General News
31 May, 2026
Smiles with Sally: Smiles for health
Sometimes the first step to better healthcare starts before the appointment — with a smile, a warm greeting and the feeling of being seen. This week Empowerment coach Sally Pymer looks at how a simple acts of respect can help people feel seen.
As he walked past the waiting room, he looked in and smiled.
Having never met him before, I wondered if he was the doctor I was about to see.
It almost felt like he was acknowledging a friend, but we’d never met.
After speaking with the receptionist, he walked towards me, smiled again and introduced himself.
He was in fact the doctor I was there to see.
He told me he’d just be a few minutes, smiled once more, then disappeared into the consulting room.
Immediately, I felt my shoulders relax, my heart rate slowed and the anxiety I’d been carrying into the appointment softened almost instantly.
It was such a small interaction, yet it completely changed how I felt about being there.
So many people experience the opposite though, and often it begins before they even walk through the doors.
For some, there is already a story playing over and over in their minds from previous experiences.
Perhaps it was the time someone looked them up and down because their clothes were worn or dirty.
Maybe it was a rushed appointment where they didn’t feel listened to.
Maybe they left feeling dismissed, judged or invisible.
When we think about healthcare, we often focus on the practical side of care.
We think about treatment, medication, diagnoses, appointments and preventative screenings but how often do we think about the environment surrounding the care itself?
How often do we think about what it feels like to walk through those doors?
We regularly hear criticism about people not accessing healthcare or “not looking after themselves,” without ever knowing their story.
We don’t always see the fear, shame, stigma or past experiences they may be carrying.
For some that mental pain of stigma can outweigh the physical pain of illness.
Consider the person who is looked at sideways before they even reach the reception desk because they “look” like they might be using drugs.
The young mum terrified she’ll be judged. The person living with anxiety rehearsing every word in their head
before speaking.
The older man too embarrassed to admit he can’t read the forms he’s been handed.
Sometimes the biggest barrier to healthcare is not the treatment itself, but whether someone feels safe enough to return.
A smile won’t solve every problem in healthcare but it can change a first impression.
It can lower someone’s guard. It can communicate, “I see you as a person” and provide confidence to return in future.
We can all play a part in having others access the healthcare they need and it can start well before the appointment. We never truly know what others are carrying.
This week, slow down long enough to offer one genuine smile, warm greeting or moment of kindness to someone who may be carrying more than you can see.