I'm a lot of things. A random combination. Peace Corps Volunteer. Mom. Wildlife Biologist. Science Teacher. Traveler. Mover. Coach.

My love of travel and change has been there since I left on a two week trip to Montana to track wolves my sophomore year at UC Davis. (Side note and tip: It was during that trip that I discovered the genius in dumping a small McDonalds french fry into the paper McD's bag, sprinkling on 1/2 pack of that little tube salt you get by the straws, closing, shaking, and thoroughly enjoying, two or three salty fries at a time, while driving back up into the mountains.)

Since then I've traveled, moved, lived and adventured on my own many times, often in mega-ways.

My journeys are an integral part of my fabric; through travel and relocation I discovered a personal strength that I had never known could exist. A resiliency. A confidence. An awareness of myself and what I am capable of handling that otherwise might have remained in the shadows.

The Coaching is a much more recent discovery but equally as significant.

When I first discovered Brooke Castillo and her work, both as a coach and through her training at The Life Coach School, it immediately resonated with me. There was something so simple about the model that she presented. I could not, and still CAN not, find a flaw in it.

Which is saying a lot. My background is in science. I have a BS in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and was a middle and high school science teacher for 5+ years. I am naturally inclined to think critically, seek out evidence, and construct arguments in a step-wise, progressive manner.

I tell you this because at first glance, Life Coaching might seem like an odd fit. I get it. I was a skeptic. I used to think, "Life Coach = Tony Robbins = BS." Which, in reflection, totally wasn't fair, because I don't really know anything about Tony Robbins, other than that he seems incredibly happy and has been a positive force in many people's lives.

What I've learned through this particular model is quite simple and clear. It's like an equation, which is why I love it. There is nothing woo-woo about it. It's not cheesy or ingenuously feel-good or lightweight. I don't listen to your story and then tell you what to do to make it all better. In fact, it's not my business what you should or shouldn't do. There is no universal prescription or piece of advice I share.

What I do is make you aware of how you're thinking. I listen listen listen….so carefully and closely….and gently reflect back to you how your thoughts are affecting your life. It's that simple. I understand a simple equation and I know how to teach it to you.

If you're open to that understanding, if you're curious and willing to step away from yourself and become a Watcher, you'll discover things about yourself and how you're shaping your life that most people never even get a glimpse of.

I am a grounded, down-to-earth person. A strong listener who loves to laugh. A scientist who is also a Life Coach. It's all a perfect fit for me.

The Scientist Life Coach