Tell me about your business, what do you do?

After retiring from a career in higher education (I was a faculty teaching psychology), I took a life coach certification course. Most people don't fully understand what a life coach is. In short, a life coach helps individuals identify and achieve their goals and overcome obstacles. Unlike therapists, who focus on past experiences and emotional healing, life coaches primarily work on the present and future, helping clients develop skills, habits, and mindsets to reach their full potential. While I coach across a variety of topics, my passion is in helping people develop beyond what their upbringing taught them. My target clients are those who were raised in alcoholic (or other addictions) homes. Adults who were raised in alcoholic homes often develop coping mechanisms that helped them survive their chaotic upbringing but may create challenges in adulthood. These patterns are commonly recognized in Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs) and can affect relationships, self-esteem, work, and emotional well-being. Examples include hypervigilance, people-pleasing, and not feeling or displaying emotions. We also tend to be perfectionists and 'control-freaks' (this is how I referred to myself. Many other maladaptive behaviors and thought patterns can last a life time without acknowledgement and change.

What do you love most about what you do?

If I can help one person find their place of joy, then all of my training will be worth it. I LOVE meeting with clients and supporting them in reaching their goals. I feel honored to work with people in overcoming obstacles and growing into a healthier, happier, authentic version of themselves!

What do you want customers to feel when they work with you?

For a coaching relationship to work, my clients have to trust me. I should also be viewed as credible. It is pretty easy for me to establish credibility when I show my vulnerability and share some of my lived experiences. I want my clients to feel my empathy, understanding, caring, and motivation to help them be successful - and I believe that I am successful in these areas given client feedback.