Coach Approach

In chapter 4 of Rising Strong, Brené Brown writes,

"The opposite of recognizing that we’re feeling something is denying our emotions. The opposite of being curious is disengaging. When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead, they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my tr…

As I've been lying around blowing my nose and recovering from a bad head cold, I'm feeling so grateful for the sacred spaces I can see from my bed. 

On a bookshelf across from me, I can see a little collection of arranged items:

• A photo of my husband and me, representing the young love we experienced in Paris when we were newly married.
• A blue lantern shining forth my core values of community and grace - gifted to me by a group I led in Brene Brown's Rising Strong course in Kenya.
• A Tibeta…

If you've got a thought that keeps coming back, is holding you back, or you just feel gross when you think it, why not try a hilarious way to hear yourself thinking? 

Let's say, for example, you have a thought that sounds something like this: 

• "I'll never be able to do that."
• "I'm not that smart."
• "I'm too old/young for that."
• "I'm not good enough." 
• "I just can't figure things out."
• "I'm so confused."

What if you try playing around with how that thought (remember, it's a thought, no…

Sometimes you're just itching for a change. And many times moving to a new home, changing careers, and developing different relationships is exactly the right thing. Other times, the urge to make a change is about wiggling out of a situation that might require you to address some issues.

How can you tell the difference?

1. One indicator is whether the unwanted situation tends to recur, regardless of the environment.

For example, I repeatedly wrote curriculum, developed training, and did the t…

I'm hearing about anxiety more and more in the past couple of years, and I know it's been difficult. So I wanted to offer you some knowledge and some of my top tips to get myself back to calm.

1) Anxiety is a function of groups. It tends to run quickly through systems and is highly contagious.

Tip: Observe its movements, and when it gets to you, pay attention to your body. See how you can self-regulate with a hand on the belly and a soft breath down to the hand, instead of passing the anxiety …

Ever wonder if you've left the stovetop on? For a lot of people, it's a real question because they leave the stovetop on a couple of times a week, and then, even when they do turn it off, they worry that maybe they didn't.

If that's the way your mind works, you learn to find workarounds. For example, you can make your cup of tea in the microwave instead of boiling it in a kettle on the stove (which might sound sacrilegious if you live in Kenya or the UK).

Building empathy

Rather than feeling …

Some people believe that suffering and living in poverty is necessary to be truly spiritual. That idea is hidden or openly taught in many belief systems and philosophies.

And there's a nugget of truth - sometimes the lack of material possessions, wealth, or creature comforts does bring us back to the essence of our soul. I had a prayer partner for years who was with the sisters of charity, and her only possessions were two blue and white habits like the ones Mother Theresa would wear, a well-pa…

One of my all-time favorite places to be is Diani Beach. When our family lived in Kenya, we had the privilege of traveling to the coast several times and staying right on the white sandy shoreline, where I was filled with awe and wonder at each quiet sunrise, and I would wade out into the warm waves. 

I can still feel the ultimate stillness coursing through my body the moment I placed my snorkeled face into the water. Suddenly, a whole new world of light and color and movement opened up, as bri…

Some people think coaches are overly optimistic, always focusing on the bright side and not willing to take a hard look at challenges. But you know that at Awaken, we model coaching skills that really help with overcoming obstacles, getting creative, and trying something new and brave. It takes a powerful love that's refreshing, strengthening, and invigorating. 

Drawing on the work of Steven Hayes, one approach is to develop "Creative Hopelessness". A core tenet of coaching states, "if what you…

If you're like me, sometimes you get stuck in ruminating - having the same thoughts and feelings stuck on repeat with no movement or positive action. It's exhausting. The brain seems to have a mind of its own, quickly taking you on a path to nowhere.  

Wouldn't it be fun if you could get back in charge of yourself? 

The Freeze Frame® technique, developed by the HearthMath Institute, gives you a chance to find more efficient options and resolve problems and conflicts that may be depleting your en…