It’s Been A Tough Year

As a coach, I work hard to support clients going through challenging transitions, getting unstuck, building self-confidence, and helping to re-evaluate priorities that are more in alignment with creating a balance in everyday life and with the patterns we find ourselves in.

Ironically, I have found myself in my own tough transition this past 12-18 months. It might have been one of my life's top 3 most challenging years. And in the spirit of sharing and vulnerability, I wanted to share with you all, especially since being a coach, therapist, or other mental health professional doesn't make you immune to these things. 

I have been struggling since moving to Ouray, CO, in April 2022. I had so much going on, so much change, and I struggled to get my barings. I thought I could handle it, as I've moved many times in the past. I've started over before, all by myself, with little trouble. This time should have been fine since I had my husband, whom I trust and love dearly. We were both starting over! We had a relatively successful business going, and I had my coaching.

And yet I crumbled inside. I had trouble making connections. Yet, I knew it takes time to establish new relationships and support systems. So, what was I worried about? Yet, there was so much more going on, and I felt desperate for a local support system. We were making huge stressful, life-impacting changes to the business my husband and I had together. Much of the administration and financial stuff (applications, paperwork, profit & loss, business plans, etc.) fell on me. But I still thought I could handle it on my own. I have almost 20 years of experience in corporate doing this stuff. 

Piece of cake. 

And yet it wasn't.

Simple hiccups and minor stresses were feeling like earthquakes and tornados. What was happening? What could I do? Just stay busy, I kept telling myself. I found myself constantly working. Even when I wasn't "working," my mind wouldn't stop trying to do it all. I knew logically (in my head) what was happening. I found myself burned out and overloaded. I was spinning my wheels. I was not taking care of myself. Something had to give. I ended up putting what I love most on the shelf - my coaching business.

Why? The other business was not something I got fulfillment from, but it paid the bills and required my husband and my attention. I quickly realized I didn't have the capacity, mentally and emotionally, to do what I was doing AND keep building my coaching practice. I refused to shelve it altogether. I had clients! I had terrific clients that were making major breakthroughs in their own lives. They gave me inspiration and encouragement by doing their development work. Yet, I found I was still drowning. I didn't have the creative energy to create blog posts (like this). I felt raw and too vulnerable to share my experience with others, so I put all my energy into making our other business as successful as possible. 

My husband and I own an apparel company that has been an E-commerce brand for the last nine years, and here we were, opening our first retail brick-and-mortar location, which opened this May. We had to make tough financial/business decisions along the way. We sacrificed time, money, and some fantastic employees to get this store opened. 

Through all this change, I learned more about myself than I ever had before. I realized that I am incredibly resilient and competent in getting hard stuff done. I also learned that I have limits, and if I don't start paying attention to my limitations and what brings me joy, I will have some real-life issues. Along the way, I faced some significant stress-related health issues. I was official - I was burned out! I am so grateful I have love and support from my husband, family, and friends (even though they don't live close) to remind me to take care of my health first.

I also realized just how much my coaching practice means to me. It fulfills me in a way no other job has in my past. I learned firsthand the career you choose is just as important as the friends you surround yourself with, the family you hang out with, taking your vitamins, eating right, and exercising. The job you choose to spend your time doing can be very impactful on your overall well-being. While I am really good at what I do for our apparel company, it does not bring me the same level of joy as coaching. Yes, it pays the bills, and I do enjoy doing well with the tasks I oversee. I also very much enjoy interacting with our customers and developing our employees. It's the people. And what I do with coaching is all about people. It's about relationship building. It's about supporting and holding space. It takes a lot of energy, emotion, and time. But it also gives me back energy and love. That is why I am a coach. 

Over the last four months, I have been receiving coaching to help me re-establish my balance. I have had long conversations with my husband on how he and I can get back to our "true norths" – to get back to those things that we love doing so much rather than spending endless days and nights grinding. Finding that balance between what we have to do versus want to do is not easy, yet it is doable. He and I are helping each other. We have encouraged each other to find coaches and support to figure this out.

So, why am I sharing this all with you? Because while I never actually went away from my coaching career, it slowed down a bit. And now, I am officially relaunching and renewing my coaching practice. I have more to give this world than paperwork and business acuity. My heart longs to connect to others, to help them see the potential within themselves to follow their dreams and desires. My body aches to hold space for others to discover how they sometimes can get in their own ways (as I just experienced firsthand) so they may figure out how to find their own balance deep within themselves. My mind dreams of sharing my own story in hopes that it can be motivational for even just one other person to believe they can pursue their goals and overcome obstacles that used to hold them back.  

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for staying on my email/blog subscription list, even though it's been almost nine months since I wrote last. Thank you for being so supportive.

And now, how can I be of support to you? Let us see what happens next…..together.