You Are the Leader of Your
Life and Career!
You may be feeling stuck right now. You likely know that there is “more” trying to emerge in your life. Perhaps you are ready for a new challenge or have recently taken the next step in your career. You're striving to make a difference and you want to be the leader you know you can be! You're craving more impact and confidence along with more balance, and more fun. You know you have to do something but you’re not sure what.
Here’s my guess: You are seeking change, growth, and renewal in your work, your business, your relationships, and your life (am I right?). This is the quest we all share – a deep desire to fulfill our potential, live a life of vitality and meaning and follow our own North Star. We want to find and use our talents to reach our desired goals with more ease, whatever those goals may be. The first step towards living an integrated, meaningful, joyful life is recognizing that to change your world, you start by changing yourself. To feel fully alive and connected, you first connect deeply with yourself. So, are you ready for this? (The answer is yes - yes you are!)
I partner with smart professionals (like YOU) to build confidence, presence, and clarity so you can take the next steps towards the vibrant life and career you want. We'll dive deep to uncover what you REALLY want and release your unique brilliance so you can connect to your inner leader. Then we'll establish straightforward strategies to empower you to take concrete steps in pursuit of your vision. I'll hold space for you to discover and harness your deep intelligence and rid yourself of limiting patterns. With support, you'll learn to tap the power of discernment to take the best next step forward. Build your own "Resilience Portfolio" to carry you through challenge and flourish as the leader of your own life. Create the life you want; grow yourself, contribute in meaningful ways, and have positive impact in your organization and community.
This is not about lip service - I’ll help you pair insight with action by clarifying your values, uncovering the obstacles holding you back (that you may not even be aware of), and building a toolkit of communication skills, reflection strategies, resilience practices and agile decision-making to lead you in your right direction.
My Story
Several years ago, my life looked very different than it does today. I was overwhelmed by working long hours on an endless list of projects, feeling disconnected from colleagues and family alike. I was working to create positive change yet facing almost daily conflict. How had I gotten here after 25 years of progress and success? My work had always been fulfilling; I celebrated many accomplishments, developed strong relationships, and thrived as a leader. It was great... until it wasn’t. Instead of feeling like I had “arrived,” I felt squashed. At 49, approaching the “pinnacle” of my career in higher education, I faced burnout, deep discontent and a sense that my life was happening to me instead of being created by me.
I was “second in command” as the Provost and Vice President of a college but I needed to be “first in command” of my own life.
I was working overtime to fit myself into the shape of other people’s expectations, often held back from using my gifts. I was tired of going to work with a pit in my stomach. I needed more fulfillment and positive change and less “conflict management.” I needed more transformational, connected relationships and fewer transactional, tit-for-tat I owe yous. I knew I had the skills and experience to share my talents and make a meaningful difference in the world. It was time to connect with other changemakers to collaborate, celebrate and continue my journey of transformational leadership.
So I walked.
I decided that I would not abandon myself any longer.
I took a big scary leap and left my 30-year career. Well, it was actually a bunch of small steps that added up to a big leap (something I can help you accomplish too!) My point is, I’ve gone through “significant transitions” in my own life, so I get it! I am dedicated to supporting and guiding others as they transform their lives (even as I have transformed myself!)
Once I decided to be the leader of my life, things changed. Within 2 months of walking away, I traveled to my bucket list destination of Machu Picchu, turned 50, attended a women's entrepreneur conference where I walked across a bed of hot coals (I still can’t believe it myself!) and launched my own business. One year later I hosted a women’s leadership conference attended by 200 amazing women! Then, I tackled the biggest challenge - learning to embody the life and leadership I wanted.
Don't get me wrong, it hasn't always been smooth sailing; like everyone, I've had my ups and downs, faced loss, had days of happy celebration, connected with new people and experiences, and cleared away things that weren't working for me. Creating a new kind of life is an ongoing process.
I have faced many of the same lessons my clients have. Number one among those lessons is my ability to listen to my own wisdom to guide my choices (because you know as well as me, the "world" has all sorts of opinions about what we "should" be doing.) I'm a happy work in progress, and every day (even the hard days), I am proud to be living according to my own convictions, making positive change in the world and creating the vibrant career and life I want.
Deep inside me, I KNOW that you also have the potential to transform yourself!
It would be my privilege to be your partner and guide as you create whatever you are yearning for in your life and work. Let's do it together!
Lessons I Learned On the Journey from Burnout to a Vibrant Life and Career
What I’ve learned over the years is that any venture that requires you to sacrifice your true inner self will leave you feeling unsatisfied. The first lesson is tuning in to the leader within and trusting that inner yearning for more.
There is NO need to live a life of dissatisfaction!
Not everyone will walk away from their job like I did (although maybe you will). But I know that being true to yourself, using your gifts, and sharing your authentic self changes how you lead and how you relate to the world. You may even find that with the transformation you experience, you develop a whole new perspective about your current role, your current challenges and your current goals.
Learning to listen to, trust and take action based on my own inner leadership helped me achieve connection and deep satisfaction from more meaningful work. (It was scary at times, but so exciting too!) I use these guiding principles to truly be the leader of my life.
Learn How I Can HelpYou can do it too by:
- Practicing “radical connection” with yourself and others; by building deep self-awareness and self-acceptance, you will connect more deeply with others.
- Setting and achieving goals by listening to your inner guidance instead of external pressures.
- Developing resilience and emotional intelligence on purpose to manage challenge and adapt to change in your life and work.
- Improve your leadership by confidently using your voice, trusting your own knowledge, building skills and asking for help if you need it.
- Strengthening your relationships by using proven communication techniques that build trust.
- Understanding and investing in social justice to help create a more inclusive and equitable world.
- Finding opportunities to mindfully practice creativity, balance, and joy.
- Credentialed by the International Coach Federation as an Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
- Founder of FLX Women - A Community Leadership Forum for Women
- A lifelong educator; formerly a professor, an advisor, a Dean, and a Provost & Vice President of a college
- A lifelong learner who holds a Master’s Degree in Human Communication, numerous certifications, and years of study in positive psychology, resilience and mindful leadership
- A humble practitioner, facilitator and teacher of mindfulness
- A lover of books, feathers and mountains
- Awed by the natural world, have a collection of rocks in my home and find inspiration in the woods
- An avid traveler (I’ll go anywhere!) and I speak broken Spanish
- Happiest when I’m with my husband, two grown kids, and my 6 siblings - preferably having a dance party!
