29 Mar 2026 5 min read Wellbeing

From Clinic to Global Impact: Dr. Diane van Staden's Path to Alignment

Dr. Diane van Staden's fascinating career transformation didn't begin with a carefully mapped plan. It began with a burning question that wouldn't go away:

"Where are the people who look like me in positions of policy-making & leadership?"

She had grown up in South Africa on the "other side of the train tracks", in a community where quality healthcare was scarce. When she began her work as clinical optometrist, she started seeing patients in their fifties with severe refractive errors who had never had an eye exam. She felt she had to do something.

So she did what most would be too scared to do: she quit her job and took a three-month sabbatical to visit her sister in the United States.

The Power of Stepping Away

Dr. Diane knew she wanted to go into public health advocacy, but she had no idea what the steps would be. What she did know was that she needed to separate herself from the day-to-day grind to think clearly.

"The grind of life—responsibilities, deadlines, schedules—doesn't give you the luxury of time for deep reflective work," she explains. "You need to offload and open up your mind and heart to listen to how your soul responds."

That sabbatical was an intentional investment into her future. She spent those three months researching, reflecting, and listening to her internal energy. When something resonated, she paid attention. When it made her anxious, she took note.

After 3 months, she returned to South Africa and the path began to reveal itself. She started a Master's in Public Health Administration. Shortly after, her former professor opened doors for her to lead a pilot project implementing optometry services in underserved communities.

Suddenly, she was training nurses, developing referral protocols, and influencing eye care at a systems level rather than just treating individual patients.

The Work Before the Leap

Here's where Dr. Diane's story diverges from the typical "quit your job and follow your dreams" narrative. She emphasizes a critical point:
Don't just quit and then try to look for your passion. The inner work comes before a big pivot.

"You shouldn't say yes to nonclinical opportunities just for the sake of leaving clinical work," she warns. "Identify what you're passionate about first. Find a niche where you want to add value—something you would do even if no one paid you because it's meaningful to you. The journey must be purpose-driven."

This purpose-centered approach shaped every pivot in her career. In her 10 years in academia as a professor in South Africa, she didn't take a single sabbatical and she reached complete burnout. Her next promotion would have been Dean of Health Sciences—a prestigious position. But when she took a year-long sabbatical in Canada, away from the race of meetings, decisions, and crises, she realized something crucial: she couldn't see herself in that role for another ten years.

So she made the brave decision to give it all up, move to Canada, and redefine her identity once again.

Seasons of Career Growth

"If you can't see yourself doing what you're doing now for another ten or twenty years," Dr. Diane says, "you have to do the brave work of reinvention."

She views careers as moving through seasons, each with its own growth trajectory. Eventually, you reach a plateau. That's when it's time to ask: Who am I in this season? Is this still serving me personally and professionally? If not, what needs to shift?

Life changes—marriage, children, relocating to a new city—all affect how work aligns with your life. Regular introspection isn't optional; it's essential.

This is also where personal branding becomes crucial. Dr. Diane became known as a "public health optometrist" when there were almost none globally. That brand traveled with her through every career evolution. When you define yourself by your job title alone, you have to start fresh every time you change positions. But a well-crafted personal brand—built on your passions, values, and the unique contributions you want to make—follows you wherever you go.

Lighting the Path for Others

Coming from a disadvantaged background in South Africa, Dr. Diane feels humbled and grateful to be a role model and a trailblazer. She shared that most of her students, like her, came from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"I wanted to show them that as a person of color, you don't have to be white, male, or have grey hair to be a professor," she reflects. "Just by existing in that space, I was challenging boundaries."

Now, as a career coach and host of the Life Beyond Clinical Practice podcast, she continues that work—showing healthcare professionals that their value extends far beyond the exam room.

Her message is simple but profound:
Reinvention is a short-term process of rediscovering yourself for the long-term reward of building the life you actually want.

"If I can do it," she says, "so can you."

Connect with Dr. Diane van Staden: