Congratulations on your decision to work with a life coach. I firmly believe that coaching has the potential to transform your life. Your decision to work with a life coach, however, is just the beginning.

Now you must decide who should be your life coach. After all, this person will be someone with whom you will be sharing your deepest dreams and placing your trust. Your coach must have the professional and interpersonal skills to help you realize your dreams and change your life. To make a good decision, you must know something about a potential coach's experience and approach. In that spirit, I share the following information about myself to help you evaluate whether my approach and life experience might be the right fit for you.

What I do:

I specialize in working with people who are in the process of transitioning from one phase of their life to another. Some examples of the kinds of transitions I have worked with clients on include the following:

• Career Transitions - As someone who has made several successful career changes, I know that it is not unusual for people to have three or four different careers in today's world - and I know the challenges inherent in making these changes.I work with clients to identify their goals through a deliberate process of asking questions to get at the root of their interests and desires. A customized program is offered to each client based upon their individual needs. I serve as an objective guide as they explore their core values and beliefs and better understand the intended and unintended consequences of the choices they consider and make. I can teach clients how to successfully network, locate critical resources and job opportunities, and prepare effectively for the all important interviews and meetings.
• Transitioning from Working Life to Retired Life - Today people are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. I help clients uncover the possibilities to make this phase of life (which I think of as "Pro-retirement") joyous and meaningful. I work with senior faculty at colleges and universities as they transition into retirement. They often have a financial plan, but lack a life plan. A major cost for institutions of higher learning is compensation (salaries and benefits often account for 60% of an institution of higher education's operating budget). Some institutions are offering faculty financial incentives to retire as well as personal coaching sessions to help them address concerns and fears about retirement. I am often asked to be of counsel to individuals who want a confidential conversation with an objective individual who can answer questions about such transitions. As a certified life coach with rich experience in working with senior professionals in higher education, I provide a safe haven for these faculty and their spouses to talk about the issues they face when considering retirement. I work with them to identify possible options for what the next phase of their life could be. It might include a new career, but more often it has to do with an unfinished life agenda that successful people have put off long enough. I help these valued members of the academic community appreciate that retirement is not about retiring from life, it's about retiring the parts of your life that no longer serve them. Retirement has become for many a period of renewal and exploration and for some work in the public interest that is rewarding in its own right.

What is my background and why am I qualified to be your life coach?

Life coaching brings together everything that I have loved in previous careers. As a former Special Educator who transitioned into a dynamic career in University Fundraising and Major Gifts Development, and then again to a Strategic Planning and Fundraising Consultant and finally to a Life Coach, I find that the following themes run throughout my personal and professional life:

• My ability to bring out the potential in others
• A genuine curiosity about others coupled with a deep commitment to their success
• A focus on forming deep, trusting, and long lived relationships with others
• Amazing listening skills plus the use of insight, humor, and honesty to provide feedback
• A practical and goal-oriented style that enables me to provide clear and actionable feedback

In terms of my professional training as a coach, I earned my coaching certification at the Hudson Institute of Coaching in Santa Barbara, www.hudsoninstitute.com. Are you ready to learn more? I invite you to schedule a complimentary session with me to find out more about my approach and evaluate our fit.

Email me at myprimetimecoach@me.com or call me at 303.808.5273.