE, is a life coach with Roots and Wings Coaching.  Dr. Wakefield has spent over 30 years in clinical practice as an academic anesthesiologist and clinical teacher. She has experience collaborating with practitioners in a number of healthcare disciplines including medical and nursing students, anesthesiology residents, CNRAs, and APNs.

Her interest in teaching and learning led to a variety of leadership roles in undergraduate and graduate medical education. She has mentored and coached people in healthcare across a spectrum of career points from beginning students through mid-career to late career practitioners. 

After personally experiencing the benefits of life coaching, she transitioned to coaching as a way to continue to support those seeking to reach their goals, clarify their vision, and achieve their full potential. She is a member of the International Coach Federation with over 100 hours of coach training and 100+ hours of coaching clients. She gets great joy from sharing those “ah ha!” moments with clients as they apply new insights to life’s challenges.  

Contact: mwolf@veriteepartners.com

Mary is an incredible asset to our field.  Personally, I have had numerous discussions with her that were both productive and therapeutic.  Her experience in the field and commitment to advancing the focus on physician well-being are unparalleled.  She truly lends a warm, compassionate voice to those in need and I will forever be grateful for her help in maintaining my simultaneous focus on my own mental health and my ability to provide exceptional patient care during these recent difficult times in medicine.  Her efforts in our field are cherished by many and appreciated by all that know her.

Niel Burns, MD

 Mary Wolf is the president of Veritee Partners LLC, a coaching and consulting business designed to promote wellbeing and success for physicians, physician leaders, advanced practice providers, dentists, executives and the companies they serve.  Veritee Partners offers assessments and consultation for healthcare systems to build wellbeing programs and cultures.

Mary was the Program Director for the Avera Medical Group LIGHT Program, an award-winning wellbeing program for physicians and advanced practice providers. She led multi-strategy wellbeing services and provides executive coaching for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, residents, and executives.

Before creating LIGHT, Mary was the director of multiple behavioral health programs at Avera including employee assistance program-EAP, addiction recovery, outpatient mental health, and day hospital.

Mary earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Resource Development and is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health.  Mary is a Board Certified Coach and holds certifications in executive, life, and spirituality coaching.

Mary’s extensive work with the Coalition for Physician Wellbeing includes being published as a chapter author for their two books:

• Transforming the Heart of Practice:

An organizational and personal approach to physician wellbeing 

• Physician Well-being During Sustained Crisis:

Defusing Burnout, Building Resilience, Restoring Hope