I functioned for 25 years believing that I was living authentically- being brave and working to be the best version of myself.
It was not until going through life coach training with Martha Beck’s and Brene Brown’s certification programs, that I even recognized that I had been living out of alignment with my true self. I was blind to my own self-imposed limitations and the false perceptions I carried of myself as a mother and as a wife.
How would I have known?
My friends and colleagues told me all of the time how impressively I handled life’s twists and turns- I thought I was doing just fine. I had put out time and money for years of therapy, working on family-of-origin and shame issues; I worked as a therapist and administrator for more than 29 years, and I really did have the best of intentions. But, I realized, I was not as self-evolved as I believed I was or as I presented myself to be.
Prior to this awareness, I was working full time and running a volunteer non-profit. I was supporting and advocating for my teenage daughter, who was struggling with a misdiagnosed (and mistreated) autonomic nervous system disorder. I was dealing with aging parents who didn’t like aging and not to mention, I was attempting to keep my long-distance marriage together. Ultimately my own needs and desires were all set aside. I became disconnected and I did not see how I had allowed myself to become emotionally and physically depleted. At one point, I was experiencing 28 migraine days a month. My emotions became so overwhelming that I had regular fantasies of burying my face into a pile of Fettuccine Alfredo. I was just doing what I thought I had to. I wore my exhaustion as a status symbol. I didn’t realize every day I was making choices to keep myself tired, sad, afraid, disconnected and unfulfilled.
It was not until going through life coach training with Martha Beck’s and Brene Brown’s certification programs, that I even recognized that I had been living out of alignment with my true self. I was blind to my own self-imposed limitations and the false perceptions I carried of myself as a mother and as a wife.
I have taken these personal and professional learnings and combined it with the framework and tools developed through my experience and training to help women actualize their best, most purposeful and joyful lives.
I am in awe of what women accomplish on this planet every day. I am inspired by women’s contributions to the people and world around them. I relish sitting with groups of women over coffee or wine, listening to them, and encouraging their sharing of stories.
I have spent my life working to understand, support, advocate for, champion, and unite women around their interests and causes. I use this lifelong passion and over three decades of experience as a therapist to empower, energize, and connect women so they can realize their dreams, live joyfully, and positively transform the(ir) world.
I have listened to women for more than 50,000 clinical hours. I listened from the role of an observer. I listened intentionally, actively and compassionately.
In addition, I listened:
- As a daughter
- As a mother
- As a friend
- As a colleague
- As the head of a non-profit organization (leading women professionals and community leaders)
- As a feminist
- As a female activist
- As a therapist and
- As a coach
ALL of this listening helped me to really understand women and the power in having the right person to walk with you on your journey.
More recently, life has journeyed me to and through a divorce. After 34 years of marriage, I found myself single…separated from a marriage in which I had invested my life. Following my divorce, I spent time with a friend in Ireland – resting, crying, picking up the pieces of my life and my heart. Ireland wove itself in my heart as I attempted to heal, so I decided to move there long term. Ireland offered a new home, new life, new beginning, but also a new chance to reevaluate my best “me” and refocus my life toward that.
Moving on meant leaving big parts of me behind and letting go of all I had known…family, friends, places that had been “home” for my entire life, all the things I owned that couldn’t fit into two suitcases (like my grandmother’s dining room set). It meant letting go of ways of living in this world with some predictability…leaving behind what I thought was certainty. What I’ve since learned is that life is about learning to embrace the uncertainty, the unknown and courageously create our next best chapter.
Now, I am able to listen to other women with new perspective and understanding like never before. I have felt your hurt but also the hidden strength you likely don’t know you have. I’m now even more passionate about helping you find your true north (even when life or other people throw you off course). After all, when life throws you lemons, we make limoncellos!
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Message Me: ann@wayfindingwomen.com
Prior to starting Wayfinding Women, LLC, Ann worked for 30 years as an administrator and therapist in acute care psychiatry. She was founder and president of The Partnership for Mental Health, a nonprofit organization created in 2007 where more than 30 organizations, agencies, and businesses in SW Ohio, NKY and SE Indiana joined together to educate our our communities on mental health and suicide prevention. She has served on multiple boards in the region, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is currently on the advisory board for the Tristate Trauma Network.
Ann is known as a connector and change facilitator for women worldwide. Through her company, Wayfinding Women, LLC, Ann encourages women to choose courage over comfort and inspires them to live their one “wild and precious life” authentically with passion & joy. Ann designs and facilitates workshops, events, and one-of-kind international retreats, in addition to exclusive private coaching. Ann is a certified Martha Beck Life Coach and a certified Brene Brown Daring WayTM Facilitator. Ann uses her three decades of experience as a therapist and corporate leader along with her trainings through Brene Brown and Martha Beck to inspire, empower and connect women worldwide to realize their dreams, live joyfully and positively transform the(ir) world.