Be in Right Relationship with Your Work

Hi, my name is Kay! I’m a professional coach for experienced and aspiring leaders who want to work more skillfully & with more intention. Are you struggling with work-life balance/integration? Do you feel like you are on the verge of burnout? Do you have trouble communicating your value to your organization? Does your work feel easy, but the interpersonal aspect of the workplace feel really hard? Are you hoping to get a promotion or discover your next act? You are in the right place.

I coach people like you to

• discover what is most meaningful to you

• leverage and value your innate strengths

• engage your courage

• improve your working relationships

• develop your executive presence

• manage your time and energy proactively

• envision success and sustainable goals on your terms

• create more fulfilling work and life

I call mastering these aspects of the workplace being in right realtionship with your work. Yes, it is inspired by the wisdom traditions of the world. And I think the notion of being in right relationship is a counter and antidote to the dominant messages we get from our culture, which values productivity above all else. This dominant message is a trip straight to burnout.

Clearly we as a culture have some reimagining to do! And that’s where I come in. I’m here to help you figure out what being in right relationship to work looks like for you and how to make it happen. As your coach I’ll be your sounding board, help bring awareness to your blind spots and your dreams, and will hold you accountable to whatever it is you want to make happen. I use a mixture of classic coaching, internal family systems for coaching, and Jungian thought for coaches to help make this magic happen.

We are likely a good fit for each other if one or more on the list below sounds like you!

• You are turned off by busyness as a status symbol

• You are committed to creative change in your life, willing to do hard work and take calculated risks, and willing to be held accountable

• You are deeply inspired by nature and care about how humans impact our biosphere

• You enjoy playfulness, creativity, and depth

• You are hungry for meaning

• You’ve done your therapy

The work is challenging and a great privilege. There will be naysayers, and I’ll be there as your steady thought partner to help bring your next act into being.

Working Together

Here's how it works: Contact me via the web-form below to set up a time to video chat. I’ll also send you an agreement for you to review before our session to get a sense of the commitment involved. If we feel like going forward after about 30 minutes of talking, we’ll discuss payment and signing the agreement. Three month packages are $1125 when paid in full, which is the best value. I offer individual sessions at $130.

COACHING, PSYCHOTHERAPY, AND CONSULTING: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Typically the difference between a coach and a therapist is that coaches focus on moving forward toward desired change, with an emphasis on “what,” such as what do you need to move forward, and what is keeping you from making this change? Psychotherapists and mental health care practitioners focus on healing the wounds of the past, with an emphasis on “why,” such as why do I feel so much anxiety, and why can’t I get out of bed? Both practices utilizing knowledge of human behavior, motivation, behavioral change, and interactive counseling techniques, and there can be some overlap, but as a coach I am ethically bound to tell you when we have crossed over into territory where I don’t have training.

People who seek coaching are generally in good health, or already under the care of a mental health provider, and want to improve and deepen their relationship with their inner guidance to function at a higher level. In contrast, psychotherapy is a health care service people seek out to restore their emotional selves back to baseline health and frequently reimbursable by insurance.

Consultants are experts in a particular field who you hire to help you solve specific problems. They focus on the word “how,” such as here’s how you do this. A coach will never presume to be an expert on your life and will not provide consultative advice unless otherwise agreed on.

ETHICS

Coaches are not subject to government oversight. As a commitment to my clients and my integrity I keep my accreditation up-to-date and adhere to the International Coaching Federation's Code of Ethics. 

Learn more about coaching ethics >>

Take the Next Step

If you have gotten this far, why not drop me a line to learn more. My goal is to find out if we are meant to co-create together. I will never pressure you. I look forward to connecting!

About Me

My vision is a world where people trust our leaders to leave the world a better place for the next generation.

How did I arrive at this vision? When I was young I was a classic overachiever. I was on track to be medical doctor. And then I wasn’t. I became wracked with anxiety, and my plans had to change. I regrouped and made my way back into the world, and chose to work toward an academic career. Just as I was about to enter McGill University to pursue my Ph.D., I could barely muster enough energy to make it through the day. It turns out I had thyroid cancer at just 25 years old. I pulled out of the Ph.D. position and focused on my health.

My recovery from cancer took nearly four years, and I was rocked to the depths of my soul. During this time I managed to hold onto a job, but it was nothing like what I had originally planned for myself. Fortunately, I met the man who became my husband just as I was beginning to feel better. He demonstrated the deep healing power of love. Eventually I found work that I thought was impressive enough, but I struggled with leadership who clung to superficial metrics of success rather than building the foundations to bring the best out if its people.

About three years into our marriage my husband and I decided to start a family. It was easy for us to get pregnant, and we anticipated the birth of our first child with great joy. At 35 weeks of pregnancy, the doctors discovered the baby I was carrying had died. To say we were devastated is an understatement. Everything that was once important to me, no longer mattered. Going back to work seemed utterly meaningless. Eventually I did go back to work, and I did have another baby, who is now happy and healthy.

However, the death of my first son forever changed my life. I no longer wanted to do something simply because it was impressive. I wanted to do work that served life. When I discovered coaching, I knew I had found a path that would allow me to just that: support great leaders, care for people and the planet, and give time to my own family.

I completed my ICF certified training with Master Coach Patrician Burgin in 2016 and gained my coaching accreditation (ACC) in 2019. I’m currently working toward the next level of accreditation: the Professional Certified Coach (PCC). I keep up to date on the latest data driven research in the coaching field and I’m highly sensitive and intuitive, pulling from both streams to best support you. I’ve coached people in almost every industry you can think of: tech, engineering, consulting, creative, science, healthcare, nonprofit, manufacturing, and more. I’m dedicated to cultivated flourishing leaders and thriving individual contributors in the workplace.

I have my ups and downs just like you, but I do know that I am embody an imperfect and emerging path that is committed to serving life, and for that I am profoundly grateful.

A few other pieces about me not related to coaching:

Originally from the Black Hills and the Upper Great Plains, I have called Seattle my home for over 20 years. I have a Master's Degree in Comparative Religion from the University of Washington, and I have worked in writing, editing, and research development, helping to raise nearly $15 million for projects and programs in the research and nonprofit sectors.