Coaching Success Stories

Private Coaching 

“Before working with Carrie, I felt restless about almost every aspect of my life — career, relationships, even where I lived – and had no idea how to sort it all out. My goals were to find a job more aligned with my values, prevent my social life from continuing to dwindle as friends moved away or got married and I remained single … and to pursue not being single anymore. I was approaching 30 and felt like an impostor— not liking how my life had turned out, but finding myself scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas of how to fix it.

Carrie provided the “real talk” I desperately needed in the most compassionate way possible. She helped me get out of my head when I was spiraling. Carrie demonstrated an ability to refocus my attention to more productive ways of thinking—something I couldn’t have done without her. And she continually helped me see my pattern of overwhelm and avoidance, and even break through my seriously pugnacious resistance to changing those habits!

Carrie’s coaching process of working toward small, actionable goals helped me build momentum and get my footing. Thanks to Carrie’s tool box of resources, after a year of coaching, I discovered a career that combines my love of writing with global and social issues. As a result, I’ve had several interviews for jobs that excite me in a completely new field. I gained new perspectives on friendships and relationships. Most importantly, the strategies and tools I gained through Carrie’s coaching will stay in my arsenal for future use forever.

Carrie’s coaching style is exactly what I never found in other professionals—unaffected, sincere, and meticulous. She is like a therapist, wellness guru, and career expert crossed with your favorite camp counselor, cheering you on, ensuring your safety, and making sure you have the best summer ever.”

—Carrie M., 29, Washington, D.C.

“At the beginning of 2017 I decided I wanted to make some big changes. I found myself beaten down over having been unsuccessful in growing my business, depleted from an unhealthy romantic relationship, and detached from my friends and family.

I came to Carrie because a good friend of mine had suggested I consider working with her, and because after our long introductory call I felt that not only would coaching with her extend far beyond the scope of what I had anticipated, but also because I felt an immediate sense of trust.

After six months, we covered a range of topics from my beliefs about what work means in my life and my professional goals, but also took a deep look into how I see myself and how that influences my personal relationships. I learned a lot about myself and the ways that I tend to make decisions, some of them helpful, some destructive.

Perhaps the most valuable thing I took from working with Carrie was creating a repeatable process for pulling myself out of the thinking stage and into the action stage of making decisions. By taking action, I found that a lot of my fears and anxiousness dissipated immediately. I stopped worrying about what might happen and started taking the steps and risks that make me feel greater fulfillment in my relationships, and a greater sense of accomplish at work.”—Stephen N., Business Development, Philadelphia, PA

“When I first found Carrie, her company name stood out to me, “The Thirty-Something Coach,” and after reading her bio, I felt as if she would be able to relate to what I was going through. I was working at a job that wasn’t right for me, and needed help narrowing down what I wanted for myself. I felt very overwhelmed and unmotivated and Carrie helped me to take the appropriate steps needed to transition into a career industry that would bring me happiness.

Through the coaching process, I felt like I was able to be honest with myself about my true desires, wants, needs, who I am. At times it felt as if there was no answer to the questions, but Carrie gives many examples or perspectives to help you find answers to those questions. We would talk through different perspectives and Carrie really helps to break down each situation and feeling to its most honest form.

I would ask for “homework” so each week I’d have a few goals based on our conversation to accomplish for the next session. One tool, The “Who” Statement, helped me to realize my worth, value and potential and, most importantly, lay out my personality traits and important values, making me feel more comfortable to own and commit to who I am. Referring back to assignments and notes from our sessions helps as affirmation on non-session days.

Carrie’s coaching style is nurturing, effective, sincere, enthusiastic, and individualized. I felt a sense of calm when talking with Carrie about personal issues. I find Carrie’s sincerity was most valuable. After a breakthrough was made, I loved her enthusiasm. There is a great sense of relief, pride and optimism once you get through those barriers together.

As a result of working with Carrie I was able to transition into a job in the industry I wanted. I am able to stay on the right track of my goals, what kind of person I am, what makes me happy. I notice that I value myself more, I have techniques I can refer back to when I feel lost or overwhelmed, and I feel like I have another support system from Carrie.

I would recommend Carrie to anyone, any age, who feels dissatisfied with a current situation, and is looking for ways to discover what does fulfill their wants and needs, and transition smoothly and confidently into the direction of change.

I love working with you, Carrie! You help me through some of my toughest hurdles and make me feel again!” –Daniela Galdi, 29, Variety Artist/Production Coordinator, Philadelphia, PA

“I met Carrie in late 2015 when I started attending monthly coaches coffee chats at a small cafe in Philadelphia, and I remember being awed by her almost instantaneously. Every time she opened her mouth, she had something so profound, so enlightening and so resonant to share that I remember waiting for the moments in our meetings when she would choose to contribute. It’s no surprise then, that when I decided to hire a coach to help me work through some personal and professional challenges, that I decided to hire Carrie with zero hesitation. In our work together, Carrie was everything I expected her to be: warm, supportive, enthusiastic, challenging, inquisitive, thoughtful, gracious and wise. The way she analyzed my thoughts and repeated back my statements, adding her unique viewpoint and perspective, consistently pushed me to see just how much I was acting as my own worst enemy, rather than my biggest champion. Whereas I entered our coaching engagement as a highly stressed, anxious and downtrodden individual, when I exited, I did so with a prevailing sense of calm and a toolbox full of techniques to use should I find myself slipping back into that negative space. I can’t thank Carrie enough for being integral to my turnaround, and I look forward to the day when we work together again!” —Gabrielle Bill, Marketing Strategist & Career Consultant, Philadelphia, PA

“I first met Carrie at the PA Conference for Women, where she was a volunteer coach for the day. I believe in fate, and as cheesy as it may sound to some, meeting Carrie that day was FATE! I felt such an immediate connection to Carrie that I started spilling and crying within minutes. I’m pretty positive I went way over my free 15 minutes that day! It just seemed natural after that to keep talking to Carrie.

When I began coaching, I was struggling deeply with a mound of personal issues. I had just transitioned jobs and unfortunately found myself in a new role that was making me very unhappy. In addition, I was struggling with some personal relationships that were changing and evolving for various reasons. My anxiety was often getting the best of me and I struggled to calm myself down when things would flare up.

We worked together for about 9 months. Having the chance weekly to refocus my thoughts and clear my head was incredibly valuable to me. It helped me feel more centered and in control. At first, I thought it would be weird to only communicate over the phone, but I actually ended up liking it a lot. It gave me the flexibility to be wherever and to really feel comfortable in my surroundings while I was being open and vulnerable in our discussions.

I had been to counseling several years before after a difficult break up and wasn’t certain what to expect from coaching in comparison to that experience. However, it didn’t take long to see the difference. I never felt like someone was assessing what was wrong with me. I never felt like Carrie was there to tell me what to do, to tell me how to solve my problems. I never felt questioned or scrutinized or coddled.

What I did feel was a genuine, warm, caring sense of understanding and appreciation for my struggles. I felt empowered by the ease of opening up to Carrie and the way she guided me to reconsider some of the things that came out of my own mouth! I had a lot of moments where our discussions would lead me to realizations that were hanging just out of my reach previously. I felt challenged in an extremely positive way that made me feel like I was improving myself, not putting bandaids over wounds. I felt like Carrie understood my struggles and empathized. I never once felt judged by Carrie, even in my most honest moments.

Initially, I think my goal was to “fix” this thing that I believed to be wrong with myself. In the past, I’d often say “I don’t understand what is wrong with me.” But Carrie helped me see that there wasn’t anything wrong with me. I just needed to build my toolbox and recognize the resources I needed to fill it, many of which I already had within me. Carrie has helped me understand myself better than I ever thought possible. I feel like I know myself better now than I ever did before in the last 34 years!

I can now spot many of my anxiety triggers and I know what to do before the anxiety even strikes. I’ve developed better relationships with my family, my friends, and my co-workers because I’m not letting my anxiety alter ever encounter that doesn’t go as planned or doesn’t turn out like I think it should.

Doing coaching was by far the best investment in myself I have ever made. It was well worth the money. Reflecting back on the concerns I had before, I can really see the strides I’ve made. I have told so many people about coaching and what an impact it has made for me. THANK YOU!!!”—Erin M., Accountant, Conshohocken, PA 

“Before working with Carrie, I was feeling so overwhelmed by the number of personal projects I wanted to get done and goals I wanted to accomplish, that nothing was getting done at all. I am constantly coming up with new ideas; when I approached Carrie I was feeling so overwhelmed by the number of exciting potential personal projects on my list that I wasn’t doing any of them. I needed to solve this problem of overwhelm, but I also needed a larger game plan for the next time it happens.

Carrie helped me to map out what happens in my cycle of overwhelm and where I most often get blocked or give up. After identifying how it happens, she gave me the tools to help and in between sessions I had clear goals and things to work on. It was so helpful to have this kind of accountability with someone I trust and who has such an impressive amount of knowledge in this area.

I really appreciated how structured our coaching sessions were. It was really helpful to lay out the goals for our time overall at the very beginning and for each session, too. I hardly ever work so methodically and it really helped to feel like we were accomplishing what we set out to do.

Carrie continually helped me recognize what my roadblocks are in fulfilling the personal projects I set out to do—once I knew what to expect, and how that usually plays out in my head, I could recognize it more easily when overwhelm showed up again. Carrie repeatedly helped me to break things down into manageable steps when my vision was clouded by the big picture.

Carrie is a compassionate and real voice of reason with a huge productivity arsenal. She is a natural at listening and asking the right questions and has the tools and expertise to get you through the tough areas that are tripping you up repeatedly. It was really clear to me that Carrie cared about my progress but she was also so much better equipped than I am to see my patterns and guide me to where I want to be. I found it incredibly valuable to spend this time with her and I trusted her with a lot of information I never really talk about in everyday life.

Since we worked together, I’ve completed projects that I’m really proud of, and I’m even proud of deciding not to work on some projects too. I can make more informed decisions about what I want to get done. Without Carrie’s help, I would not have some of the tools I now use weekly and sometimes daily. I’m really grateful for Carrie’s coaching and I cannot recommend her highly enough.” —Rachel Robbins, Events & Customer Support & Ethusiastic Ideator at Ticketleap, Philadelphia

“I started working with Carrie as a late 20-something year old who was absolutely petrified of the big 3-0. I was feeling behind with everything—career and personal life. I had recently shifted gears into a career that I didn’t have direct training for, and was also dealing with issues surrounding my sexual orientation.  I was weighed down with “shoulds”, and struggling to be content with the way life was going, even though I knew that what I was fighting for was right for me.  

Carrie saw me through enormous amounts of change and growth, most notably, coming out to my family; very stressful interpersonal relations with superiors at school; shifts in my attitude towards dating and, therefore, changes in my dating life; and, more recently, starting a new job in a new country—a dream job, although not, of course, without growing pains and challenging adjustments. She saw me through the transition from the insecurity of my 20s to the thriving of my 30s.  

The thing I love most about working with Carrie is that she is an unusually keen question-asker. She is truly the Krista Tippett of coaching. She doesn’t give you answers—and let’s face it, nobody really can;  instead, she asks you the penetrating questions that help you find your own. If I had a penny for every time I thought in my sessions with Carrie, “well, I never thought of it that way before,” I’d certainly be rich by now. It is true that sometimes, a change in circumstance is needed in life; but in my work with Carrie, I’ve come to understand that the ability to shift one’s mindset is crucial to dealing with what is. In my 20s, I ran away from discomfort; now, I can welcome it as a friend on my journey. Carrie helped me add more and more tools to my toolbox, and the skills I learned with her are skills I use nearly every day.  

When I look at where I was when I started with Carrie 4 years ago, and where I am now, the change is truly astonishing. My work with her enabled and supported me in crafting a life I love, and I am so eternally grateful. She is a gem and an incredible resource that I couldn’t recommend more highly.” —Talya

“Carrie gently and perceptively honed in on the challenges I was facing in my transition, and worked with me to create a roadmap for change. She helped me articulate my hopes and fears about embarking on a new career path, and encouraged me to give myself permission to dream about new possibilities. Not only did I have a plan with concrete and specific next steps, I felt supported, motivated, and ready to take action. I highly recommend working with Carrie if you want to make positive and tangible changes in your life!”—A.M., MSW, LSW

“Before working with Carrie I was feeling stuck regarding my personal life. I felt like all my friends seemed to have ‘figured it out’ and were moving on with their lives, and I was still stuck in the same way I was in my 20s (from a personal life standpoint specifically).  On Carrie’s website, she used a phrase like ‘thirtysomething angst’ and that phrase felt like it really clearly described what I was feeling.

My goal in hiring a coach was to figure out how to get ‘unstuck’. The overall goal was to figure out what I needed to do to meet someone that I would be comfortable dating and would be comfortable dating me, with the ultimate long term goal getting married to that person.

When I first starting working with Carrie I thought it was going to be all about ‘what do I need to change about myself.’ She created this approach for me called ‘Option A / Option B.’ Option A was the ‘let’s see what we can work on with you.’ Option B was all about finding someone who would like me the way I was. (I hadn’t thought Option B was even an option until Carrie helped me see this.)

Since I tend to be a very logical not feelings oriented type person, Carrie used this process of ‘taking me though the logical door’ to get to the feelings stuff. It was super helpful and it never felt uncomfortable, like I would have thought it would be to talk about feeling stuff. Now I understand how to use logic to understand what I’m feeling. (I.e. Now I can take myself through the ‘logical door’ to get to emotion, without needing Carrie to do it for me 🙂 )

Carrie is a lot of fun to work with. She’s really funny and her sense of humor made the coaching process quite enjoyable. At first I thought that over the phone would be hard from a communication standpoint. But once we had been thorough a few sessions I realized that it was fine. Carrie’s approach feels fun and conversational while still being effective and professional.

Even though I had gone into coaching for a personal item, it had some positive professional ‘side effects’ as well, in that it made me relate better to my staff. Also, we achieved the original goal we had set out to achieve. I met this amazing girl who really likes me, and we’re getting married next year…and it’s a Star Wars themed wedding, and I don’t think it can get more ‘Option B’ than that 🙂

I used to feel that I needed to change something significant about myself in order to find a life-long partner, and now I know that is not the case, because I now have someone who doesn’t want me to change anything and loves me just the way I am, who I’m getting married to and none of that would have happened without Carrie’s help.”—Hugh

“Carrie is masterful at the coaching process. She provided the objectivity and perspective that I needed about situations in my life and helped me to cut through negative thinking that was holding me back. Also, her insight about one of my perceived weaknesses radically and positively reframed how I viewed myself in that area.
 
I began working with Carrie at the end of my time in graduate school and she provided support and a safe place for me to practice public speaking about some of the things I was working on. That practice and her feedback helped me hone my speaking and build the confidence to push through my anxiety in order to share my work publicly, something that was really important to me.” –Lindsey

“Working with Carrie was a complete game changer. She helped me see myself in a way that I had not been able to before. Carrie helped me gain clarity and greater self-awareness by providing me a supportive and challenging space without judgment. She helped me identify and confront what was holding me back in my both my personal and professional life. As a result of working with Carrie, I have made some real, and lasting, changes in my life. Thank you Carrie for being a part of my journey and encouraging me to look at life from a different perspective.”—Joni Kollmer, executive coach

“It forced me to articulate what I want and what I need and realize through that articulation process, that the two things do not necessarily differ. Setting a goal and being held accountable for it was extremely helpful. A ball has started rolling in thinking about my future and deciding what it will look like, rather than just waiting for it to happen to me.”—Teacher

“Carrie is a careful listener whose focused, concrete feedback propelled me toward change.”—Parent/Musician/Career changer

“I walked away not only with concrete and manageable steps to take, but also with a new sense of optimism about my career options, and a completely new view of what I bring to the table. Carrie is empathetic, professional, and has a real ability to see in you what you can’t see in yourself.”—Career changer

“Carrie helped me articulate my intentions and goals in my own language. I felt like I had new ways to frame what I was doing and concrete tools to use. Carrie brought an incredibly positive and receptive attitude to our work together.”—Multimedia artist

“Carrie was insightful, friendly, and incredibly helpful. She took what I thought were doubts about myself and my career and turned them into a sort of mantra to help define who I was and what I want. Check her out if you have any questions about your path in life. She’s very, very worth it.“—Actor/Manager/Career changer

“When I started working with Carrie, I felt very restless about my future and unhappy with my current career. Carrie was recommended to me by my therapist. I was looking for help in getting ‘unstuck’ and having someone to hold me accountable for change so I would stop spinning my wheels!

I liked Carrie’s approachable yet persistent manner. I appreciated her creativity and the use of visualization as well as the variety of tools she provided. Several of the techniques have stuck and I still rely on them at times.

Carrie helped push me to explore some possibilities and to make progress in creating positive change in my life. She helped me to reframe some ‘stories’ about myself and to reconsider how I view myself.

Now I stop to reflect on how I am thinking about myself and why if I notice I am criticizing myself. I am much more conscious of using coping strategies to deal with work stress. I have explored some career options in depth. I am more conscious of my stress and how to manage it. I am also much more conscious of fear and I’m able to step back from it more objectively. I have a deeper understanding of fear and how/why it operates as it does in my life.

Carrie is warm, engaging, creative, and a great listener. I recommend her to career changers, people trying to cope with stress and change, and any people looking for support in making major changes in their lives.”—Julie, editor

“Before talking to Carrie, I felt anxiety about looking for a job. It felt like an overwhelming task since I’ve been out of the workforce for over 10 years.

Carrie was an excellent listener and gave good feedback. She made me think about my situation in a different way. Actually to my surprise, my ‘aha’ moment was when I verbalized that I didn’t think there was anything unique about me in terms of applying for a job. I said, ‘I don’t think there’s anything particularly different about me. Lots of people have the skills I have. There’s nothing special about me.’

As a result of working with Carrie, I feel less afraid to deal with getting a job. It set the wheels in motion, showing me some truths about how I think about my situation. Truths that I’ve never verbalized or even thought about previously.”—Stay at home mom

“Carrie is a remarkably perceptive and insightful person with an incredible ability to cull the key issues from conversation. She and I worked together to address my inability to organize both my home and my office. She asked me probing questions, which helped me understand why I tend to let clutter accumulate and what I can do to change my habits. Her strategies have proven to be extremely effective and I am very grateful for her help.”—Program director

“Carrie helped me clarify a lot of my thinking and issues and brought some of my “patterns” into light. How liberating!!! She is very patient, shrewd, and very in tune with her clients. She is an amazing listener and is very compassionate and caring. Carrie has an amazing intuition as well and asks very powerful questions, just at the right time! She will be the one who will raise your energy level and bring you to recognize your highest potential. That is how her beautiful work helped me! I will recommend Carrie to anyone!!!”—Isabelle Godin, MBA, Yoga instructor, Ayurvedic Consultant, CPC

“When I started working with Carrie, I was focused on small projects that needed structure and direction. Personal challenges left me putting out fires and feeling guilty at my lack of accomplishments instead of getting polished results for which I could be proud.

Carrie assisted me in identifying problem areas, outlining goals, setting guidelines and giving myself rewards for successes. As a result I am feeling good about the tasks I have in front of me and I now have the confidence to tackle new projects objectively and with a focus on the results and rewards of doing a job well done both personally and professionally.

I enjoyed working with Carrie and her positive outlook, especially when the tasks at hand were emotionally and physically draining. I am now able to fend off procrastinating and actually enjoy scheduling challenging tasks for myself. I would highly recommend Carrie as a personal coach and would gladly work with her again.”—Margaret Smith White, Development Assistant, Canine Partners for Life

“Before working with Carrie, I felt lost in this thing we call life. I had moved from California in the spring of 2015 with a boyfriend who was from the Philadelphia area, and then after a year of being here I broke up with him. I hated my job in retail and was completely lost. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do; i.e. stay on the east coast, go back to school, change career directions. I had somewhat started to apply to other jobs but still the feeling of being lost was surrounding me.

I was very skeptical about not having every session in person (I had never done phone sessions). But we actually only ended up meeting up twice in person during our 6 months together…there is something great about coaching over the phone. You are in your personal space and you have your notebook out and you are discovering things about yourself. I actually surprised myself and really liked phone sessions.

Carrie helped me look at things in a smaller scale and make realistic goals with realistic timeframes. I think my biggest light bulb moment was when I realized that every session I continued to bring up my finances, and suddenly I realized that money was playing a huge role in my life and I wasn’t addressing it, which was an underlying problem. Once we kind of took a turn and focused on my finances (debt, spending, potentially making more money) I felt a sigh of relief. I have 100% recognized now that I needed to address my finances. I started to pay off my credit card debt, and it is so easy for me to just look at the big amount due and feel overwhelmed, thus avoid it all together, but through coaching I wrapped up my credit card and I slowly have made a tiny dent in paying off that debt. Now, that credit card has been wrapped up for over six months and I don’t plan on unwrapping it any time soon.

I am a very positive person and can cheer myself on and lift myself up all by myself (I am also very fortunate that that is my personality since I know that can be hard for others). I don’t think I realized until after coaching that even though I am positive and can cheer myself on, it is such an amazing feeling to have (basically a stranger, i.e. your coach) someone else pulling for you or in your corner that isn’t a family member or an already close friend. Carrie wholeheartedly invests in her clients and really supports them. Carrie was always positive, happy, inspiring and well organized for every session. Even if I wrote an email to fill her in between sessions, I would get a positive response and I would feel like she was supporting and pulling for me.

I worked with Carrie for six months. I think my life is different after working with Carrie. I built habits while coaching that to this day and I know in the future I will continue to abide by. I still fall back into my old ways at times but I know I can get back on a good path with the tools I have learned from Carrie. I am so glad I went for it.” –Caitlin Birch, Scheduling Agent, PA

“Before working with you, there were some things that I really wanted in my life but I wasn’t confident enough to go after them.  I needed to be pushed and you did that.  You pushed me to take risks but also empowered me to create a great safety net and reasonable expectations.

My goals in hiring a coach were to have the knowhow and confidence to write, and to continually refine and pursue my coaching niche. I chose to work with you in particular because you are professional.  You are experienced.  You go much deeper with probing questions.  You are amazingly supportive.

Our coaching sessions were focused, productive, enlightening and insightful. You helped me trust myself more rather than look outside of myself for validation. You really helped me stay on course.  You kept to my agenda.  You never seemed distracted…I always felt like I had your full attention.  You helped me see things and frame things in different ways so that I could choose the one that felt right for me.

As a result of our work together, I effectively communicated my desire to be a part of a large coaching ministry and am now on that website as one of the coaches (www.emc3coaching.com). You helped me realize that the biggest victory [with that goal]…was actually taking the risk to follow my heart and intuition.  THAT was the victory there…not an outcome.  Coaching with you allowed me to pursue some of my ‘big scary dreams!’.  It gave me the confidence and support to go after the things that I wanted.

I trust myself way more now.  I can draw on those successful, scary moments that ended up creating some huge potential for me. Those who doubt themselves need to work with you.”—Jennifer Lake, coach/trainer/facilitator, Williamsport, PA

“When I first contacted Carrie I was a mess.

Two years prior to this I was talking to a friend because I was at a stage in life where I felt stuck. She gave me Carrie’s details and said, ‘Call her, she really helped me through some tough decisions.’ I held on to those details until I reached a true crisis point. My self confidence had been crushed, my self esteem was almost non-existent, my anxiety left me frozen and incapable of making decisions. How did I get here? How do I get myself out?

Within minutes of our first session I knew this felt right. I felt safe and supported and Carrie gave me hope and confidence that she could help me forge a path forward. The first three months were full of self analysis, self realisations, developing new skills and practising healthier habits. Carrie helped me create a vision to gain some direction and build an environment to help support my journey. She gave me tools and techniques to better manage my thoughts and feelings so I could still ‘take action’ – this was and is still challenging as I feel comfortable ruminating in the negative because it makes me feel safe. She helped me unpack underlying beliefs associated with behaviours that no longer served me. She gave me new ways to ‘frame’ a situation in my mind and helped me find my own way to make decisions from a more balanced perspective. I felt I had made leaps and bounds from where I was when we first started – which was understandable because I started from rock bottom.

The last three months were a bit of a roller coaster – which Carrie did warn me about in the beginning. I hit another ‘blue’ period and this was the real challenge. Being able to demonstrate to myself that I could keep practising my good habits and use the many techniques Carrie had given me to pull myself back up. Carrie helped me through this period, she held me to account and didn’t let me give up on myself.

During my six months of coaching with Carrie, she had equipped me with a backpack of tools to help me get grounded in myself and feel strong and powerful in my own skin. In our sessions, I took away some ‘nuggets of gold’ which I continue to use on a daily basis.

I’m in a really good place right now (almost ten months since I first started coaching with Carrie). I feel empowered and happier in myself. I’ve found new direction in my career. I just got engaged. I’m getting ready to move overseas. We are talking about starting a family soon. It’s crazy! Don’t get me wrong, I still battle the negative thoughts and anxiety on a daily basis but I find strength in something that Carrie said to me at the start of our coaching, “Treena, I want you to tell yourself, “I’m stepping into my REAL power and letting go of false control.” —Treena, Canberra, Australia

“I am usually not inclined to write reviews, neither positive nor negative, but I felt compelled to step out of myself and speak about my experience with Carrie. To start, I was not looking to get involved with a life coach. My life was moving along as most lives do, but then I thought “Don’t I want more out of life? Or do I want to continue to skate through life with blinders on?” It weighed on me because up until now I never asked the tough questions about myself. I took the leap and decided to sign up after getting a recommendation from a friend who has been using Carrie and only had positive things to say. I personally did not do a deep dive into Carrie’s background or how she could help me with the big questions that I have been avoiding for what has seemed like a lifetime. I signed up on a whim and one week later, there I was, sitting in my car having a conversation with a stranger whose sole agenda was to help me. Carrie made it clear right from the beginning that these sessions were going to be hard and that I was going to have to take a leap of faith when it came to discussing issues I might be having. She was right, her questions challenged me, and made me uncomfortable to look deep inside. No matter what we discussed, work, relationships or just mundane everyday life issues, she never judged me and never told me what I wanted to hear. I would say she was tough but fair and I personally needed that. I did not need a yes man or in this case a yes woman telling me what I wanted to hear. What I sought was hard truths no matter how uncomfortable it made me. Carrie pushed me in directions that I was scared or unwilling to examine on my own. Carrie asked the questions that I never thought to ask. Was there a tremendous amount of awkward silences? Yes, but she got my brain working in ways that I could never have imagined. At the end of day, you get what you put in. If you put the time and effort in then Carrie will push you to places you never imagined you could go. Thanks, Carrie.” —JH, New York City

“I’m a twentysomething teacher who reached out to Carrie when I needed support to make a change in my work life. I had been feeling really stuck in my idea of what I “should” be doing, and Carrie helped me think outside the box and find the confidence to make a change. As a coach, Carrie was empathetic and encouraging, and she held me accountable to meeting my goals. One of my goals in working with a coach was to explore career options I hadn’t considered before, and Carrie was able to listen to my (sometimes rambling!) thoughts and reflect back underlying themes that I had not been aware of. I have found another teaching job but am also now more aware of other strengths and interests I have, and Carrie has given me some suggestions for exploring those other interests while teaching. I would recommend Carrie as a coach not only for thirtysomethings but for twentysomethings who are looking for more clarity and confidence.”—P., twentysomething teacher

“I began working with Carrie because I felt stuck professionally.  I beat myself up over my unassertive personality and tendency to spiral into negative thinking. Over the months working with Carrie, I learned two important things that have been game-changers for me. The first is that I can learn to be more assertive—that this is a skill I can hone. So I practiced, which gave me the confidence to apply for jobs that I never would have before and to speak up more in meetings. The second important thing I learned is that I choose my attitude. More importantly, Carrie helped me figure out how to be proactive about making these choices when I began to delve into negative thinking. I’m still working on this every day, but the changes have been immense.”—Jenni, non-profit professional

“Sometimes you just need some external support to get back on track. Prior to working with Carrie, I had spent about 6 arduous months struggling to keep my head above water while settling into a new role at my company. Every day was a battle against time, unrealistic expectations, disorganization, and poor communication. It took a toll on me, and when the subsequent mental anguish from my professional life started impacting my personal life, I realized I couldn’t rectify my situation on my own. Even though I felt hopeless, frustrated, and angry, I was determined to figure it out. Carrie was the catalyst I needed, and she worked with me to better understand the intersection between success and self-awareness. And then she went even further. Over the course of our working relationship, she used genuine interest and curiosity to demonstrate what that meant. She provided a safe space to unpack my perspective, challenged me in a respectful and thought-provoking way, and was always quick to offer a helpful suggestion or story based off her extensive experience. Carrie helped me realize that I would never be able to know where I was going unless I first knew where I had come from. As our sessions dwindled, she worked with me to develop a self-care tool kit that I use to sustain a positive attitude and coach others as well. I appreciate the time I spent working with Carrie because of the immediate impact she had, and because of the tools she helped me develop to ensure long-term success.”—Will, project manager, Seattle

Contact me to schedule an introductory coaching session.

 

Group Coaching and Workshops

“I signed up for summer camp because I thought the theme, Confident Communication, would be relevant for my personal and professional life. I knew that I sometimes had difficulty articulating to my partner what I was feeling, not so much because I was uncomfortable doing so but rather because I couldn’t figure out how to explain it. I also thought that these skills would be helpful for my job as a professor, as I routinely discuss challenges and issues with my students.

Thirtysomething Summer Camp was very well organized, thought-provoking, and helpful. I developed skills that have greatly improved my ability to identify and communicate what I am feeling as well as to help my partner articulate his thoughts. I also feel that I have been able to dialogue with my students more effectively about the issues that concern them. The most important thing I think I’ve learned is to feel more comfortable exploring my thoughts and emotions, as I feel like I have better skills to do so.

Carrie is particularly strong at asking helpful, leading questions. She doesn’t give you the answer, but she helps you develop the answer yourself. The result is so much more powerful, as you realize that you are indeed capable of changing your thought patterns.

I enjoyed hearing others’ perspectives—both to know that many people shared many of the same concerns and also to hear different ideas I had never considered. I learned a lot from my fellow campers.

It was very helpful to have the time to dig more deeply into specific concerns as well as to go over questions and issues I wasn’t comfortable bringing up in the group setting.

As a result of Thirtysomething Summer Camp, I feel more confident and capable in difficult conversations. I have also learned to recognized unhelpful thought patterns more quickly—even if they still pop up, I have learned not to take them at face value and rather dig more deeply to figure out what is really bothering me.

I have told friends that it helped me identify the real questions I was asking myself, since it’s so easy to get lost in broad concerns that don’t actually tell you what you’re worried about. I tell people that it’s much easier to figure out what to do once you understand what’s at the heart of your concerns!

The workbook was extremely helpful, and I greatly appreciated Carrie’s investment in the program, in terms of being available for email follow-up and for posting recording on our private site. I felt like I really had the tools I needed to make the most of the experience!” –K.K., professor, Washington, DC

“This workshop gave me the push I needed to get to where I want to be, not where everyone else wants me to be, and at my own pace.” –-Ann Redington, stay-at-home mom

“I’m going to take away some new frameworks for thinking about and doing vulnerability, both in my personal life and in my professional/clinical work. This workshop offered me some very useful new ideas, and affirmations for existing beliefs, about inviting vulnerability.” –Monique, couple and family therapist

“This workshop helped me to understand vulnerability, personal branding, and building resilience. This workshop helped me find some blind spots, understand some thoughts, and build some practices to better move forward in my life. I’m excited to put into action Carrie’s blueprint for resilience. It’s an amazing flowchart and way of thinking and choosing thought.” –Workshop participant

“I learned that if you “accept” people’s points of view even if you don’t agree with them, you can have a productive conversation/debate. If you don’t accept, then walls go up, and either nothing gets done or only one person’s point of view is heard.” —Workshop participant

“Incredibly insightful and useful. Very grateful!” —Parent

“Your presentation was reaffirming. I found myself switching between my parent/principal hat. You offered many, many important and practical tips.” —School principal and parent

“This workshop has really reframed my thinking about working through conflicts with my students. I am actually looking forward to working through this new process.” —Teacher

“I thought the content was awesome! Thank you for introducing me to a new concept and a new tool to put in my “tool belt”!! So prepared and so attentive to the class. Great front of the room presence! Engaging and enthusiastic about the subject matter! Left me wanting more!” —Coach

“I loved it – Carrie, your energy and enthusiasm made it a 10 in my book!!” —Coach

“Reaffirming, reinvigorating, reinvesting in how to best handle conflict resolution with children (and adults!).” —Administrator

“It was a great energy shift for me and the group. As a presenter, it was clear to me you are comfortable, relaxed and had complete knowledge of the topic. I can see the value of using it to create cooperation for employees. It was really ‘Fabulous’!” —Coach

“Very good seminar. So much good material…really enjoyed it.” –John Mayer, parent

“Concrete tools and very helpful knowledge.” –Parent

Contact me to schedule an introductory coaching session.

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