About Dr. Eleanor O’Sullivan

A life dedicated to helping others navigate change

Dr. Eleanor O'Sullivan brings an extraordinary combination of clinical expertise, academic achievement, and personal resilience to her coaching practice. Based in Cork, Ireland, she has spent four decades helping others navigate life's most challenging transitions—first as a respected clinician, and now as a certified professional coach.

Professional Foundation

Eleanor's credentials speak to the depth of her expertise:

  • Clinical Excellence: BDS, MA, PhD (UCC); MSc. Palliative Care & Rehabilitation (KCL); FFD (RCSI)

  • Educational Mastery: Masters in Teaching & Education, with extensive lecturing experience across prestigious institutions including UCC, RCSI, and ICGP

  • Specialised Expertise: 30-year career in dental oncology, with a PhD in Head and Neck Cancer with a strong palliative care ethos & expertise.

  • Coaching Certification: ICF Member, Certified Professional Coach, Positive Intelligence Training, Courageous Coaching® Certified

The Personal Journey That Shapes Her Practice

Eleanor's coaching is informed by profound personal experience. Living with chronic illness since age four, she built a distinguished medical career while raising five children and managing her own health challenges. This unique perspective—seeing both sides of the patient-provider relationship—gives her an unmatched understanding of what it means to face life's most difficult transitions.

Her journey from running a specialised dental oncology service to building a thriving coaching practice demonstrates the very transitions she now helps others navigate. She understands the identity challenges, the practical concerns, and the emotional complexities that come with major life changes.

A Proven Approach Grounded in Evidence

Eleanor's coaching philosophy combines:

  • Clinical Rigor: Evidence-based strategies developed through decades of patient care

  • Academic Foundation: 60+ peer-reviewed publications and extensive research experience

  • Practical Wisdom: Real-world experience managing complex professional and personal transitions

  • Philosophical Grounding: Stoic principles and Positive Intelligence methodologies

"My goal isn't just to help you cope with change - it's to help you transform challenge into opportunity, and transition into triumph."

Specialised Understanding for High Achievers

Having worked within Ireland's public sector healthcare system for decades, Eleanor understands the unique culture, expectations, and challenges facing professionals in similar roles. She knows what it means to carry responsibility for others, to be expected to have all the answers, and to face the transition from a role that defined your identity.

Recognition and Impact

Eleanor's influence extends beyond individual coaching:

  • Extensive research and advocacy work with organizations including the Irish Cancer Society, Sjogren's Ireland, and the National Cancer Control Programme

  • Recognition as a leader in dental oncology and palliative care

  • Trusted educator and mentor for healthcare professionals

  • HSE-certified trainer in Behavioural Change and Self-Management