How I Became a Coach
I’m committed to helping people live meaningful, inspired lives.
Looking back, I can see that I’ve always approached work and life with a coaching mindset.
Whether acting as a counsellor, college professor, dance facilitator or friend, I naturally listened deeply, cultivated curiosity, and encouraged people’s potential.
During my early adulthood, I pursued an uncertain but authentic career trajectory. I struggled to find purposeful direction.
But, as I dared to follow an organic path and explore my genuine interests, I ultimately honed expertise in personal growth, change and transformation.
I achieved an undergraduate degree in Family and Social Relations; studied and taught the therapeutic benefits of expressive dance; worked for nearly twenty years in the non-profit sector (a decade focused on gender-based violence); and gained critical awareness of systemic barriers and oppression.
my aha moment!
However, it wasn’t until my early thirties, during my graduate studies in Adult Education at the University of Toronto, when I was raving about a self-help book by Life Coach Martha Beck that one of my colleagues turned to me and said, “Hey, that author sounds like you- I think you’re a Life Coach!”
It was a true aha! moment for me, followed by training at Adler International Learning, providing Academic/Life Coaching at The Michener Institute, and launching my private coaching practice in 2009.
I empathize with clients and know the benefits of coaching from the ‘inside-out.’
Because I know the journey of transforming self-doubt and feeling stuck into greater self-trust and wellbeing, I am passionate about supporting others to find their way towards greater peace and fulfillment.
More recently…
True to my own ‘late-bloomer’ style, after years of longing for partnership and family life and fearing that these things wouldn’t happen for me, a powerful growth edge has been to commit to an intimate partnership and to become a first-time mother at age 39 - and then have a second child at 41. This family path is full of learning, love, joy - and messiness, absurdity, and rich challenge!
I’ve learned how to increasingly embrace imperfection, take risks, and make powerful commitments. My experience deepens my faith in clients’ abilities to practice courage and carve out unique lives that honor their heartfelt aspirations.
At age forty-nine, I’ve developed greater humility and recognition of life moving in spirals and cycles, and how there really never is a final destination.
I’m honored to work with people at various life stages as they navigate their current growth edges, dreams, and decisions.
Mentors & Influences
I’m mentored by an ICF-accredited supervisor, and I constantly seek ongoing training to deepen my coaching wisdom and capacity.
I’m also a Certified Self-Belief Coach, trained by Sas Petherick, who specializes in transforming self-doubt.
I’ve studied Buddhism, positive psychology, and have taken many courses and attended events with coach Martha Beck.
I’ve learned with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and couples therapist Esther Perel.
More recently, I took a course with Thomas Hübl to learn more about working with trauma in the context of collective polycrisis.I’m passionate about helping myself and my clients stay grounded, resilient and agile - and to even thrive - in destabilizing times.
I’m a mindfulness practitioner and Sangha member in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
My Mission:
I do this work because I love it- and because I believe that each one of us is a cell in the body of this planet we share. We're living in precarious times. I want to do my part to nurture peace, joy, awakening, and liberation for all beings.
I hope that, as a species, we'll stop being so gripped by fear and, instead, direct more energy to our highest values and visions.
I believe that the world needs people who are vital, thriving and creative in their lives, families, and communities. We need each other to heal, grow, learn, and evolve. I know we're not meant to go it alone, the way our hyper-individualistic and materialistic dominant culture promotes. I also know that we can literally re-wire our brains, hearts, bodies, and living systems to shift our limiting personal and collective patterns and create new realities - together.