THE FOUNDER

Safety·Awareness· Wellbeing

A person in a pilot uniform stands confidently in front of a jet engine, smiling. The blue circular graphic behind subtly highlights the importance of pilot mental health as they navigate the skies with composed assurance.
Logo of The Black Box Approach Mental Health Training, featuring a black box with three colored lines (green, yellow, and red) emanating from the top left corner.
Red and white geometric logo with an abstract design, featuring a round shape and vertical lines, symbolically reflecting the balance essential for pilot mental health.
Institute of Coaching, McLean/Harvard Medical School

The Institute of Coaching, McLean/Harvard Medical School advances research and education in coaching by bringing together leaders in the field to accelerate research progress and disseminate coaching's best practices. The Institute offers an annual Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference and presents Harnisch research grants to qualified researchers.

Captain Reyné O’Shaughnessy has been a commercial airline pilot for over 34 years for a Fortune 50 company. She has logged over 10,000 hours of total heavy jet flight time. Her aircraft experience includes B727, B757/B767, Airbus 300/310, and notably, thirty four years ago she was one of the first women B747 qualified.

Certified by:

Captain O’ is a certified health coach accredited by the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy®, the Gold Standard in health coaching. This is the only program designed and delivered in collaboration with the Institute for Functional Medicine® and fully approved by the NSHWC.

 

The functional medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness. It requires a detailed understanding of each client’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized program plans that lead to improved outcomes.

Reyné, also known as Captain O, has a strong interest in mental health and performance that began while she engaged as a volunteer in professional pilot union-sponsored programs. This experience gave her insight as to how our physical and mental health are closely tied to our capacity for high-performance. As a result, she created the first ever health and wellbeing website designed specifically for airline pilots for her airline. Building on that desire to better her coworkers’ and her own health, Captain O holds a certification in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from Brown University, an institution known for its academic rigor in public health. In addition, she holds a BS in Leadership, and an Executive Certificate in Business from UC Berkeley. She also holds a full certification as a health coach from the Functional Medicine Academy which is the Gold Standard in Health Coaching Certification with the only program designed and delivered in collaboration with The Institute for Functional Medicine and fully approved by the National Board and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC).
An airplane, symbolizing the critical role of pilot mental health, is connected to a jet bridge at an airport gate. A ground vehicle is positioned in front, all under a cloudy sky overhead.
A pilot, focused and serene, wearing headphones, sits in the cockpit of a small aircraft. As they face the control panel, their calm demeanor reflects the importance of maintaining pilot mental health amidst the skies.

Captain O is proud to be a pilot, aviation safety advocate, researcher, and wellbeing strategist centering on the wellbeing that impacts all aspects of safety. She is a visionary leader who brings a clear idea of how the future of mental health and performance in aviation should look.

 

Captain O’s leadership lens, along with evidence-based, scientific, self-care practices, have helped her scale the work of Piloting 2 Wellbeing.

AN insightful interview with Michelle Wescott, a licensed professional counselor specializing in aviation psychology.

Watch Captain O's exclusive interview with Michelle Westcott where Michelle provides practical advice for those in the aviation community and their families.

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Dr. Tiger Describes steps you can take today to reduce stress in your life.

Watch Captain O's exclusive interview with Dr. Robyn Tiger, of the "Stress Free MD Podcast."

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