For Ann K. Sommer, a certified physician assistant (PA-C), sharing her core message with the public and being an entrepreneur are essential and work together. Through her company, PA Ann Sommer LLC, she has been a coach and a public speaker for more than two decades and looks forward to launching her first master class, titled “Daytime Diamond,” based on the premise that all individuals have something unique, beautiful and valuable to offer, much like precious diamonds.
Despite this positive assertion, Ms. Sommer points out that many people keep their beauty and value hidden like a diamond in a closed jewelry box, and she hopes her class will help them unlock their potential and share their gifts and abilities with the world. She overcame her own shyness to find her footing and realize her dream as a professional speaker and coach. For more than 25 years, Ms. Sommer worked as a freelance physician assistant starting in 1998, and she maintains membership in the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Today, fully transitioned into her new career, she strives to help people break their chains of blame, shame, and self-punishment. Ms. Sommer works diligently to teach, conduct research, write, and implement her ideas. Incredibly dedicated, she is a proven expert at helping people avoid becoming overwhelmed by life’s many challenges.
Ms. Sommer’s professional path began when she completed a pre-physician assistant program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1998, she studied at King’s College before completing her surgical residency at the Yale School of Medicine at Norwalk Hospital. Remaining committed to higher education, Ms. Sommer graduated in 2006 from the A.T. Still University Arizona School of Health Sciences with a master’s degree in advanced physician assistant studies and a minor in sports medicine. Ascribing her success to hard work, an optimistic attitude, and her love for people, she has always had a desire to combine these characteristics and become a public speaker. Now that Ms. Sommer is solidly immersed in her second profession, she has returned to college specifically to bolster her growth and development as a coach and speaker.
During her years as a physician assistant, Ms. Sommer considered providing exceptional medical services to be her most notable achievement. Across the span of her professional experience, she is most proud of her ability to connect to others, listen to their needs, and help them achieve their goals and live their best lives. For her inspiring work, she has been featured on numerous major television networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. Ms. Sommer co-authored the bestselling book “Success Redefined” with Jack Canfield in 2024 and was featured in the Marquis Who’s Who Millennium Magazine. During her medical career, she was honored for her commitment to patient service with six Shining Star Awards, which are given by patients. Of the many physician assistants in her department, Ms. Sommer was the only one to receive the award.
Pondering the future, Ms. Sommer is devoted to her goal of leveraging her medical knowledge to launch a new venture. As she continues on her trajectory toward becoming one of the top speakers in the country and the world, she hopes to see her master class, “Daytime Diamond,” become a global phenomenon. Ultimately, Ms. Sommer looks forward to using her success to give back to others by starting a charitable foundation. Envisioning herself at the helm of an academy, where she will offer professional certifications and educate health care providers, she aspires to serve as an angel investor for other entrepreneurs and visionaries like herself.
In her free time, Ms. Sommer enjoys art, woodworking, traveling, interior design, and home renovation. Among her personal passion projects, she renovated her home, which was originally built in 1932.