Professional Coaches Exposed

This week I gathered with my tribe of professional coaches to discuss a bouquet of topics.  One of the topics was to educate and expose the public to professional coaching and as a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) that's one of my responsibilities and acts of service.

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines professional coaching as:

"partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential."

The best way to experience coaching (if you haven't already) is to have a session.  I'd be thrilled and honored to introduce you to and expose you to how professional coaching sounds, feels, and looks like.  Let's connect!

Bullies are not only children...

Middle school bullies and mean girls grow up and become adult bullies and mean girls.  Grown up queen-bees and bullying behaviour remains the same as back in the day: it systematically targets people with the intention to intimidate, undermine, or degrade.  The same tricks get recycled too: gossip (lies), sabotage, exclusion, public shaming and many more deliberate behaviours.

According to www.bullyingstatistics.org "The goal of the adult bully is to gain power over another person, and make himself or herself the dominant adult and try and humiliate victims, and "show them who is boss.""

"Some people try to be tall by cutting off the heads of others." - Paramahansa Yogananda

Being bullied is very painful and truly a tragic experience.  Having thought once we grew up into adulthood we would no longer have to experience (cope) with mean girls, group clicks, gangs, gossips and liars.  These people who need to feel good or worthy at the expense of another is horrific.  People who bully are acting in premeditation and deliberate cruelty.

Adult bullying is very serious and very real.  I have personally experienced adult bullying and would love to share how working with my coach has helped me move through the pain, heal and find a more courageous and graceful self.

Are you a victim of bullies, mean girls or boys?  Plese reach out, I'd love to listen.

From People Pleasing to Choosing to Serve

People pleasing is something I grew up practicing.  I thought people would like me if I did what they wanted.  I did things for people hoping it would make them include me, accept me.  I said, acted and dressed just to please.  I did things people wanted me to do even if I hated it or knew it wasn't right.  This people pleasing developed into an enormous mask for not meeting myself.  I was all tangled up in what I thought people wanted me to be and I never got to know myself.  I never met the real and authentic me.  This people pleasing got me mixed up in making bad decisions,  choosing wrong people doing risky things in dangerous places.  It has taken me a decade to "meet" myself and understand my thoughts, emotions and actions. 

Today as a recovery life coach, I choose to serve others. I serve myself by being honest with myself.  I'm meeting myself where I am and knowing who I am.  I set boundaries.  I've learned to say "Yes" to myself more.  Today I discern.  I listen to my instincts and don't allow others to talk me into or out of what I know to be true and right for me.

How can you say "Yes" to yourself more?

Snapshot of 2017

Just can't believe I haven't written this year, apparently so busy with all this deep internal work I've forgotten to write.

This year I've been consciously practicing living into my values. Believing in love, kindness, honesty, peace, joy and courage - then living into these beliefs daily by consciously being that!  By being loving.  Being kind.  Being honest.  Being peaceful.  Being joyful.  Being courageous. 

Of course life and the ego likes to throw curve balls and I get off track.  Getting myself back to centre by daily reminding myself of who I am, what's important in my life, and consciously thankful.

Along with values, I've been practicing one of the most important spiritual principles ...Humility.  

A few quotes I love..."A clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be." Bill W.

"Humility allows us to be one of many, to know that we are wondrous and enough just as we are.  When we practice humility, we have a strong sense of our own intrinsic worth that isn't dependent on anything we do, have, or own." from the book "We" by Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel.

Humility provides me with a spiritual defense against my ego.  I get rightsized and know I'm not the worst, I'm not the best, I'm just me and that is wonderful!

What spiritual principals speak to you?

What are your core values?

What 50 Looks Like....

Its a Sunday morning in December and I begin this story on a plane from the fidget cold of -34 celsius in Calgary, AB, Canada heading to British Columbia to visit with a treatment centre.  As a recovery coach, I'm visiting to learn the centre's culture and philosophy and to share my coaching services with their clients and staff members.

The sun is beating in through the aircraft window and the amazing Rocky Mountains are directly below, I'm so blessed, grateful and happy.  This is my second flight in less than ten days.  A week ago, I flew home from the glorious Maui, Hawaii. 

I celebrated my 50th birthday and my 9 years of recovery from alcoholism over 12 joyful days in one of the most special places on earth - Hawaii!  Some people say I'm lucky...lucky to have a handsome, loving, supportive husband.  An amazing home and fun fur son.  Loving family and friends.  A rewarding coaching practice, the most special clients a coach for ask for.  I say I'm blessed and all I needed was hope.  The same hope that was foundational in my journey of recovery from addiction.  

Nine years ago November I was hanging on by a very thin thread.  Alcohol was killing me and stealing everything I loved.  That handsome, loving, supportive husband had packed his bags.  My fur babies hid from me.  My family and friends weren't taking my calls and my home was going to be sold.  I had a glimmer of hope that just maybe I could redeem myself.  Maybe just maybe I would not drink today. Maybe just maybe I could be normal and function like others do.  Well here I am at 50 and sober functioning in the world as others do.  Putting one foot in front of the other and doing the next right thing.  Staying present in today.  Growing and stretching as a human and uncovering who I truly am.

I'm not lucky.....I'm blessed!  I'm so excited to be 50 and to see what the year holds for me.  This journey of recovery has shown me why I did what I did, why I made the decisions I made and how to create a life that my heart has always desired.  I've learned how to accept and forgive myself.  How to change my thoughts and create new healthy thoughts.   Recognize expectations of myself and those around me and identify when they are realistic and unrealistic.  My journey of recovery is so much more than I could have ever imagined.  I had no idea what I was getting into, but am so grateful for that little bit of hope I had for a different and new life. 

I pray those who are struggling with addiction to hang on to that small bit of hope.  You too can recover and create a life you've always dreamt of.

A Horror Story

Living in addiction was A Horror Story!

The darkness, isolation, hiding, sneaking, and constant fear.  Constant trembling skeleton, shaking sweaty hands, heart fluttering, jumpiness and profuse entire body sweats. Days of living in this state until I could drink again, to escape the horrors of my life.  The traumas, problems and situations I knew no other way to deal with or handle.  The issues that were too big I didn't know any other way to cope, so I hid in bottle after bottle of alcohol.

I lied for alcohol.  I hid alcohol.  I justified alcohol.  I made excuse after excuse for alcohol.  I down played my relationship with alcohol.  I wore so many masks to keep my secret of alcohol.....scary images of my life flashed before my eyes.  My relationship with alcohol was digging my grave and death was creeping closer and closer.

I escaped the alcoholic death! 

I learned how to deal with the traumas, problems, and situations using recovery tools.

Today in recovery, I live an Adventure Story, a Comedy Story and a Love Story!

How badly do you want to change your Story?

Please join me in my FREE Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulrecoverycommunity/

What Are My Options?

Since the beginning of my coaching career, I've been educating the public about what services a Recovery Life Coach provides.  I've blogged here the role of a Recovery Life Coach.  Also written about the differences that a Recovery Life Coach provides vs. a 12 Step Sponsor.

This article is amazing and presents a clear description of the differences of a Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Addiction Counselor, and a Professional Recovery Coach.

Its my hope that you find this article helpful to you and those you love.

Thousands of $$$ Spent on Booze....Addiction is Expensive

While walking my sweet dog Ollie today, a memory of an exercise I did during the first weeks of sobriety came flooding in.  It was such a strong memory, I could feel cigarette smoke in my throat.

From November 11 to November 26, 2007 I spent my days at a government day treatment program.  Here I learned about addiction.  They asked our group to write down the amount of liquor drank on a daily basis and calculate the monthly amount of money spent. 

I was so shocked to learn I spend over $1,000.00 a month in secret!

This $1,000 did not include when my husband and I went out for dinners, to friends parties, had people in to our home, Saturday afternoon cocktails at the neighbors and in our local pubs.

Frequently I speak with people who are wishing to make changes in their lives and to create a new lifestyle for themselves and they're families.  Some see the value in getting sober and creating a new lifestyle and some don't.  I was willing to spend whatever it would take to get sober and stay sober!

What value do you put on your transformation from addiction to recovery?

Is today the day you decide you're worth saving?