For the past 25 years I have been a guide, naturalist, storyteller and yoga & meditation teacher in Canmore and Banff National Park. With this eclectic background, I was invited to lead reflective outdoor experiences for leaders and executives with Leadership Development at the Banff Centre. With nature as my partner, this approach proved to be VERY powerful.
10 years ago executives from across Canada, who were going through major life transitions, reached out and asked if I could create a program to help them reconnect to nature and get clarity in their lives. Within an hour of being in nature, they started to slow down and were able to deeply reflect. Time in nature combined with coaching conversations acted like a “reset-button” for their mind and heart. The impact was profound. They regained a sense calm and clarity which they had not felt in years, resulting in renewed personal leadership and positive life choices.
When my kids were getting to be school age I decided to create an outdoor school. It was then I learned about burnout which resulted in adrenal fatigue. After taking two years to physically recover, I could see the corrosive effects of high stress, overwhelm, and the inner dialogue that pushed me to exhaustion. Beyond vitamins and sleep I spent a lot of time outside and reflected on what inner actions brought me to the brink. I now work with burnt out leaders who seek to regain their health.
In my recovery stage I was introduced to Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing and the science around being in the forest. All my work with leaders and executives came into clearer focus, the profound results that I witnessed all made sense and I applied it to my own recovery.
When examining how I burnt myself out, I was introduced to Positive Intelligence (PQ for short), designed by Shirzad Chamine and his book Positive Intelligence, a New York Times bestseller. I learned that I have a cast of Saboteurs that have been running my life and pushing me past exhaustion. I now recognize my Saboteurs (negative influences) and then activate my Sages (positive influences). PQ is a synthesis of recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, cognitive and positive psychology, and performance science.
Along with a Co-Active Coach Certification, coaching has helped me identify and deal with what pushes me to the brink of exhaustion over and over again. At first I thought it was the part of me that got things done but now I see when taken too far, it exhausts me and others. When activated from a more balanced place this is my gift to the world.
As an executive coach I now help my clients discover this for themselves. What strengths, when taken too far, work against you and how to bring out the true power of these gifts with ease and flow? We work to identify what sabotages your best efforts and how to access your inner intelligence. When practiced regularly, you are literally rewiring your brain to have less stress, better relationships, and more personal fulfillment and happiness.