As a young person, I sensed the need to develop a strong inner core so that I wouldn’t be shaken by the twists and turns of life. Had I listened to myself then, my path might have unfolded differently. Ultimately, the hard way won out and life did its work on me. After lots of bumps, bruises, and scratches, Shakespeare’s words rooted into my soul:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Since the late 1900s I’ve been in the learning and leadership development worlds. From guiding laboratory technicians to implement electronic medical records to developing and facilitating human skills course work like social and emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and resilience, I’ve had the privilege to work with thousands of brilliant people to discover that we are all unique expressions of the divine spark.

In 2004, I started coaching others to trust themselves and intensify their personal power. We didn’t call it that, though. It was sales training, business development, leadership development, competency modeling, strengths building, performance management, and all sorts of other jargon that doesn’t come naturally to me. I felt like a fish out of water wherever I worked, and my career felt restrictive and itchy, like a circa 1984 polyester blazer with shoulder pads.

Year after year, I used my creative power to help people tune into their inner wisdom, maybe most palpably when I taught yoga (for 13 years). The highlight of that chapter was hearing people say, “You make it safe for me. I can feel myself again.” What an honor to be granted access to hold space for people who needed to reunite with themselves.

Despite all the things - college (twice!), certifications, letters to put behind my name, work with accomplished people - I couldn’t land on the work that felt like it was mine to do. After my personal health invited me to find a new creative path, I took myself seriously as a writer and decided to live what I’d been teaching all along: to thine own self be true.

Perhaps what’s most exciting about this chapter is that my career feels like it fits, the same way a buttery soft hoodie does when the air turns that just perfect fall temperature.

Through coaching, writing, and facilitating I get to help people access more of their brilliance and share it to uplift the world. How can it get better than this?

If you’d like to talk more about coaching or creativity, please reach out to schedule coffee and conversation.