The Full Story
In the summer of 2021, my youngest child got married, thus joining her two older siblings in the land of marital self-sufficiency. As a single parent, nearing retirement, I felt lop-sided. No one needed me. Where was I going to put my energy in my next years? What did I want retired life to be? Without a partner to discuss and to plan the rest of my life with, I sought out a coach in my area to work with me intensively in the month of July. Since I was a teacher, I had the ability to block out all of July to dive into daily practices, read, meditate, and walk out the journey with my personal integral coach. Our time together was amazing! I learned so much about myself and developed new ways of “being” that have served me ever since. During that month of intensive work, I made the courageous declaration that my gifts are “being present to others” and “sharing wisdom to help lessen suffering”. I realized that though I had been practicing coaching in multiple ways in my life already, I wanted to commit to certification in Integral Coaching as a more concrete way of imparting this to others.
Integral Coaching
Integral Coaching is the perfect fit of seeing the whole person, offering practical self-reflections, exercises and daily practices in the moment, but with the long-term goal of excellence and self-direction. People have the chance to re-write their own stories while they let go of the things that have kept them stuck in various ways. The more an individual notices feelings, patterns, and ways of thinking, the more they can become integrated in all areas of their life. The more a person feels “seen” and understood, the more courage they have to change up their way of being: physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Because Integral Coaching is so personal and so complete in its assessment, individuals can gain a greater understanding in their courageous decisions to move away from what society may deem as important and take a deeper dive into meaning and value in their own lives. I have experienced this in my own life as a coachee, and I have begun to witness it in the lives of my clients.
Vision
My life has seen many challenges, including raising three adult children, weathering divorce, and walking through cancer and the death of my second husband. Through my own suffering and loss, I pressed into many of the practices that Integral Coaching esteems. These ancient practices have served me well, including nature, exercise, yoga, healthy eating, quiet, meditation, journaling, and reading wise sources. My curiosity continues to bubble up around the question of “How can we live better and suffer less?” Suffering is guaranteed for all of us at some part of our lives, but as our perspectives change and our vision strengthens, we can see beyond the suffering and walk in acceptance and peace. I continue to be a student of life who reads and listens to many sources that can be inspiring to my clients. But perhaps the greatest gift I can give is holding space for others and letting them know they are seen. Integral Coaching is the vehicle.
