Caitlin Reilly Miller
Caitlin Reilly Miller is a creative strategist and founder of Presence in Practice, LLC, based in Greater Cleveland, whose work bridges the worlds of performance, communication, and healthcare education. She has spent approximately 30 years as a professional Equity actor and union card-carrying performer, working primarily in musical theater. With a lifelong foundation in theater, dance, and improvisation, she brings a deeply embodied understanding of presence, storytelling, and human connection to every aspect of her professional practice. Her career took a pivotal turn when she began working as a standardized patient in medical education, where simulated clinical encounters allowed her to apply her performance training in a new and impactful context.
In this work, Caitlin discovered the power of real-time feedback and applied learning. Rather than performing for an audience, she was witnessing immediate transformation as medical residents and fellows developed insight, confidence, and communication skills in high-stakes clinical environments. Her feedback became highly valued by facilitators, leading to opportunities in one-on-one coaching with trainees. Using tools drawn from improv, acting, and performance technique, she helps emerging physicians strengthen their communication with patients and colleagues, navigate evaluative learning environments, and advocate for themselves with clarity and confidence. Her approach reframes theater’s traditional focus on conflict and high stakes, instead teaching participants how to communicate effectively within pressure-filled situations while honoring the needs and perspectives of everyone in the room.
Today, Caitlin leads Presence in Practice as a one-person consulting and coaching practice, designing experiential learning programs for healthcare professionals, educators, and organizational leaders. Her work focuses on communication, leadership development, and culture-building at moments when individuals are actively learning, being assessed, and shaping their professional identities. She integrates arts-based methods with practical behavioral tools to create measurable, human-centered impact. Alongside her professional work, she is also navigating life as a mother of a three-year-old and a five-year-old, balancing family life with a practice rooted in empathy, discipline, and connection.
• Equity Actor
• Union Card-Carrying Actor
• University of the Arts -BFA, Musical Theatre
• Keynote Speaker at Allegheny Health Network Pathology Team Commencement
• Actors Equity Association
• Center for Arts-Inspired Learning
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my current success to trusting myself and trusting the education that I have and its value, even in spaces that feel unknown and uncomfortable. What inspired me to get into this field was being able to bring the skills and tools that I've cultivated my whole life to an area that affects everybody. My father's a physician, my brother's a physician, and if I hadn't gone into theater, I probably would have gone that medical route as well. So it inspires me to be able to bring my theatrical training to the medical field. I am also inspired by working with people who think totally differently than I do. I think that's a great way for me to keep sharp and to stay curious, and it allows me to leverage our power as people who think differently, as long as we can be curious and also value the different perspectives.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To stay curious. Stay curious about what the possibilities are, about what people's intentions and motivations are, and about how you can make really great things with what you have.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life are connection, presence, and balance. In my professional life, I prioritize meaningful communication, empathy, and helping people feel seen and supported in high-stakes environments, while in my personal life I strive to bring the same sense of attentiveness and care into how I show up for my family and community. As a parent of a 3- and 5-year-old, I value being fully present in the everyday moments that come with raising young children, including the rhythm of family life, dance classes, and all the joy and chaos that comes with it. I also deeply value joy, grounding, and shared experience, whether that’s supporting local baseball teams, continuing to engage with live theater, or traveling to places near water, which I find especially restorative and centering.
Locations
Presence in Practice, LLC
Avon, OH 44011