At the top of her professional game…and a committed mom at the same time
“Several years ago, I needed to move forward, reclaim my life, and reinforce my career path. I also wanted to get my home life back in order as I felt constantly overwhelmed by clutter and the endless ‘to-do’ lists that go with running a household. I wanted to feel good about myself again – physically, mentally, and emotionally. I knew that I had all the raw material within me, but I also knew myself well enough to realize that I couldn’t make these changes alone. I needed a cheerleader, a confidant, a coach. I needed Michelle.
When Michelle came into my life, I knew almost immediately that with her help and guidance, my wants and needs for myself would come about. Those first thoughts ended up being spot-on. Personally, one of the first exercises Michelle and I worked on was with regard to ‘self-care’. Just knowing what I need to make myself feel good was such a gift! Professionally, I said goodbye once and for all to my former career and made several symbolic changes. I came to terms with the fact that it’s okay for me to want to have a career and be a committed mom at the same time.
Throughout my coaching engagement, Michelle encouraged me to turn the spotlight on myself and really focus on MY unique talents, goals, and interests; many of which had been in hiding for years. Due in large part to coaching, I am now committed to acting as that same lens for my clients as I help women discover and acknowledge their special qualities and talents, and advise them on their career options. It’s a big win-win. I am back, and rising to the top of my professional game again.
Michelle helped me understand my strengths and reaffirmed that those strengths are gifts. In the past, while I might have seen some of my ‘quirks’ as liabilities, I now accept that they are indeed the things that make me who I am. I LOVE that!
I now use my new-found tools to help me keep myself on track. I re-decorated and re-organized my home office in order to both comfort myself and increase my productivity. This one change has been significant. And I now think about clutter and ‘stuff’ in a completely different way than I did prior to coaching, and I make decisions differently now. I have eliminated toxic activities from my life and have committed to not taking things on unless it feels 100% right. That, in and of itself, is a victory. Life is not perfect but the lows are short-lived. I no longer hold myself to ‘all-or-nothing’ – better known as my perfectionist tendencies. I do the best I can. And I do what is right for me, what is authentic. I am human.
What I value most about my work with Michelle is that she put the responsibility on me from the get-go. She didn’t spoon-feed me anything. She was the consummate professional. Michelle made me feel ‘normal’ right away. She never judged me, and I felt like I could tell her anything. She gave me positive feedback and spoke to me at my level, always recognizing what makes me tick. Our conversations had the right amount of the academic and the theoretical. During our sessions, Michelle was incredibly flexible. Even if I changed gears and wanted to discuss something other than what I initially planned on, she was able to be nimble and go with it. I was constantly amazed at how much knowledge she was able to pull out of a hat during those sessions. And I will definitely use the tools that Michelle taught me to keep moving forward.
Michelle made my life better. She helped me. She made a difference. She became a friend.”
