My Story
Welcome!
I am so glad you’re here.
Born in Seattle in ’72, I grew up in Marysville (with my mom) and Orcas Island, (with my dad). I was a driven kid. A mixed bag of tremendous fear of rejection and seemingly boundless confidence in my belief that I really could do anything.
I graduated from Marysville-Pilchuck High School in 1990. I’d done all the right things to rocket me into the college of my choice: good grades √, student government √, cheerleading √, local festival princess √, homecoming princess √, after-school job √, extracurricular leadership activities √. I’d also excelled in boyfriends, bulimia and booze and the only rocket I was on was headed for disaster fast.
After two in-patient stints in Ballard Hospital’s Eating Disorder Unit and Alcohol and Drug Unit and after a pretty rocky start to my college education, I was finally armed with a BA in Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising from Gonzaga University.
Rather than move to Chicago and go into Advertising as one of my professors had advised,
I of course, moved to a Footwear Factory in Panyu, China in 1997. Because I knew nothing about footwear, nothing about manufacturing and nothing about China. I was THRILLED. It was complete immersion in a foreign culture in every sense of the word; the country, the people, the language, the writing, the food, international business culture, manufacturing, karaoke bars. Everything was new to me. I loved it and I hated it. My welcome meal was a trip to the local snake joint. Fried snake, boiled snake, snake pancreas juice, snake blood mixed with lighter fluid, snake skin. Shit was real.
My move to China led to a 20+ year career in International Consumer Goods Operations.
Panyu, China
I had the immense pleasure of living in Vietnam from 1999 to 2001.
The people were happy, the atmosphere was upbeat and the country was full of possibilities. It was sunny and warm and the food was fresh and fantastic.
Holy Crap did we work hard.
Go to work with some sort of mumps √, go to work with stomach worms hoping not to make a mess in my pants √, get on a plane with a shot in the butt after throwing up all night √, trade it for anything? Never.
Painting by Peter Max
A promotion granted a move to pristine Germany where I met my (American) husband at the Herzogenaurach Beer Fest. While living in Germany we formed friendships that are still strong today, we travelled all over Europe and we worked at the International adidas-Group Headquarters. Our careers were both growing, but at least at that time, it was still very much a “boys club”, it was not uncommon for me to be the only woman in the room. I hear a lot has changed since then, but at the time, when they fired the two most senior women in a re-org, I knew it was time to go.
Next up was New York City for my “dream job” at Coach. I DO love handbags. And so many people want to work in Fashion! I was so lucky! And in many ways, I was. I worked with some amazing people, I continued to travel and get great experience, I made friends that I am still in touch with and those sample sales, to die for! I’d come home gushing about how much “I’d saved” after dropping a few thousand dollars. But the truth was, I HAD saved! I remember buying $250 puppy puffer jackets for $5 each. Every dog owner we knew got one for Christmas! And I STILL wear my $5 turquoise raincoat (circa 2008).
So, why coaching?
Where does it fit in?
I’m a whole person, and so are you. I have tons of experience to draw on experientially from an international leadership perspective, and tons of understanding to draw on empathetically from a lifetime struggle with trying to “be good enough”.
But there’s more. I’m an adult who was diagnosed with ADD at 47. I’m the wife of a perfectionist with Multiple Sclerosis who can’t let himself relax for a minute without feeling like “shits not getting done”. I’m a mom of a beautiful, perfect, dyslexic daughter who also has ADD. I’m the daughter of parents who lived together for a total of 10 months, who are wonderful, fabulous people and who have so many deeply ingrained struggles. I’ve been addicted to alcohol, food, exercise, work and Adderall.
I have Resilience, Grit and Determination.
In terms of professional Coaching qualifications, I have an Executive Leadership and Personal Performance Coaching certification from Brown University in conjunction with ACT Leadership. This certification is a Co-Active Coaching model, referred to as the “gold standard” of coaching by the Institute of Coaching, a Harvard Medical School affiliate that has linked the four cornerstones of the Co-Active Model to evidence-based scientific research. I’m in the process of gaining certification as a Mental Fitness Coach through Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence platform. Positive Intelligence and Mental Fitness Coaching is a synthesis of the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience, cognitive and positive psychology, and performance science. I have acquired the hours of Coaching needed and am on the way to becoming ICF ACC Coach, and I am part of Imprint Coaching’s Coaches Network.