I draw your greatness forward.

Coach.  Mentor. Consultant. Counsellor.  What exactly are these things?  

Counsellors and therapists help you understand how your past is influencing your current undesired behaviours. Trainers teach you new skills. Consultants share their expertise. Mentors give advice. No method is better than another, but knowing the difference allows you to discern what you need.

When you work with a coach, you create your future, you don't deconstruct your past.  I know you've made decisions that maybe haven't worked out the way you wanted.  That’s part of the human journey. You have the advantage of learning from those experiences and incorporating those lessons into your future.  I have knowledge, skill and expertise to help you maximize your knowledge, skill and expertise. 

Coaching assumes you are already whole. 

Coaching emphasizes choice. 

Coaching directs you to your future. 

As a professional life coach, it is my mission to serve women to have more choice, expand their sense of possibility and allow my clients to feel more whole and empowered.  My job is to serve what's most important to you, guiding you to claim the resources you have available to lead your life. 

Yes, you are the leader of your own life!  You set the tone for what you want. You are in charge of how you feel and you can expect more. 

I am here to help you remember your greatness. It can be easy to forget in our world of constant productivity and business, but you have greatness in you!! I believe this about all my clients and I know there is a way forward for everyone. Sometimes we need a guide, we need someone to help us see ourselves and find the next steps. This is the work of a professional life coach.

Make your journal a trusted friend

A journal, a diary, a notebook, love letters to yourself, morning pages  -call it whatever you want!

I’m not talking about an agenda where you record your to-do list and appointments. That is also good, but another thing entirely.

A journal is a receptacle for your thoughts, inspirations, dreams, promises, prayers, gratitudes and questions.  It’s a tangible tool that gives you permission to look inside, have compassion for yourself, hear questions that bubble up and record your wisdom as it wants to speak to you.

I know many of you reading this are regular and devoted journalers.  That's awesome!  Some of you are sporadic journalers (that’s me!). For others, this will be fresh.

Wherever you are starting, I invite you to make your journal a good friend. Make it your home base.  

Before writing, close your eyes and breath a few slow breaths through the nose.  Settle into your body.  This brings your intuition closer to the surface and lets your heart be heard.

Start with a simple prompt and see where it leads.  

Today, I feel...

Right now, I am noticing…

Use your journal to parent yourself.  Say the kind, supportive words that you would hear from a loving friend or parent.  Notice the questions that arise and don’t worry if you have the answers right away.  Just write, don’t edit.  Just notice, don’t judge.

Life is complex enough without more complications and big expectations.  Do the easy things that keep you nourished and connected to you.  Keep these little habits available and simple.  

This is a little nudge to encourage you to keep going.  Even when things are busy and swirling around you, return to these rituals of self-connection. Journaling, it’s simple and profound.

Life is a journey of constantly unlayering to become the fullest version of ourselves.

Fourteen years ago I had two babies, a busy husband, and a career on hold. I had just moved back to Canada after having lived abroad for many years. Just like a lot of you with small children, just trying to get through the day-to-day was enough to handle. This wasn't the smoothest time in my marriage but we got through it.  As we know, our society doesn't really acknowledge this work - but it is repetitive hard work. Parenting and partnering is the most critical, common, and enduring work on the planet. ⁠

I felt like I had enough going on every day, ‘going back to work” seemed unmanageable. I was a high school teacher for many years and I loved working with teenagers, but eventually felt that the job was too confining for me and I couldn't see myself continuing. I had other jobs over the years, I’ve watched my friends who were working full time and managing families experience burn out or at least they were always barely holding it together. I was sitting on three university degrees and not knowing what I could do to create a career for myself without “taking away” from my family. The cherry on top was that every time I heard myself complaining in my own head, I would beat myself up for not being grateful for what I already had.⁠

⁠There is no ‘one moment” when I decided to turn it all around. I know that's a common storyline in the wellness & coaching world, but it isn't true for me. I didn’t hit rock bottom, get depressed, file for bankruptcy, have a huge realization, and then climb my way back to roaring success. ⁠

⁠I've had moments over the years when things have felt like they were crashing in and I didn't know what to do. I've been overwhelmed and underwhelmed hundreds of times. I've had to get super honest and have tough conversations with people I loved. I've had to have tough conversations with myself and figure out a way through. I've returned to my values millions of times. I’ve had to claim my own value, stand by my own strengths.⁠

⁠Probably you too. ⁠

⁠Things have changed a lot for me since these days. I work for myself coaching women and I love it. My kids are teenagers. There’s been curveballs and good times- just like in everybody’s life.

⁠Life is different for all of us but we all have the common experience of navigating our own path. Life is a process of constantly unlayering to become the fullest version of ourselves.

I’m happy to be on this journey with you. Keep on rockin' on everyone!!⁠

Cultivating kindness towards ourselves.

A woman I coached a few years ago had left a secure job in marketing and was starting her own consulting company.  She only had a certain amount of time to get this new business making enough money before she was dipping into her savings.  She’s a single Mom to two little girls.  She was giving it everything and also feeling anxious and burning out.  

In one of our coaching calls,  she came to the realization that she would treat an employee better than she was treating herself.  If an employee was sick, she would tell them to stay home or take the afternoon off. She would encourage people who worked for her to drink water and take breaks throughout the day to get outside for a walk.  Why wasn't she doing this for herself?  She needed to treat herself like she was her own employee.  She realized she needed to show herself the same kindness and consideration that she would show anyone else.

You know the Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”.

Flip it.

“Do unto yourself as you would do unto others.”.  

We often treat ourselves so harshly, we hold ourselves to high expectations and are critical when we fall short of those expectations.  We wouldn't treat others this way.

What are the words you find yourself saying to others that you also need to hear?

What are the actions you do for others that you would also benefit from?

I've had many times in my life when my kitchen is full of kids wanting to be fed.  I’m happily cooking pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches for my kids and their friends and whoever else is around.  I’ll tidy up, get on with the day, and then a half-hour later realize I’m hungry.  I didn't eat. After all that cooking and cleaning - I didn't eat!  I was around the food and maybe nibbled some things as it passed in front of me but in the midst of feeding everyone else, I didn't feed myself. 

A small example but, eye-opening as well.  It illustrates how we can take care of others at the expense of ourselves.

Kindness isn’t something that is just for others, it also for us!  We can be the receivers of our own kindness, compassion and mercy.  I encourage you to meet your own needs and give yourself some honest time and loving attention to time to feed your own body, heart and mind.  

Your kindness and compassion needs to also include You!   Soften. Breathe. Say some sweet things to yourself.  The world can be a crazy hard place, go easy on yourself.