In the summer of 2021, I left my job and embarked on a 4 month road trip through the Western United States. It was a chance for me to reset, embrace discomfort, recharge, and experience a lifelong dream of hiking some amazing wilderness alone. Coming home, I reflected on the lessons I learned from the road, and I apply them to my life and my practice today. I’ve learned to embrace discomfort as a sign of growth, adventure, and being alive. I ditched “the plan” and am learning to lead with my heart. I intentionally focus on my energy level and develop habits to protect and nurture it so I can show up how I want in the moment. These are all lessons that I cultivated in a coaching relationship and now seek to create for my clients and my community.

My journey did not just happen because I possessed skill or will power. It involves discipline, but that is only a finite component of it. It required I sit down and reflect on my current situation and develop awareness around my thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors. I had to practice and develop new muscles and habits, let go of old beliefs and write new ones, admit my fear of failure, yet commit to taking uncomfortable steps forward until I got to this moment that I visualized years ago. My journey is not distinct or special, it is uniquely my own. I chose this path and continue to create it with my clients. It gives me a spark to sit with someone and guide them to find theirs. I want to see the best in people and help them not just see it, but believe in their best self. As a shy and fearful kid growing up, I can remember the feeling when a coach, teacher, or friend empowered me to see what I was capable of. I’m here to hold that space for my clients.

Performance & Leadership Coach

My coaching journey began in 2018 while I lived in Chicago. Growing up, I was a shy, sensitive, kind, and smart kid. Math and problem solving were my specialties. My family and I joke about how I was honest to my own fault and would melt into a puddle of tears when I got yelled at. I was the model student designated to “follow the plan” into college, get a degree in engineering, and get a successful job. I achieved that by graduating from Ohio State University and becoming a consultant at IBM in Chicago. By all merits, I was succeeding in life. I followed the plan, yet I felt empty and desperate for a change. That’s when in 2018, I discovered coaching.

After meeting several coaches, I decided to enroll in the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching, IPEC, that summer. After the first weekend seminar, I left convinced to make an immediate change in my life. By the end of 2018, I left IBM and Chicago to move back home in Columbus, Ohio to prepare for a transition into coaching. By taking a position in the same industry, I was able to utilize my engineering skills, develop a work life balance, and continue to explore coaching as a passion. It took three years of coaching, preparation, and eventually frustration to take the leap and pursue coaching as a career.