My coaching draws from human centered design to help you create a life you’re excited about.
I will help you challenge yourself and take action.
Your life is an ongoing prototype.
I describe myself as a Life and Death Coach, and I combine my skills as a coach, a designer, and an End-of-Life Doula to be a present and creative resource for you. I am your supportive, non-judgmental design partner, here to help you explore, reflect, and experiment.
What kind of coaching is this?
My personal style blends Co-Active Coaching with Human Centered Design.
Co-Active Coaching focuses on goals and priorities you set, and helps you work through any problems you face in a way that feels personalized. We’ll uncover and explore your personal values and the unique mix of thoughts, feelings, and activities that make you feel most alive. I’ll give you space to wrestle with where you feel stuck, and act as your sounding board as you make sense of what you’re craving in your life.
In Human Centered Design, you have to get beyond what your mind thinks is possible, look for inspiration in unexpected places, and be willing to try and fail until something fresh emerges over time. Creating a life you never imagined or didn't believe possible is like creating a new-to-the-world product or service. Both are iterative and aren’t always easy, but definitely worth it. With over 20 years of experience in Human Centered Design, I have a vast set of resources to pull from to help you prototype your way to a life you’re excited about living.
You can’t shock me, and I won’t judge you. I have spent decades working with people on challenging life circumstances and everyday wellbeing—topics including death, aging, sexual health, money and debt, serious illness, chronic disease, mental health, retirement and what comes next, fitness and nutrition. I understand that these topics are deeply sensitive and bring up difficult emotions, emotions I am comfortable being with. I provide space for you to talk through them without judgment, enabling safe reflection that moves you to a place of action.
What IS coaching?
Coaching is a comprehensive process involving all areas of life.
Your work, finances, health, relationships, education, recreation—they’re all in play. Coaching presents an opportunity to deepen learning, improve performance, and enhance your quality of life.
Coaching is client-directed.
You drive everything. We’ll always focus on your agenda, and you’ll choose each session’s topic based on what you want to prioritize. As equals, we’ll explore what’s important to you about that topic and what’s in your way. While I may offer observations and suggestions, you’ll choose how to handle the issues in your life and how to implement those choices. You empower this relationship by committing to this process with honesty, self-exploration, and accountability.
Coaching is focused on action.
This isn’t a rambling “talk and you’ll feel better because you vented” situation. We’re working towards goals you identify, and you’ll do work between sessions to get you closer to those goals.
Coaching is a relationship built on trust.
As your coach, I am your partner. I am unequivocally on your side, rooting for your best self. I will support you to dream big, challenge you to stretch, and will do my part to help you grow. I will keep anything you share confidential. As a team, we’ll design our relationship to best support you.
Our focus is on your growth, not problem-solving.
Personal growth is non-linear and requires a high degree of accountability and commitment on your part. I can’t do your growing for you, nor can I guarantee outcomes. But I can co-create a space with you that allows you to explore, reflect, learn, and act on what we discover together.
What ISN’T coaching?
Coaching isn’t therapy.
Coaching is focused on now, and the actions that will move you towards the future you want. It’s not bout about understanding and unwinding the past. While some therapy modalities might look like coaching, and vice-versa, our work together doesn’t aim to heal previous wounds or process trauma.
I won’t tell you what to do.
You are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. Together, you’ll connect with what you know to be true, and we’ll create a space for you to find the confidence to act in alignment with your values.
Feelings aren’t off limits.
Emotions are a normal and healthy part of being human. In our sessions, it’s okay to feel strong emotions and even cry. I promise we won’t dwell on difficult feelings, but when they inevitably come up, it can help for us to acknowledge them and explore the role they play in keeping you from your goals.
Coaching isn’t a substitute for professional advice.
For guidance on legal, medical, financial, business, or spiritual matters, please seek independent professional guidance.
What is coaching good for?
You likely have a sense of who you are at your core. Some people can easily tap into and describe this. Others are deeply disconnected from themselves and lack the skills to reflect on what matters to them and/or the words to describe what they’re seeing, feeling, or noticing. Most are somewhere in between. Fortunately, these skills are learnable! Through conversation and practice, you can get better at noticing what’s happening, exploring and reflecting on what matters, and experimenting with what’s right for you. Regardless of the skills you do or don’t have, as your coach, I can help you break out of unhelpful loops and provide a supportive, non-judgmental, outside perspective with a focus on action.