My Coaching Perspective
Coaching is a creative, empowering, thought-provoking, and transformational process that believes that when we are in full alignment (mind, body, and heart) we can achieve the professional and personal life we desire. At its root, coaching is fundamentally about change. By focusing on the future, coaching helps us feel content with the past, happiness in the present, and groundedly optimistic about our lives. Through the coaching process, I serve as your partner and guide to help you:
1. Build on your strengths so you can harness your optimal flow - that feeling of authentic satisfaction or being fully in the “here and now”,
2. Connect to your intuition,
3. Harness your intrinsic motivation, and
4. Translate your thoughts into concrete actions so you can address any blocks standing in the way of your dreams and aspirations.
As a Flow Coaching Institute and Leadership that Works "Coaching for Transformation" certified coach, my hope for my clients, either individuals, groups or communities, is the same hope I have for my own life - to feel so inspired and supported that you are able to connect to your own dreams. I firmly believe that we are already "whole" and hold the answers and resources within us. But, for a variety of reasons, including the impact of racial and other inequities, sometimes we are blocked and lose our connection to our intuition and inner knowing.
As your coach, I will support you to create a plan for the life you want to lead, personally or professionally, that reflects your own vision, goals and strategies. I will do this through a holistic approach that includes active listening, asking empowering questions, and integrating expressive art practices (visual arts, music, movement, and creative writing) that will help you bring your vision to life.
1. Build on your strengths so you can harness your optimal flow - that feeling of authentic satisfaction or being fully in the “here and now”,
2. Connect to your intuition,
3. Harness your intrinsic motivation, and
4. Translate your thoughts into concrete actions so you can address any blocks standing in the way of your dreams and aspirations.
As a Flow Coaching Institute and Leadership that Works "Coaching for Transformation" certified coach, my hope for my clients, either individuals, groups or communities, is the same hope I have for my own life - to feel so inspired and supported that you are able to connect to your own dreams. I firmly believe that we are already "whole" and hold the answers and resources within us. But, for a variety of reasons, including the impact of racial and other inequities, sometimes we are blocked and lose our connection to our intuition and inner knowing.
As your coach, I will support you to create a plan for the life you want to lead, personally or professionally, that reflects your own vision, goals and strategies. I will do this through a holistic approach that includes active listening, asking empowering questions, and integrating expressive art practices (visual arts, music, movement, and creative writing) that will help you bring your vision to life.
My Coaching Journey
I am a strong proponent of therapy and have benefited myself from my own therapeutic relationships. I wholeheartedly believe it is useful if and when we need support to do deeper healing work or to uncover the root cause of our traumas or feelings. In fact, I earned a Master in Social Work and worked for a number of years as a psychiatric social worker with individuals and families of color in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, California. That work was incredibly rewarding. Ultimately, however, as someone deeply committed to social justice and systems change, I found it wasn't the perfect fit for me.
Years later, as coaching became more popular, I was struck by the unique differences between coaching and therapy. What drew me to coaching is that it is action-oriented and future-focused. I really liked that coaching is 100% goals-driven with the agenda set by the coachee during every session. There is no diagnosis given and it doesn't have to be long-term in order to really help individuals and groups nurture their own humanity, personal liberation, and dreams.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had already completed two coaching programs - coaching for nonprofit leaders and community coaching. But, my experiences during the pandemic solidified my belief that coaching is a valuable tool for helping us live our best lives and to create a more just and equitable world. And, for those of us engaged in social justice work, as we try to dismantle the impact of white supremacist culture in our work environments, I believe it is essential for our well-being.
At the beginning of the pandemic and the need for social distancing, I turned to visual arts, particularly art journaling, as a way to process my experience. To be clear, I didn't think of myself as an "artist" or even as "creative". However, as I nurtured my creativity, I came away with the following insights:
1) At our core we are all creative beings - if you can hold a pen and draw circles, tap your finger or foot, or hum - you are a creative.
2) We all come from deep cultural traditions rooted in the arts (music, visual arts, storytelling/oral traditions, etc.). But for many of us, western culture's emphasis on analytical thinking over creativity and intuitive practices has blocked us from connecting to our own power and achieving our dreams.
2) There was a whole part of me and my brain (right brain to be exact) that I had neglected my entire life.
3) When we are in the "zone", completely absorbed in activities we love (art, music, hobbies, sports, the work we love, etc.), is when we may feel most fully awake, in control, and powerful. These moments, when the activity we are engaged in feels effortless, bring us other benefits such as healing, well-being, and a sense of fulfillment in the here and now.
4) When we access our fullest expression we will see the benefits in our work, relationships, and general outlook.
5) Being happy and living a fulfilled life is rooted in finding and nurturing what you’re good at and using it to benefit the world.
At the end of 2020, I joined the Flow Coaching Institute where I integrated my previous coaching experience with this unique focus on expressive arts coaching (visual arts, music, movement, and creative writing). The value of coaching through the arts, particularly when it's hard for us to name what we want to focus on or to verbally express ourselves, is that it helps us identify what is truly important to us on a deeper, subconscious level. Once this is revealed and crystallized, we can focus on designing authentic goals and acting upon them toward a more fulfilling future.
Years later, as coaching became more popular, I was struck by the unique differences between coaching and therapy. What drew me to coaching is that it is action-oriented and future-focused. I really liked that coaching is 100% goals-driven with the agenda set by the coachee during every session. There is no diagnosis given and it doesn't have to be long-term in order to really help individuals and groups nurture their own humanity, personal liberation, and dreams.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had already completed two coaching programs - coaching for nonprofit leaders and community coaching. But, my experiences during the pandemic solidified my belief that coaching is a valuable tool for helping us live our best lives and to create a more just and equitable world. And, for those of us engaged in social justice work, as we try to dismantle the impact of white supremacist culture in our work environments, I believe it is essential for our well-being.
At the beginning of the pandemic and the need for social distancing, I turned to visual arts, particularly art journaling, as a way to process my experience. To be clear, I didn't think of myself as an "artist" or even as "creative". However, as I nurtured my creativity, I came away with the following insights:
1) At our core we are all creative beings - if you can hold a pen and draw circles, tap your finger or foot, or hum - you are a creative.
2) We all come from deep cultural traditions rooted in the arts (music, visual arts, storytelling/oral traditions, etc.). But for many of us, western culture's emphasis on analytical thinking over creativity and intuitive practices has blocked us from connecting to our own power and achieving our dreams.
2) There was a whole part of me and my brain (right brain to be exact) that I had neglected my entire life.
3) When we are in the "zone", completely absorbed in activities we love (art, music, hobbies, sports, the work we love, etc.), is when we may feel most fully awake, in control, and powerful. These moments, when the activity we are engaged in feels effortless, bring us other benefits such as healing, well-being, and a sense of fulfillment in the here and now.
4) When we access our fullest expression we will see the benefits in our work, relationships, and general outlook.
5) Being happy and living a fulfilled life is rooted in finding and nurturing what you’re good at and using it to benefit the world.
At the end of 2020, I joined the Flow Coaching Institute where I integrated my previous coaching experience with this unique focus on expressive arts coaching (visual arts, music, movement, and creative writing). The value of coaching through the arts, particularly when it's hard for us to name what we want to focus on or to verbally express ourselves, is that it helps us identify what is truly important to us on a deeper, subconscious level. Once this is revealed and crystallized, we can focus on designing authentic goals and acting upon them toward a more fulfilling future.
My Coaching Specialties:
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Coaching Services
As a coach, I offer traditional and expressive arts coaching experiences for both individuals and groups.
Individual
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Expressive Arts Group CoachingExpressive Arts Group Coaching is a two to three month commitment that allows you to participate in a structured process using art materials, music, movement, and storytelling where we focus on specific themes, e.g., limiting beliefs, stepping into your power, etc. During the group coaching journey, you'll be part of an intimate group of 6-8 like-minded individuals who are undergoing similar experiences. During these sessions, you will receive support, accountability and tools that you can use for the rest of your life. Each session is two hours each.
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Coaching Packages
Strategy SessionFree 30-minute session to explore the areas of your life you want to enhance through coaching. These sessions are a risk-free way to learn if coaching is right for you. |
Silver CoachingThree months of coaching (1-2 sessions per month*), free email support, and customized tools and resources to support your transformation. |
Gold CoachingSix months of coaching (2-4 sessions per month*), free email support, and customized tools and resources to support your transformation. |