Read that title again: “What you think becomes what you feel.” Those seven simple words are the most powerful concept I’ve learned in my 30-something years on this planet, and I wish I had learned it a lot sooner.
Thank you so much for visiting this website, and for joining me at the very beginning. In this first post, I’d like to tell you a bit about where I’ve been and where we’re going. Future posts will be practical and implementable, but here I’d like to set the stage by giving you an idea of who I am and why I’m here.
The Beginning
A classic over-achiever, I thought I had it all figured out when I finished university – a double-major honours degree in Biology and Environmental Science with a very high GPA, lots of scholarships, and lots of high expectations for my future. I was going to do great things, save the planet, make lots of money and live happily ever after.
Then, I joined the workforce. First in health care, then in environmental consulting, and currently in biotech. My jobs were conducted mostly through the keys on my keyboard, and when I wasn’t typing something at my desk, I was usually in a meeting or on the phone with someone as busy and distracted as I was.
Throughout my mid-to-late twenties, my confidence and enthusiasm started to slip. I began to lose touch with that sense of idealism and optimism that had fuelled me up to this point. I was getting lost in office politics (I hadn’t yet learned I was a highly sensitive introvert), bottomless email inboxes, and a general, persistent blanket of fatigue and apathy that was getting heavier and heavier. I was receiving great feedback on my work, and working in an industry and role that I should have I loved, but feeling utterly and completely depleted.
Running on Empty
Eventually my relationships began to suffer and it started becoming difficult to recognize myself – this was when I realized that something had to change. I started taking small actions; getting a monthly massage, doing yoga, changing my diet, taking up hobbies, calling a family member every Sunday, seeing doctors and counsellors and therapists and reading more self-help books than I would have cared to admit. But things weren’t getting better. I felt like I was losing touch with myself and with everything that used to be important to me.
It wasn’t until I stumbled upon coaching (specifically, mindset coaching) that the lightbulb turned on, the switch was flipped, and things finally started to shift. Because the problem wasn’t ‘out there.’ It was ‘in here.’
Through coaching I learned three things:
- That how I think about something determines how I FEEL about it.
- That how I think, and therefore how I feel, is completely within my control. That how I feel is a choice. What?!
- That I had been running on auto-pilot my entire life. Letting my mind run amok, and letting myself be pulled in whatever direction was loudest and most urgent. Spoiler alert: the human brain did not evolve to operate on happy-and-fulfilled mode by default, and mine certainly wasn’t.
These concepts shifted my perspective on myself and the life I had created. I was shaken, but I was also excited and empowered.
The Shift
After less than a year working on myself with two amazing coaches, reading everything coaching-related I could get my hands on, I started to feel closer to my true self than I had in over a decade. I learned how to work with my thoughts, befriend my emotions, and get crystal clear about my goals and the actions I needed to take to achieve them. The empowerment, hope, and confidence I found through coaching was truly a gift for me, and the more I continue to experience the benefits of coaching, the more I want to shout about it from the rooftops and help others create the same kinds of positive transformations that I’ve experienced. In early 2019 I began formal coach training, first with an introductory course at Royal Roads University, then with an intensive, rigorous ICF-accredited training and certification program through the Co-Active Institute.
The Here and Now
My name is Lissa, and I’m a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach.
My mission is to empower young professionals to take the reins back in their lives; to craft a successful life in a way that feels authentic and meaningful and uniquely theirs; and to find balance, contentment and a deeper sense of well-being.
Each coach has a unique voice and approach. Mine combines flavours of science (neuroscience, cognitive behavioural science, evolutionary biology, positive psychology), self-help (self-talk, emotional intelligence), ancient ideas (the Stoics and Buddhists knew a thing or two), and an inextinguishable ability to find the bright side (which I like to call ‘Yaysaying’) to help my clients evaluate their lives, set goals, and move forward in an way that is non-judgmental and kind to themselves.
What’s Coming
Bookmark, follow, or do whatever you have to do to come back to this website if you’re interested in:
- Blog posts exploring big ideas, self-coaching tools, practical tips, burning questions and periodic updates on what it’s like to establish a coaching practise from the ground up
- Scheduling a coaching session with yours truly
- Announcements about new coaching offers, services and programs
Something to Ponder
I’ll end every post with a burning question; a line-of-inquiry for you to think about. Let it percolate and see what comes up for you.
