How I Work

On this page, I’ll tell you what you can expect from a coaching relationship with me – the kinds of benefits my clients report as well as what are my guiding beliefs.  I’ll tell you about what it’s like to work with me, and what makes me unique as a coach.

What Can You Expect From Working With Me?

The time and space each week to focus on just yourself and your life. One of the most important benefits that my clients report is simply the time and space each week to focus on how they are living their lives and what they want for themselves.  Our children need so much from us, it is easy to lose connection with what we want and need for ourselves.

Reconnection with the woman you were before the demands of family, and an awakening to the woman you are now.  As the demands of childrearing begin to ease up, you free up capacity to look at who you are and who you want to be.  You will remember, rediscover, and reignite some of the things you loved in your earlier years, as well as explore areas that you are passionate about now. 

Renewed energy to continue taking care of your home and family because of the recharging you feel as you examine and attend to your own needs.  My clients experience new energy and a better attitude about taking care of their home responsibilities as they begin to pay attention to fulfilling their own needs.  Their family relationships improve and their spouses and children become supporters as well as everyone enjoys the benefits of Mom taking care of herself.

An idea of “what’s next for you.”  You will have a clearer understanding of the kinds of activities that bring you joy and fulfillment from looking at your past activities as well as what appeals to you now.  You will use this understanding to design the thing that is “next for you” – whether that is a new or revitalized career, a hobby you can feel passionate about, or a community of friends and family that give you a sense of fulfillment.

A plan for how to achieve your next goals, and support to help get you there. Some of my clients focus on determining the next step, while some are working to figure out how to make the next step happen.  We will work together to determine and provide whatever support you need to make your vision for yourself a reality.

What Are My Guiding Beliefs?

Women come into a time of great personal growth and achievement in their forties and fifties.  There are many reasons for this, and much research to support it.  At this time in life, the creative energy that went into creating a family, creating life, is freed up for new creative endeavors.  In addition, we reach a time when the opinions of others do not hold as much sway, and we are ready to listen to and to act on what we believe is true.  And these factors combined with greater life experience create an opportunity for women to really come into their own personal power and fulfillment.

It is possible to be personally fulfilled and continue to honor your values of taking care of your family.  Taking care of the families that we helped to create will always be a priority.  Raising our children is a job that is second to none in importance.  And it is entirely possible and highly desirable to do this well, while continuing to develop yourself and fulfill your own needs.

Each one of us has gifts, and it is through accessing and developing those gifts that we are able to find our unique place of contribution in the world.  This is a core belief of some of the world’s great religions, and one that I share as well.  It is perhaps best expressed by one of my favorite quotes from Joseph Campbell, the great mythologist and teacher:

“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.  Wherever you are – if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.”

You possess great wisdom about what is best for you that can be accessed through the right questions and a focused exploration.  My job as a coach is to ask the questions that will provide you with greater insights and new perspectives.  The answers to those questions always comes from your own inner knowing.

What Is It Like To Work With Me?

Here’s how my clients describe it:

Spacious.  One of the most frequent characterizations I hear about my coaching is that I create a sense of spaciousness for my clients to explore, examine, and work things out.  I believe this spaciousness is the hallmark of my coaching style.

Non-judgmental, supportive.  I also frequently get the comment that I am non-judgmental and supportive of the client’s exploration.  That is my gift to you – the time and space to look at your life, and to do that in an open and supportive environment.

Intensely personal to you.  My coaching process is unique to each client – because each client comes in with different needs and in their own unique place in their own journey.  I do not use “cookie cutter” methods and tools, but work with what comes up in the session and the relationship.  I trust that whatever comes up for you in the process is where we need to put our attention.

Creative.  My approach is creative.  I have been trained in a variety of coaching models and tools, and use a variety of resources and methods in each of my coaching relationships.

What is Unique about Chrysalis Life Coaching?

I have been there.  My philosophy and passion for this work comes directly out of my own experience as a woman needing to reconnect and figure out what’s next.  From my own experience, and that of so many of my friends and acquaintances in my community comes a deep understanding and excitement about doing this kind of work.  I chose this profession because of my passion for helping women like me on their own journey.

I have received great preparation.  Through my coaching certification program at John F. Kennedy University, I have been trained to coach using the models from several different coaching schools.  In addition, I have experience in coaching using dream work, voice dialogue facilitation, and the Enneagram.  I have been intensely involved in my own personal growth work for more than ten years.  I am currently working on my master’s degree in integral psychology from JFK University.  I bring all the preparation and experience to bear in my coaching, resulting in a unique perspective that is constantly renewed with each coaching relationship.

Please read on about one-on-one coaching, the workshops I offer, or what my clients have to say about working with Chrysalis Life Coaching.