In the midst of changing roles, coping with loss and transition, dealing with limited resources, I felt unhinged and not in control. Surviving divorce, returning to grad school, losing an aged parent, and trying to navigate life as a single parent of a teen (who was all too similar to my own teen self!) felt overwhelming and exhausting.

Nineteen years ago, I made some major life shifts in how I would respond to life stressors. I returned to yoga and meditation. I sought professional help with re-framing my negative thought patterns and practicing better communication with my former spouse. I gave myself time and grace to grieve the death of my mother and think about how I wanted to live the rest of my life. I set boundaries in my relationships, both personal and at work. I traveled more and shopped less.

I focused on making my life meaningful and re-discovered comfort in the truth of who I am.

Turns out that I am not alone. During this same time period, more than 500 women were enrolled in The Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study, a longitudinal study spanning more than two decades that asked the participants to identify their most challenging experiences of midlife. Themes of searching for balance while coping with multiple co-occurring stressors, divorce/breaking up with a partner, health problems of self, and death of parents emerged in the analysis of the reported challenges faced by the midlife women in the study.

We perform so many roles that come with different sets of responsibilities, engagement, and resource consumption. How do we parse out that which is most important?

Most of my clients come to me feeling exhausted, stuck, and pulled in too many directions at once: employee; partner; parent; caregiver; and various subsets of these main roles. Trying to juggle multiple co-occurring stressors, while at the same time experiencing loss and/or transition, is frequently reported as mind-numbing and impossible to sort out.

I am called to coach because I want others to discover comfort in their own stories and strengths. My approach to life coaching gives you time and space to categorize your stressors, sort through your strengths, and move forward in your life. There is nothing wrong with you. You have all that you need inside yourself and a nudge from a coach like me can accelerate your re-balancing of your priorities and energy expenditures. My audacious questions disrupt your programmed stress response. With love, kindness, compassion, and empathy, my coaching guides you to determine your resources to address the challenges in your life.

Tell me your story. Let’s work together to identify your most challenging experiences and what you can do to increase your feelings of balance. Connect with me to choose an individualized coaching service that fits your life.