I just didn't always know that's what it was :). The first 37 years of my life were a journey leading to that discovery! Ever since I can remember, I've had a passion for personal development, leadership training, and values based living. As a high schooler, ready to move on to college, I struggled with picking a major. I knew what I loved to do, but had no label for it. I ended up settling for becoming a bilingual teacher and worked for five years before deciding to stay home with my two children. I realized that, while I have a gift for teaching and encouraging, the traditional classroom setting wasn't really for me. Over the last 16 years of being a stay at home mom, I've had numerous experiences that have grown me as a leader and a coach. My years in MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) were truly impactful. Through regular meetings, retreats, conferences and trainings, I grew exponentially as a leader and as a Christian woman. I was blessed with the opportunity to serve as a table leader, then a coordinator, and finally a council coordinator. I also helped establish and facilitate a new group for mothers of school age children called MOMS Next once both of my kids entered elementary school. All of the training I got through MOPS leadership continued to point me straight in the direction of life coaching. I also volunteered as a volleyball coach for the YMCA which afforded me that opportunity to build the Shockwave family. Over 9 seasons, my assistant coach and I welcomed dozens of girls into the fold. We decided that this would be more than just a volleyball team. It would be a place where these young ladies and their families could belong. It would be a place of not just physical growth, but personal, emotional and spiritual as well. The mission of Shockwave was to build character, leadership, social responsibility, and faith through volleyball. I still have close relationships with many of the Shockwave families today. I have been a coach of the Heights Hammerheads Swim Team for 8 years. My co-coach and I have made it our mission to help children develop a life long love of swimming while providing an environment where each swimmer has a strong sense of belonging. In addition to teaching the four strokes and helping our swimmers improve their skill, we emphasize and celebrate exceptional participation, work ethic and sportsmanship. When you join the Heights swim team, you join the Hammerhead family! I also haver the privilege of being a troop leader for my daughter's Girl Scout troop. Many of the girls have been in the troop for ten years. I have the honor of coaching and guiding the young ladies in our troop as they grow into responsible, conscientious members of our community, country and our world. Finally discovering Christian life coaching in 2009, I felt like all the parts of my life were finally coming together. At last I discovered the name of the profession that I had dreamed of so many years ago. I became a Professional Certified Coach through Erickson College in 2010. Since then, life coaching seeps into every aspect of my life. Whether I'm working with clients, parenting my children, leading a small group at church, or subbing at a local school, the natural skills and abilities as a coach guide my interactions with others.