I learned at a young age that I couldn’t heal myself by myself.
Truth be told, it always felt like I didn’t quite fit in. I longed to be truly seen, heard, and valued by others. Living my life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and having a disability sometimes made me feel disconnected. Now I know that other people who don’t feel like they fit in are my people!
Now I know that other people who don’t feel like they fit in are my people!
It’s easier for me to connect with others now because I love and accept myself just as I am.
Because connecting with others was such a vital part of my own healing, I am now committed to offering an intentional, accepting space where people can come home to their truest self.
You are absolutely worth the journey!
interconnected
Did you know that a grove of aspen trees is actually one single organism interconnected by a vast root system that feeds & nourishes each individual tree?
That is how I see humanity. I perceive that every individual stands in relationship with everyone on the planet. I see myself (and you) as part of ONE global community.
I know what it's like to feel stuck.
Nowadays, we take little time for ourselves. We don’t necessarily spend time with our inner thoughts, yearnings and hankerings that come from within us.
We may even feel frustrated, feel like life is not flowing and not know why we are frustrated or why life feels like a struggle.
This leaves many of us feeling stuck and stressed!
I also know how to get unstuck.
I've done it many times!
Whether you are facing a life transition like a new job or a new relationship, would like to learn better ways to interact with the people in your life, or are simply feeling overwhelmed, anxious and stuck with where you are now, Safe Space Life Coaching is an excellent choice to find your footing so that you can make choices that will not only work for you, but help you to thrive.
I believe in living deeply
I have lived a large part of my life not living deeply. I too ran from here to there, believing that I had purpose. I lived by crossing things off my checklist. I thought I was moving forward and accomplishing everything that was expected of me. However, I began to wonder if there was something missing from my life.
It felt like something was missing. Maybe there was more to life than just crossing things off a to-do list.
early days
I spent 23 years of my career supporting people with disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive employment. I was drawn to this field having grown up with an invisible disability myself. Supporting people with disabilities to live a life that was fulfilling to them was challenging and rewarding.
After my father’s death in 2006, I experienced a wake-up call. My father had succeeded in the ways that society has taught us to succeed. He was financially successful. He was well respected in his chosen field.
I too was well respected in my chosen field. However, I sometimes saw loneliness in my dad. I saw a man who continued to be stressed despite all the hard work he had put in and all the ladders he had climbed. I was following in my dad’s footsteps precisely as I thought he and others wanted me to.
It was clear....
I wasn’t just grieving my dad’s death.
What I was experiencing was bigger and seemed undefinable. Yet, the sensation in my gut was ever present. It was my body trying to get my attention to give me a clue that something needed to change.
During this time, I tried to push my feelings and sensations away. I didn’t want to feel them. I didn’t know how to feel them. After a while though, I learned to sit with these foreign sensations and emotions. I learned to allow them.
I discovered that even if I didn’t understand what I was experiencing that all the feelings, reactions and bodily sensations were good. They were absolutely a part of my true self that was attempting to connect with me and wake me up!
I wasn’t just grieving my dad’s death.
What I was experiencing was bigger and seemed undefinable. Yet, the sensation in my gut was ever present. It was my body trying to get my attention to give me a clue that something needed to change.
During this time, I tried to push my feelings and sensations away. I didn’t want to feel them. I didn’t know how to feel them. After a while though, I learned to sit with these foreign sensations and emotions. I learned to allow them.
I discovered that even if I didn’t understand what I was experiencing that all the feelings, reactions and bodily sensations were good. They were absolutely a part of my true self that was attempting to connect with me and wake me up!
waking up to my truth
By allowing my feelings and sensations, I was surrendering to a higher truth. I began asking myself tons of questions.
The questions were the next part of my journey. Sometimes, they would come slowly and deliberately. Sometimes, they would be fast and furious. However, the theme of the questions certainly allowed me to see that I was doubting how I had been living my life up to that point.
While accomplishment and status are rewarding in their own ways, it appeared by all my questions that my inner self was desiring something more. Something deeper and more fulfilling. Settling into this process, I began to relax.
Relaxation, in and of itself, was a welcome experience.
choosing to leap
By learning to listen to my body, I realized that I could co-create my life with my body’s input. I could live differently. Discovering that I have always had a true self, I could tune into my body and make choices (big and small) that would allow me to break out of the mental prison that I had been living in. I would learn to live deeply and savor all of it.
During this time of deep questioning, I took a leap of faith! I left my old career behind and enrolled in life coach training. Because I started doing what was right for me, I began to feel calmer and far more peaceful than I had in years.
the reward: finding peace
Life coach training was exciting and I loved learning and discovering more about myself! I have now been a Certified Life Coach for over a decade.
Honestly, I can’t say that I am happy every day. I’m not. Afterall, I am human, and humans experience the full range of emotions. What I can say honestly is that I feel like I live life fully and on my terms.
I don’t try to go with the flow anymore
The flow was never my flow. Instead, I follow my heart.
Through this process of discovery, I have found my voice! Now, every day I get to navigate the world with my voice and my true self driving my life. Sometimes, I hesitate. Sometimes, I falter. But there are many times I soar. I am grateful for it all!
the reward: finding peace
Life coach training was exciting and I loved learning and discovering more about myself! I have now been a Certified Life Coach for over a decade.
Honestly, I can’t say that I am happy every day. I’m not. Afterall, I am human, and humans experience the full range of emotions. What I can say honestly is that I feel like I live life fully and on my terms.
I don’t try to go with the flow anymore
The flow was never my flow. Instead, I follow my heart.
Through this process of discovery, I have found my voice! Now, every day I get to navigate the world with my voice and my true self driving my life. Sometimes, I hesitate. Sometimes, I falter. But there are many times I soar. I am grateful for it all!