Many people ask me why I became a professional coach who is dedicated to helping people attain what they are truly capable of in the world. Here is a brief story of my journey to coachhood.

First of all, I have always believed that we are capable of doing what ever we set our heart and mind to. I experienced this first hand as a young teen-ager. From the age of 12 onward, I was completely fascinated by France, and everything that was French. All I could think about was one day living in France. In fact, I even told my Mother that I would one day work and live in France. She gave me faith in myself from a young age by responding that I could make it happen if that was truly my dream. So I started working hard to find a way of going to France. My family didn't have any extra revenue to send me to France, so at the tender age of fourteen I landed my first job selling ice cream. I continued working at various jobs in order to save up money to visit my dream country. I was determined and motivated to make it happen even if I had to give up some things in the short term. For instance, I had to give up cheerleading in order to work in a print shop after school.

Finally, I had saved up $750 to go to France, and went on my first trip to my dream country the year I turned 16. I stayed a month with a host family as an exchange student, and was infatuated by everything. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. So I continued to work hard, and eventually went back to France two more times before I graduated from college. In fact, I spent my entire junior year in college in France.

After I received my undergraduate degree from Central University of Iowa with a double major in International Business and France, I began to live a more typical American life by taking a job with Cargill Inc as an Account Manager. I was in charge of developing a sales district in two states: Oregon and Washington. However, my heart wasn't in it. I didn't love what I was doing and knew that I didn't want to waste my life doing something just for the money. I have always believed that there is a lot more to life than making money. So after 6 months of working for Cargill, I decided to pursue my dream of working in France. I knew that I was not going to let myself be stopped by the fact that I had very little money, and no employment.

I decided to enroll in the Parisian School of Business Management in Paris in order to obtain a Master's degree. The competition was fairly tough to enter this school, and it involved an extensive 2 hour interview with 8 French business men in French, and rigorous testing in French since all of the classes would be conducted exclusively in French.

Two years later I received my first Master's degree in French Business, and was immediately hired by the French subsidiary of Procter and Gamble. I was hired as an Assistant Brand Manager for a French brand of detergent (Ariel). Over the four years I worked there, I did many product launches, and promotional campaigns. I gain a significant amount of experience selling, doing market research, managing others, budgeting, creating promotional events, doing commercials, developing brand images, etc..

Gradually, I noticed that I wasn't truly happy at Procter & Gamble. Despite my enviable job title in an elite jet-set environment like Paris, I felt like I was just going through the motions of living, and that something was really missing. For a while, I mulled this over. Then I realized that my soul wanted to do something to support the world, and help out my fellow man. I discovered that I didn't want to work at P&G because it felt hollow, and void of meaning. I could not get excited about how much detergent we sold because whiter clothes were not going to make the world a better place.

So I gave up all of the money, prestige, and adventure in order to contribute to others in a more meaningful way. I decided to become a psychotherapist because I wanted to help people feel better about themselves, and live more joyous lives. I then underwent a variety of training programs in Colorado in order to open my own psychotherapy business. Specifically, I received another Master's degree from Regis University in Psychology, and became a certified hypnotherapist. I was finally going to be able to help other people lead more satisfying lives.

After three years as a psychotherapist, I started to feel that familiar void inside. While I had helped numerous individuals overcome anxiety, fear, and low self-esteem, something was missing for me. So again, I embarked on this now familiar quest for passion, for what would truly ignite my soul. Two weeks later, I realized that being a Professional Coach was my calling.

As a psychotherapist, I had worked with many individuals who had the attitude that they were broken in some way, and therefore they expected me to fix them. I spent a lot of energy "fixing" them, and helping them see things differently. What I discovered was that this philosophy was not a true fit for me. As illustrated in this story, I have always believed that human beings have much untapped potential, and that they are capable of much more than they have ever imagined. Coaching completely matches my perspective of the world because it is based on empowering others, and helping them see what they are already capable of achieving. So, I became a coach in order to support others in living lives that reflect their true inner potential. I have been a professional coach since 1999, and feel more and more excited about this profession each day. I love supporting others in creating lives that they have hitherto only dreamed of.