Hey Reader!

I’m not going to lie. The first half of January felt pretty bleak for me. My normal optimism and ability to do hard things, even though I didn’t want to, was minimal at most. I felt overwhelmed with all I had to do and the lack of energy I had to do them. Ironically, I was also signed up for a challenge in my coaching business group that was all about networking and creating referral partnerships. Needless to say, I was in no place to take on that challenge and even being exposed to it just made me feel worse about myself and my state of being.

I fell into the trap of The Second Arrow. The first arrow was the suffering I was already experiencing, the low energy, general malaise, and deep resistance. The second arrow was me beating myself up for not being able to pull myself up by my bootstraps and participate in this challenge with enthusiasm and ambition. The second arrow was me comparing myself to others or an opinion of where I should be and what I should be doing.

The first arrow, I didn’t have much control over, but I did have control over not making it worse. So what did I do? I unenrolled in the group, I filed away the challenge videos and worksheets for a future time when I have the energy and desire to dive in, or not. I gave myself grace to let go, to feel how I was feeling and to remove the second arrow. I also allowed myself to discover what I really wanted right now. I let the wise part of myself speak to me and guide me.

And do you know what happened?

The fog lifted. I began to feel lighter. I began to trust myself and my ability to follow my own path in how I grow my business.

I began to HOPE.

Tara Brach gave a talk entitled How Hope Can Heal and Free Us that I listened to recently. I was surprised to hear that the steps she laid out in moving toward hope is the very same structure for coaching!

Step 1: Aspiration

What do I really want? What really matters to me? In coaching this is the process of visioning. Feeling into those deeper desires that maybe we won’t even admit to ourselves, let alone others, and allowing ourselves to imagine that it’s possible to achieve that. Deepening inquiry about why our wants matter to us. Envisioning what life might look like if we are able to be the best version of ourselves, reach our highest potential.

Step 2: Trust

The seeds of who you are becoming are already here. This step is about building the capacity to trust you have everything already within you to become that which you envision. Just like an acorn has the genetic potential to be come an oak tree, you possess all the makings of the best version of yourself, your true nature. This can be hard to do right away. We may need to look at your growth, successes, and learnings so far. We may need to risk and develop faith and more comfort in the unknown. “Your true nature is already here, guiding the unfolding.” Your future self is here, calling you to manifest.

Step 3: Action

Dedicating yourself towards your aspiration. Engaging energetically toward that which you desire to be. Aligning with your values through your actions. Creating smaller, bite-sized steps to position yourself in the direction of your aspiration. Creating new habits and ways of being that are tapped in to that wiser, best version of yourself. Movement and action, in and of themselves, help you get unstuck. A good coach helps you craft these movements.

Here’s what I’ve decided. The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for, and the most you can do is live inside that hope, not admired from a distance, but live right under it, under its roof. What I want is so simple, I almost can’t say it. Elementary kindness. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

I encourage you to listen to Tara Brach’s talk and her Part 2 as well. She has a powerful way of describing this and short ways to experience it for yourselves.

With love,

Coach Katie

Get Unstuck and Tap into Hope!

1:1 Coaching

Get out of stuck and create well being in 2024!

Honor your intentions and reach your health and life goals with ease and joy!

Coaching helps you organize your thoughts, make discoveries about what’s really important to you, and create movement toward overall well being. Coaching helps you dream, plan, and execute to get closer to your optimal self.

Benefits of Coaching

Increased self trust, confidence, and direction ‘
Fresh perspective on personal challenges
Enhanced decision-making skilla
Greater interpersonal effectiveness
Engagement in behavior aligned with core values
Greater ease
Less overwhelm
Increased contentment
Improved relationships
Stronger boundaries
Clearer thinking
Better sleep
More energy
Decreased irritability
Personalized, effective tools and strategies to get more of what you want!

Sounds pretty dang good, huh?

Coaching is individualized. I work with: people in pain to help them implement the tools to settle their nervous systems, people who are looking to make a major life transition, people looking to eat better and exercise more, people wanting better boundaries with others, and more!

Coaching is a partnership. You are committed to showing up for yourself and working toward change and I am committed to helping you see your strengths, set your strategies, celebrate your successes, learn from your failures, and grow into the best version of yourself you can be.

Ready to learn more? I encourage you to schedule a no-commitment, free initial session with me to understand more about how this approach can help you, see if we’re a good fit, and walk away with a tangible next step toward something you’re currently working on.

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Did you enjoy this email?

I love hearing from you! What are you thinking about these days? How did this email land for you? Want to vent, celebrate, discuss? I’m here for it all!

Contact me at katie@coachkatiewellbeing.com or via my website coachkatiewellbeing.com