I’m so glad you have stopped in to get to know me better!
Those who are around me for a little while find out pretty quickly that I love Wild Mountain Blueberry coffee. I picture you also sipping your favorite beverage as we sit and talk about what my coaching style is like. Welcome to my virtual office! If you haven’t yet, I would suggest reading the “Our Coaching Philosophy” page.
This gives a great overview of the scope of our coaching.
My History
I started this journey as a client sitting on the couch of a marriage counselor back in 2005. I had just had my 2nd son in 2003, thirteen months after my first son. (Still not over it…). My now ex-husband and myself had found ourselves not getting along very well, and enlisted the help of a therapist, much to my chagrin. Oddly enough, going to therapy was not my idea; in fact, I hated the idea. Ironic.
In 2008, it became more and more clear to me that I would not be remaining married. I started a rather long season of figuring out what I would do to support myself as a single mom. I couldn’t have imagined that 15 years later I would be going back to school to become a therapist. By 2014, I had graduated and was seeing clients in private practice immediately. I had seen clients previous to that as an intern, so I hit the ground running with some experience under my belt. During those days I had also worked as an administrative assistant at a counseling practice where I wrote a blog from the perspective of a lay-person. Those blogs are still available for perusal in the media pages of this site. I would also spend as much time as I could with my friend Jerry Wise, now the leader of Jerry Wise Relationship Systems, debating theory and hashing out how to explain theoretical concepts in real-life scenarios to clients. Those days of mentoring would become invaluable in making me into the coach I am today. Those days also grew in me a love of Bowen Family Systems, the concepts of which I still hang my theoretical hat on to this day.
In 2017, I ventured out on my own and began my first therapy practice. Before I even had the doors open and the ink barely dry on my clinical license, I had already contracted with my now best friend, Kristen Swart. She had just finished graduate school and having her 3rd baby when she began looking for a job in private practice. I began training her even before the doors were open, and she hit the ground running, seeing her first client ever just one week after I had the doors open. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now we are looking to expand the scope and reach of what we do with clients, as well as have the flexibility that coaching offers. As I type this, we have books in production and hope to have those available for purchase as soon as we can. We are also training other coaches to help others in specific niches so the reach can be even greater. Such amazing blessings to do what we absolutely love to do!
Christian and Secular Coaching
I am a lifelong Christian, and I have no intention of that ever stopping! I have counseled and can coach from a Christian perspective as well as non-Christian. My goal is to meet people where they are and provide the healing and growth that I have learned along the way, whether that be from a Christian or secular world-view.
My Ideal Clients
My ideal client is one looking to dive deep. I have had many people along the way ask me if I’m psychic, or if, just perhaps, I might have a camera in their home, because I am a pretty good guesser at how people are feeling and how they think. No, I am not psychic or voyeuristic at all, I just have experienced a lot of things myself and learned a lot from the people I have worked with along the way. I have had several clients say some version of, “I have worked with other professionals, but I’ve never gotten this deep in my own recovery work.” My mentor, Jerry, would say “You cannot take anyone deeper than you are willing to go yourself.” He is correct. I have done, and continue to do, deep recovery work in myself to find the deep inner peace I named my practice after.
I also have a love and passion for training/mentoring high quality and deep-diving coaches/therapists/counselors. I love discussing and passing on the same kinds of things I learned in the old days when Jerry and I would hash out theory and make it approachable and understandable for everyone. I hope my first book will be invaluable for the future of the helping profession in engaging clients and influencing true change in their lives for the long haul.
My Coaching Style
My style tends to be quite direct. I believe it is my job not to tell you what to do, but to point towards the way out of the weeds you might find yourself mired in. I find that people are actually quite good at finding the best path through for them, if they know what direction to go. My job is to give a new perspective, to see current issues from a different angle that hasn’t been considered before, to guide and influence the change that the client is looking for. This is a task that I take incredibly seriously and humbly, as the trust that is being offered to me is immense. I never take that for granted.
Online Access
I offer online video-conferencing so you can have your sessions in the privacy of your own home or wherever you are. I use a secure, encrypted web-hosting server to ensure complete privacy. It is very simple to use and works on any computer or device with a camera and internet access that works with the Zoom platform.
Areas of Coaching
I work with individuals and couples to help them move toward internal and relational peace and healing. I use various theories to inform my coaching and I tailor my approach to each client. I can help you work through many different issues, including the following:
Education
I received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Nebraska – Kearney. I then earned my Master’s Degree from the Indiana University School of Social Work. I am Phase 1 and Phase 2 Brainspotting Trained.
Personal
My favorite pastime is spending time with my two amazing sons. I also enjoy writing, playing poker and other games, Nebraska Cornhuskers sports, crafts, and movies. It is very important to me to continue to grow in my own recovery, so I also enjoy reading, professional trainings, and attending classes that enhance my own spiritual and personal growth.