I'm glad you're here!

It’s one you might have heard before, or even experienced yourself...BURNOUT!!! 

I got into retail as most people do, as their first job. I wasn't planning on making retail my career, it kinda just happened. And without a higher education retail is what paid the "good money." But as I continued to grow my career in retail management the more unhappy, I became. It may come with a great paycheck, but it also came with a high cost – I wasn't around to watch my son grow up, I missed out on holidays, birthdays, family events, weekends, and weeks of vacation. Why? Because I worked in retail management. From the outside, it looked like I had it all (and all together), a nice house in a great school district, a six-figure paying job, a loving husband, a fantastic son who was excelling in school. But I began dreading going to work every day, I had withdrawn from my family, feeling empty and numb. I sacrificed any and all hobbies, friendships, relationships at the expense of being successful, and a "good paycheck" and eventually forgot who I was or what I liked to do anymore. And while I was good at what I did, it didn’t light me up and left me unfulfilled. I didn’t wake up (if I slept at all) excited about my day. Instead, I counted down the hours till I could go home (which never happened on time). And even after being at a store for 12+ hours a day, I would come home and do 3+ hours of computer work that I couldn't get done while at the store, because of the unpredictability of daily retail life, the meetings, conference calls, employee indifferences, the call-offs, labor struggles, phone calls and the occasional rigorous customer. Over 20 years of that. I was stressed, I took it out on my family, my mental and physical health were not good, but this was life as I knew it. I had climbed the ladder, made it to the top, and was expected to hunker down until retirement when I would be free to live the life I actually wanted.

Mentally I was barely keeping it together, running purely on fight or flight response getting maybe 3 hours of sleep a night. And my physical health was rapidly diminishing, I lost so much weight (down to 101 lbs.) I could not do it any longer. I had to take a LOA from work. 

My employer made me feel as though my own health concerns were not a big deal, and I was causing such an inconvenience, even made me feel guilty for taking the time off. But it was the BEST decision I ever made. This was the first time I did something for me. I took 3 months off from work. During this time, I got to recharge, take care of me. I did a lot of reframing in therapy and self-reflection on how I ended up there. I got to spend time with friends and family, enjoy the holidays, rediscover old hobbies, and my sense of self again. Reconnected with my personal values, and my husband and son. I found what the harmony should be, what makes me feel FULFILLED and the life I want to be living every day. 

And I want to help YOU get to this very same place. 

(After my LOA I went back to my retail job, BUT I knew it just wasn't for me anymore. I had changed, and retail wasn't going too. I only lasted 6 months. And this is where my coaching journey begins...)