ABOUT
Many people have what you might call a touchstone phrase. I have a few that I like to reach for at times, like an actual touchstone.
Each evokes a way of being that resonates for me and helps me re-center.
Happily Unrefined is one, and some of my clients embrace it, as well.
It can mean ditching the push for an artificial ideal of perfection, in favor of embracing your God-given, beautiful life, here in this moment, with chaos included and choreography unfinished.
It can be a frame of mind for those making a clean break with processed foods in favor of elevated health and a lighter way of showing up in the world.
Or…it can be a space for the person who is working, as Thoreau said…to elevate [his or her] life by a conscious endeavor.
While appreciating the journey, I would add.
That is the type of space I provide. As a certified behavioral health coach, I partner with people who want or need:
support in a challenging season
clarity to make major life changes
help breaking unwanted patterns
sustainable, healthy weight loss
to tap into powerful books to deepen learning
to reconsider and reshape their narrative
I work within the Mayo Clinic model in which I trained. It is a framework which draws on positive psychology, evidence-based strategies, and the neuroscience of behavior change, to support growth.
With a background in English and communications, I weave books into everything I do, and I focus on the capacity of words to fuel change.
The Library of Congress is one place where I gained appreciation for the power of bearing witness to personal narrative. I was privileged to support communications there for the Veterans History Project, a place where listening is elevated to art. It inspired me to pursue this path.
In coaching, I create a very intentional space for stories to be shared and witnessed and valued. I also believe that books and writing can slow us down and provide common, fertile ground for growth.
What else?
In addition to the Mayo Clinic, I also have NBHWC-approved training as a certified health coach. I trained under the paradigm of The New Health Initiative. I try to cut through the noise about diets and work with basic, time-honored principles of nutrition.
Speaking of cutting through noise, I also push back against the pervasive message in our culture that how you look = all you are.
Can we please kick that mentality to the gutter, for the sake of ourselves and our kids? Real beauty runs deep, and perfection is a slog. I’d rather be happily unrefined.