Unleashed Potential Coaching (2024)

Confidence.

Do you or do you not have confidence? That is the question many ask themselves.

It's normal to have confidence in some areas and not in other areas. Thinking that those are your only strong points is false, however. You can have confidence in any and all aspects of your life.

Thinking there's limited confidence to go around is not helpful at all. And, is a dream killer.

Let's debunk 4 confidence myths that are holding you back:

Myth #1: Confidence is a personality trait a person is born with.

First, let's define confidence. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, confidence isa feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circ*mstances. Simply put, confidence is a feeling. It's a feeling that we can create any time we want. Confidence is a feeling that inspires us to take action - to get ideal clients, use new training techniques, or be an amazing dog trainer.

Myth #2: Confidence is created by taking action which gives us our results.

Sure,confidence is part of the equation that gives us the results we want. Action must be taken to get your result but what drives your actions? What you're thinking and feeling. Remember, our simple mindset equation: Thoughts + Feelings (confidence) + Actions taken = Results. All the variables must match up to create the result you want. You gotta feel confident to take the required action.

Myth #3: Fake it until you make it builds confidence.

This myth is plausible.The faking it until you make it model is typically approached from a space of fear. Essentially if you take the fake it stance then it's like when CesarMilan held a dog's tail up in an attempt to make him confident in a busy location. Dog trainers know a +CER needs to be applied before that dog will feel confident and well before we expose him to a busy location. Lifting up your tailwithout believing in yourself simply does not work!

The key is truly believing all will be okay even if you fail and experience negative emotions. Failure is a variable that didn't work so plug in a new variable into the experiment equation to see what you get.

Myth #4: Confidence = Arrogance.

Confidence doesn't mean your're better than anyone else.That's arrogance.

If you're thinking that you're better than another dog trainer, how does that feel? I bet that deep down inside it doesn't feel good at all to think that. Instead of comparing yourself with another, consider what inspires you about that trainer or that we're all amazing, just different. Boy, doesn't that feel so much better? I previously wrote a blog on confidence and arrogance - read it here.

The truth is confidence comes from your mind and not just youractions. Yes, your actions and results can change the way you think but it's not the source of your confidence. Creating confidence begins with believing that you've got your back, no one else's opinion matters, and it's all figureoutable.

Like the dog example I used above, without doing a little CER work, your source of confidence will be fake. The dog also has to feel confident before raising his tail in confidence.You also have to feel confident to take action and, ultimately, achieve your result.

To create that feeling of confidence, begin with asking yourself questions. Questions like:

• If I already had this result, what was I thinking to get it?
• What do I need to think to feel confident about [result]?
• If I had all the experience I wanted, what would I be thinking?
• What if I had allthe practice I wanted, what would I be thinking?

Confidence is something we all have. Somewhere along your life's journey we picked up on beliefs that our brain tightly holds onto that blocks our confidence. Luckily, there's a solution. Changing your thinking can indeed create all the confidence you desire.

The Unleash Your Potential coaching program is specifically designed to create confidence. Learn how to create confidence by booking an Insight Session call today.

Helper dogs are typically used for evaluating or learning dog-dog socialization skills. Helper dogs are especially helpful for building confidence in undersocialized and fearful dogs.

Sometimes helper dogs are done. They decide to retire from assisting. We know this by observing a deterioration in behavior - less patience, avoidant, or snarking at the dog they're helping. The helper dog has become intolerant.

Some people have Helper Dog Syndrome. Essentially, they're bending over backward to be nice and helpful at the expense of their own needs and desires. At some point, resentment builds

The 4 truths behind helper dog syndrome (people-pleasing) tendencies are:

1. Need for outside validation
2. Fear of rejection
3. Desire to be seen and heard
4. Desire to fit in

Manipulation, attracting fewer friends, hating what you once loved, and resentful of those taking advantage of you are symptoms of relying on others too much.

The thing is, you have the choice to manipulate another to gain validation, avoid rejection, be visible, and fit in, but at what cost? You also have the choice to build self-worth and confidence within you first.

Is people-pleasing really worth the inner verbal abuse you give yourself? Is it worth reflecting your lack of self-confidence, compassion, and self-worth to others?

The biggest thing is that you aren't pleasing the one and only person who matters most. That's YOU. Showing yourself honesty, compassion, love, worth and respect allows you to be present and authentic with another person.

In return, believing in yourself opens doors toward high self-worth, confidence to be seen and be unapologetically you, and riding discomfort of possible rejection while doing your thing is invaluable.

No one but yourself is responsible for taking care of your emotional wellbeing. And, you're not responsible for the emotional wellbeing of another person.

Are you tired of putting yourself to the side for someone else and don't know how to get out of it? I've got the solution to help you take back control of you. Book a free Insight Session call today to get started.

In my early twenties my dressage instructor encouraged me to work with another instructor. She said to me, “Sharon, this is as far as I can take you. Always train with someone who works at a higher level than you and that you admire.” I’ve always followed this advice ever since.

This week I’m participating in my first coaching Mastermind. I’ll be surrounded by hundreds of coaches, many of which I now call friends. Over the last 18 months, we’ve been supporters, advisors, and coaches for each other. We’ve created a pack of like-minded folks who bring a variety of skills and experience to the table.

Since the wise words of my long ago dressage instructor, I’ve always surrounded myself around people who support and lift me. I’ve left and formed new circles over the years as I’ve evolved. I’m conscious what I allow into my head. In fact, even my Facebook feed is filled with lots of good stuff since I’m adamant about removing the negative. What is heard, seen and thought is created by our minds and in our life.

I liken this to when a group of dogs get together. There are times the group of dogs are extremely playful then take a break before returning to play again. Or, a member of that dog group protects or alerts when another is hurt or harassed by another dog. Then there are the times when dog become well over threshold then gang up on a sole individual or person. The group of dogs respond along with the energy created. When running multiple dog playgroups, we work hard at creating positive dynamics so everyone has a good experience.

My circle of strength has shifted over the years. There are times that either I or another person or several people have outgrown the circle. Sometimes those circles become toxic or no longer serve you. This is all okay. It’s all part of growing and experiencing your world at the next level.

For me, the people that surround me fit into one or more of these categories:

1. Share same values
2. Act as a mentor (or I as a mentor)
3. Appreciates who I am as I am
4. Positive and encouraging
5. Respectfully calls out my bullsh*t

We all have circles of people around us. Each at a different level and intensity. Each intersecting or off on Gratitude Island. Our circles are individual to ourselves and shift over time.

Over the next two days as I step into my first Mastermind, my intention is to be open, supportive, gain knowledge, generate and share ideas from all I interact with. I intend to enhance my current circle of strength to stay strong, confident and clear so I can continue being an example of the change we need in this world.

We have so much choice in our lives! We can choose what to believe, what to do, what we want to create, and how to do it. Choices are limitless. Choosing who you let into your headspace is so worth the effort.

Sometimes we get ourselves into a tizzy bending over backwards to fit in with certain groups. Creating a supporting group doesn’t mean conforming to the group. A supportive group is simply a gathering of people drawn to lift each other up and revel in each other’s success. Does this sound like you? Let’s talk to help you embrace and stand strong in who you really are. Book your free Insight Session here.

Over this Labor Dayweekend I gifted myself with doing nothing.

No content creation,no business tasks, no projects.

I simply allowedmyself to reflect over the last few years and marvel at how much has changed.

The last 2 years have seen major changes - new job,new focus, new mindset - but it sure hasn’t been easy.

Have you everwondered why you had good intentions to achieve a big goal or stop eating junkfood but never made it happen?

You ended up givingin or deciding the goal wasn’t meant to be.

Quits and fails in judgment leaves you feeling discouraged, mad at yourself, or thinking it wasn’t meant to be.

Years ago I wasstoked to create a behavior consulting program.

I dreamed of this for a long time. I even had the education, experience, and certifications to offer high-level dog behavior consultations.

Yet when potentialclients called I hesitated returning phone calls or referred them out. Otherdays, I was mad at myself so I returned and scheduled every single inquiry.

The program didn’t grow as I hoped. I felt like a failure and a fraud.

Why did I not return the inquiries and feel so terrible? A little bugger called cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is when we have conflicting thoughts or beliefs. We can choose one or the other. Usually, we choose thoughts or beliefs based on our emotions versus the rational one.

We've seen conflicting behavior in dogs. Remi wants to be social so approaches with friendly body language. Yet, you get bitten reaching to pet him. In a sense, this is like cognitive dissonance.

The accomplishment of nailing a job in a behavior department and holding an applied animal behavior certification should’ve kept me motivated. But it didn’t.

Underlying those accolades were beliefs I didn’t know enough yet, which drove me to not grow the program as I dreamed.

Of course, lack of program growth provided evidence to my brain that my thinking was true. Ugh. So not helpful!!

Cognitive dissonance creates a lot of mental discomfort so we spin in confusion, get stuck, struggle moving forward, quit, or do what we really don't want to do. This situation is affectionately called our River of Misery.

The jump from I'm offering behavior consultations to I'm growing a full-time high-level behavior consulting program was too conflicting for my brain.

Our brain wants tobe right, focuses on the negative, and continually looks for evidencesupporting the belief restricting your growth.

One day my brain kicked in with a new belief. I took myself aside and reminded myself exactly how I help people and their pets and my qualifications. Without knowing about this cognitive dissonance thing or cognitive coaching stuff, I changed my belief that I was good enough, that it was ok to make mistakes or not know everything. And, I looked for real evidence that supported my belief. As a result, I grew a jam-packed program that helped many people and their pets live more harmoniously.

Do you want to kickan old habit or catch your dream?

Decide:

1. Exactly what you want (I don’t know is not an option)
2. What you need to think and feel to take action every day to create what you want
3. Practice believing your new thought

Your new thought might be too big to start immediately believing. Break down your new thought into a smaller, more believable thought first. Keep Bob Bailey’s mantra in mind — Be a Splitter, Not a Lumper! Watch this FB Live to learn more.

Some people have events that allow them to make a sudden life or habit change. Usually, some sort of traumatic experience helps that dramatic change happen. Other times, you simply decide enough is enough. Or, you need to make that change step-by-step. None of those are right or wrong. They're simply different approaches to getting the behavior they want.

Having a hard time crossing your River of Misery? Book your free Insight Session call today to learn how to navigate the rough waters.

My husband, Mark, and I had a really big scare last week.

Our border collie, Bob, was 'off' his performance on day two of the event. Mark chalked it up to himself being tired and unfocused from being chief course builder for the event. After a good night's sleep, Mark and Bob tried again on day three.

Day three was a bust.

Our amazing chiropractic/acupuncturist veterinarian got Bob into her schedule lickity-split.

"Classic Lyme symptoms", she said. Bloodwork sent to the lab for confirmation and treatment started.

Whew! So, we thought.

Symptoms and fever persisted despite treatment. Lyme was negative. Bloodwork didn't line up so more testing needed. He's not responding as quickly as expected. Get him to the ER promptly.

Oh, the nightmares my brain began conjuring up during my near 2-hour drive to the hospital!

My brain's storytelling spree could very well lead me down a path of despair, if I believed all the what if's and why's that filled my brain.

We so easily get into the habit of creating imaginary nightmares about all sorts of scenarios: possibly going off course, running a challenging course, a text received, an email or voice mail message, conversations we *might* have, etc.

It's totally normal for us to catastrophize what's going on around us. Catastrophizing is when we imagine all the worst possible outcomes to a situation. It's negative bias going rogue!

Catastrophizing is how our brain troubleshoots ambiguity. Our brain loves going to the dark side to protect us from the unknown.

In the past, I would've been a total emotional wreck. This time I took a back seat to become a Watcher of my brain. Oh, the stories my brain was offering during my drive to the ER were fantastical, dramatic, and devastating.

Reviewing the past, I noticed that I had zero evidence for such calamity. None, zero, zip. Any time I've brought a dog to the hospital the staff were kind and compassionate to our dogs, us, thorough, and accurate troubleshooters.

I had no evidence that what Bob had was untreatable and going to die.

I decided to focus on my belief that Bob will be taken care of by the specialists. I believe the specialists will provide the best treatment for the best possible outcome for Bob. Period.

By choosing to focus on the expertise available for Bob alleviated my anxiety, tempered my worry, and allowed me to make appropriate decisions.

Knowing that catastrophizing and negative bias goes hand-in-hand with the unknown allows for understanding why families, victims, shelter workers, and volunteers get mightily upset and refuse to report bites - even from dogs being mouthy from arousal. They're believing their brain's story that disaster struck, the dog will die, people will hate them, and it's all their fault.

Understanding this why offers insight to offer support, compassion, and information based on evidence from objective data rather than inaccurate emotions for behavior modification planning and life-changing decision making.

Today Bob is still healing. He's not yet 100% but each day we're seeing improvement. We have a talented and caring health support team, and Bob has his humongous fan base rooting for him.

So, is your brain a creative storyteller, too, and need help toning down those elaborate thoughts? Book a free 30-minute Insight Session to talk about where you are, what you want to create and how the Unleash Your Potential coaching program fits for you.

The animal welfare industry is reactive by nature. All hands on deck and any personal time or responsibilities are set aside to rush out to help animals that are suffering - physically and emotionally - or stranded due to mother nature's angry onslaught of hurricanes, tornado's, or wildfires.

The experience of being in the field helping animals in distress is so satisifying that you want to jump on board anytime there's a seizure scheduled to remove animals from cruelty or a powerful storm is coming through. You want to be in the know, included, there, do everything and desperately want to help.

Getting caught up in the excitement and action of helping animals in dire distress, or caring for and waiting for animals to be adopted from a shelter, helping pet owners, attending competitions back-to-back, and certain people and situations challenge your emotional wellbeing if you don't create and uphold boundaries.

So you keep checking your phone for texts and emails all day and all night long. Notifications are left on so you can respond immediately to any request. I remember attending agility seminars and family outings where I constantly checked my work phone or worked on a task instead of being present with my dog, family, and friends. I was always on and ready.

This scenario is the perfect storm for burnout, anxiety, overworking, overwhelm, and exhaustion.

And, I fell for it. Hard.

What I didn't know was what boundaries are and how to effectively create and uphold them.

Boundaries are like invisible fences we surround ourselves with to protect our emotional health from the behavior of others minus the shock collar.

The biggest mistake we make with boundaries is that we mostly use them to control or separate ourselves from others. We use boundaries as ultimatums, which separates and is awfully disempowering. Boundaries used for this reason is a tool of manipulation and isolation or drama is guaranteed. And, you're still left with anger, resentment, and frustration.

Boundaries are a tool to self-protect yourself when someone violates your boundary by clearly communicating requests and consequences. Boundaries used in this manner promotes self-responsibility and empowerment and leads to closer and more intimate relationships from a peaceful, calm and loving space.

I tried to apply boundaries well after exhaustion and negativity took over and they flopped. My boundaries flopped because I never communicated my boundary, let alone clearly defined it for me, and used it to control the people. In return, coworker's became irritated because I wasn't responding. People pulled away, complained, or got snippy about what I hadn't done yet. My biggest mistake was not clearly defining nor communicating what my boundaries are to me and them when the violation occurred, andcoming from a space of anger and frustration rather than calmness.

Boundaries are created by making a request and then following up with the consequence one hundred percent of the time. We usually fail by not upholding our consequences. Unless you clearly create, communicate and uphold your boundaries and consequences, you've installed an invisible fence around you that no one knows about that can cause irreversible damage to relationships.

So many of my clients are frustrated by always being available for their staff or clients with texts, email, and phone calls. They've set policies yet totally ignore them by responding during off hours leading them to feel frustrated and even angry so they end up not enjoying their downtime.

Let's take a look at the 4 C's needed to create and implement effective boundaries without the painful shock:

1. Clarity - get very clear what your personal boundaries are for you. Do you allow people to yell at you? I bet not so you tell them if you hit me again I'll call the police.
2. Clean thinking - this is the MOST important step. Cleaning up your emotions is an absolute requirement before placing boundaries. All boundaries need to come from a place of calmness, peace, and love. You can't set clear boundaries and consequences if you're in a world full of hurt. Getting coaching from me will help you get to that clean spot to create a boundary.
3. Communicate - communicate your boundary when someone violates them. Keyword is when the violation happens. No need to announce to the world. When the violation happens let them know from a space of love what your boundary is and what you will do when it happens again. Most people have no idea they're violating a boundary you have so communication is key and by far the hardest part of creating boundaries.
4. Consequence - clearly define and uphold your consequence 100% of the time. By violating your own boundary you're inviting anger, frustration, isolation, and separation.

Boundaries are difficult to implement and take courage but are amazingly effective when done well.

Boundaries are essential for people pleasers, create closeness rather than isolation, protect important spaces in our life, are about telling the truth to ourselves and people in our lives, build self-integrity, self-trust with the courage to honor and protect yourself with the truth, are self-care.

Creating and upholding clear boundaries is the best gift I could ever give my people pleasing self. Inside my Unleash Your Potential coaching program you get guidance from me to build boundaries from a caring rather than an upsetting space. Find out more with a free 30-minute Insight Session phone call. It's free, fun, no pressure, and transformative.

The hot sultry days and nights of the dog days of summer are beginning to wane.

Vacation and slow lazy days are done.

School and work beckon.

The hustle picks up.

You know what? Those slow, lazy days don't have to go.

How much enrichment do you offer you?

We offer enrichment to dogs, horses, and lots of animals. Their quality of life is smack dab in the center of our radar.

Often times we put our needs on the back burner to help others first. We're always on the go. Our quality of life is an afterthought.

What about creating an enrichment plan for you?

I hear the excuses why not. I even told myself the same ones - no time, need to do [fill in the blank] first ...

What did that get me? Sick. Exhausted. Burned out.

I expertly trained people to bust through my boundaries. I'd say no I'm not available but allowed myself to be talked into saying yes.

A professional people pleaser, I was.

Exhaustion and burn out from always being on the go taught me the necessity of caring for me.

Here's the thing: no one but you is responsible for your emotional wellbeing.

Building in white space into your schedule to dream, rest, roam or play gives your brain bandwidth to problem-solve and create.

Dreaming, scheming, and resting is essential to our human existence yet we continually push downtime away for fear of looking weak or not accomplished enough.

What's that costing you by excluding rest and play from your life?

Your work with the animals and their people are highly valued and needed.

The human brain and body are not designed to push through 24/7/365.

We allow our dogs to take breaks, so why not allow yourself?

Create an enrichment plan for you.

Carve out time that's non-negotiable to do what you truly want, not what you think needs done. Do whatever truly makes your heart sing.

Play. Create. Walk. Read. Roam. Swim. Follow your heart.

So worth the time and effort to take care of the one and only you.

Ready to get off the hamster wheel to live your best life? Don't wait until you're totally exhausted, angry at the world/clients/life and burned out. Coaching will help you get your life back while kicking chaos out the door. Book a free 30-min ute Insight Session to discover for yourself the power of this work. No pressure. No obligation.

We're taught:

Failure is NOT an option.

Failure is NOT tolerated.

The thing is: failure is part of the process. Any process.

In relationships, business building, making changes to your diet and life or working with pets.

You can be failure tolerant in one area of your life but not in another.

Failure is part of being human.

Thomas Edison failed at least 10,000 times before the light bulb was born.

Believing failure isn't optional or tolerated builds pressure within you to be perfect.

Inevitably, failure - even a simple error - raises the voices of fury in our heads.

Doubt, shame, confusion follow close behind.

So we quit or stay right where we are.

Doing nothing keeps you stagnant.

Basically, you've failed ahead of time to avoid failing because feeling the emotions that go along with failure are uncomfortable.

Failure is just a data point.

Failure is defined by our individual interpretation. A simple judgment.

Thomas Sterner, author of The Practicing Mind writes, "Remember, judgment redirects and wastes our energy. One could argue that we must judge the outcome of each attempt to make a decision about how to proceed, but this is not true. Judgment brings a sense of right or wrong, good or bad with it. What we are doing here is objectively observing and analyzing the outcome of each attempt. This observation serves only to direct our next effort."

Observable, objective behavioral data from evaluations are used to create be-mod and enrichment treatment plans or make for animals.

Decisions and be-mod plans are adjusted as the observable, objective behavioral data indicates.

Deciding to accept failure as an observable, objective data point while accepting the emotional waves offers you four benefits:

1. Learn - you'll discover everything is figureoutable. That a failure datapoint is a road sign indicating a slight route change.
2. Mental resiliency - is believing failure and the associated emotions are part of the process, which you will discover a solution. Mental resiliency reduces anxiety and stress so you can focus on problem-solving instead of spinning in confusion.
3. Confidence - self-confidence is your opinion of you. It's your ability to trust yourself and knowing you can experience any emotion - positive or negative - without being harmed.
4. Success - the combination of learning, mental resiliency, and confidence drive your level of success.

Success and dreams don't drop on our doorstep unannounced.

Dreams don't just manifest because you envisioned or declared the dream.

Dreams come true and success grows with each step you take even if your path unexpectedly gets diverted.

Want to turn failure into a dream come true? The Unleash Your Potential coaching program teaches you how to partner up with failure. Book your free Insight Session today.

Life is 50/50.

50% positive. 50% negative.

Just like yin and yang.

We experience 50% positive emotions and 50% negative emotions.

Emotional Balance is the ability to experience positive and negative emotions.

We need this contrast. How else would we know if we were sad or happy?

This is being human.

Our culture tells us we must be happy 100% of the time.

Feeling sadness, anxiety, blue and tired are frowned upon and rarely spoken about.

We aren't machines or robots.

Our emotions and lives ebb and flow like the ocean. Some days are beautifully sunny with clear blue skies or drizzly with rain, or even stormy with huge rushing waves.

We believe we must think positively all the time yet our brain is wired to produce negative thoughts in order to protect us from perceived danger. That's what our primitive, lizard brain does.

We numb out negative emotions with food, alcohol, binging on Netflix or YouTube, or doing busy work instead of training your own dog, following up with a client, or taking needed downtime.

One of my clients experiences anxiety on the regular. She used to zone out with Facebook or YouTube whenever she felt anxious. During a recent coaching session, she discovered that she shifted her buffering to doing busy work instead of zoning out. She precisely planned out her tasks and worked on them according to her calendar schedule. Yet, she felt anxious despite her thought work and productivity. Together we explored her willingness to continue implementing her plan even when she felt anxious.

Sometimes our emotion becomes the Circ*mstance in our CTFAR model. Her anxiety triggered a new thought that something was wrong, which then increased her feeling of anxiety. The intenseness of anxiety caused her to work on her tasks longer or add things that didn't need to be done. She ended the workday believing she was missing an important step. This whole thought loop strengthened as she spun her wheels.

The 50/50 emotional concept tells us that we can experience negative emotions and still take action toward our project or goal rather than self-medicate.

Essentially, we make negative emotions mean something about ourselves - somethings gone wrong here, not good enough, too slow, don't have enough time, etc. That's just that lizard brain of ours doing its job.

Together we explored my client's willingness to continue with her plan even when she felt anxious. Taking anxiety for a leash walk while completing tasks was the ticket to maintaining clarity and focus.

Here are 4 ways to gain self-confidence when you accepting the 50/50 emotional concept:

1. Allow negative (and positive) emotions flow while taking action
2. Stop compensating for what you want to do
3. Stop resisting, reacting and avoiding emotions
4. Create bandwidth to problem solve

Negative emotions don't have to stop your flow of work or living. They can walk alongside you like taking the dog for a walk. Let that emotion explore, sniff around then mosey along while you're forging ahead.

If you believed doubt, uncertainty, and fear were part of the being a human having a human experience:

What would you accomplish?

What would you keep doing?

What would you not give up?

PS: My psychotherapist friend and I had a lively conversation on this topic over dinner one night. My friend gives me high fives all the time for this coaching work. You see, coaching is helpful to have an unbiased person at your side as you navigate the normal ups and downs we all experience. I'm thrilled my friend appreciates and encourages people like you and I to hire a coach.

PPS: My Unleash Your Potential coaching program is the ticket to bust through the barriers slowing you down. The program is 6 weeks of one-to-one coaching to help you be the best dog trainer and person you want to be. Let's talk about where you are, where you want to go and how to get you there. Book a free 30-minute Insight Session to learn more. No obligation, no pressure, transformational and, free.

You're having a bad day.

Nothing is going as planned.

You finally think mercury is out of retrograde when *BAM* the next assault hits.

Crap piles up until you can't take it anymore.

Frustration leads to anger.

Anger leads to seething rage.

Next thing you know, profanity's been spewed and you nearly decked a person for asking a simple question.

This happens to dogs all the time, too. We dog trainers call it trigger stacking. The main goal in the reactive dog's behavior plan is to keep them under threshold.

Let's explore this phenomenon with you.

Humans also experience trigger stacking. PTSD sufferer episodes are often triggered by a series of small events.

Emotional trigger stacking is when you are exposed to a series of thoughts and feelings triggered by circ*mstances happening around you. Like emails going unanswered, technology keeps crapping out or not working, clients canceling left and right, your dogs had a major fight, money's tight, etc.

Those events are stimuli that continually create a strong negative thought loop caused by your negative thoughts and stories.

The more you believe that negative thought loop, the more your brain seeks out evidence it's true.

We hate to feel emotional discomfort so we tuck emotions deep down within ourselves.

We numb out with alcohol, food, shopping, or Netflix binging.

We mask it by remaining cheerful and saying all is right when we're really seething.

The thing is, our body can't hide emotions for too long before bursting with unbridled emotion or succumbing to illness.

We get passive aggressive. Silent. Yell or throw things. Punch people or at least want to.

We'll go into avoidance mode, feel on edge, rerun the conversation or scenerio over and over again.

We snap because of the stories we tell ourselves about what the circ*mstance or person said means.

These stories are lies we tell ourselves because no one can hurt your feelings except for yourself.

Controlling external events is difficult at best. Controlling your thoughts and feelings are all in your control.

I experienced emotional trigger stacking by holding in my emotions and making up elaborate stories. I believed in those stories so much that I always found evidence they were true. I used to tell myself that my input or request for information wasn't valued. I believed I was only valued when someone else needed me to do their job. One day I was at my wits end when I got frustrated, angry, and then threw my cell phone at a wall. Not proud of that moment, but now I understand why I acted so poorly. Now, I know how to avoid being emotionally triggered. So bye-bye to those old anxious and crappy feeling days!

Here's what you can do to deal with emotional trigger stacking.

1. Awareness - how do you know you're being triggered? Do you have a thought or create a story? How does your body feel? What sensations are flowing through your body?
2. Breathe - breathing is so important!! Try this yogic 4-part breathing pattern: inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds, then hold for 4 seconds. Repeat as many times as you need. Breathing gives your brain more oxygen and calms the nervous system.
3. Write the story - put pen to paper to write down the story you're telling yourself. Get curious. Be truthful and honest with yourself. Write our all the nasty and petty bits. Get it all out - every single bit of it. How does this story make you feel? And, is this story absolutely true??
4. Name your story - give this old story a name. When triggered, your old story will bubble up. Every time you hear your brain telling the story, remind yourself that, "Oh, this is my 'woe is me' story."
5. Rewrite your story - rewrite the old story in terms that feel better and lead to results that you want. Whenever triggered, name it then tell yourself the new storyline.

Our brain always seeks out evidence when we believe stories made up of lies.

Our brain will also always seek out evidence when we believe stories in our favor.

Which do you wish to choose?

Believing that you're doing your best at the moment, errors happen and that's okay, or what others think doesn't matter gives you power.

Blowing up, shouting, cussing or numbing out gives your power away.

Practice emotional wellness on the daily.

There's no need to suffer emotional pain.

Become aware, breathe, write the story, name it, rewrite it, and practice.

Take your power back.

PS: don't let emotional trigger stacking take you or others down. Rewriting the stories of lies I carried around restored my physical and emotional health. Getting coached will take your emotional health to the next level. My Unleash Your Potential 1:1 coaching program teaches you to self-coach to better manage emotions while chasing down your dream. I invite you to join me on a free 30-minute Insight Session. This session will be transformational with no pressure or obligation. It's to give you a taste of coaching before investing. Book your session today.

More times than not, we live from our past.

Being past focused is like bushwhacking toward your future.

Past focused is holding onto old stories that keep you stuck.

Just like believing a dogs behavior is because he was abused, unwanted, or rescued.

No one tells us we can live in the future now as our future self.

We can.

Living as you in the future offers an opportunity to ask your brain "how did I get here?", to know how it feels, to believe you will get there...

Your future self knows how to troubleshoot as you travel along step-by-step be she already has.

Living as your future self clears the path to focus on the process of getting there and not the prize.

How do you begin living as your future self? Try these strategies:

1. Writedown your dream. Putting pen to paper plants the seed.
2. Visualize your dream. Allow yourself 10-15 minutes or more to sit and dream. Imagine what it looks and feels like. Be patient. Several visualization sessions are normal to fully visualize your dream.
3. Create a blueprint - be specific with every detail from your visualization(s). Note colors, sensations, feelings, scents, and any thoughts.
4. Practice daily -Envision, feel and think as if you're already there. This is the perfect time to ask yourself troubleshooting questions when you get stuck.

Your future self sets up inspiration, motivation, and belief.

What are you dreaming of? A beautiful training facility? Starting a business? Expanding your business? Redesigning your life? Becoming a World Team Member? Stepping onto a podium? Reinventing you?

Decide on your dream and start living it.

PS: I had a long time dream of standing on the podium at a Regional and National dog agility events. In 2015, I planted the seed and visualized all aspects of this dream - from training sessions, running clean runs, and actually stepping onto the podium. This dream was realized in 2017 with a bronze medal podium appearance with two different dogs at both Regional and National agility competitions. I've planted a few more seeds that I know will grow to blossom exactly as I'm dreaming.

What dream do you want to come true? Coaching with me can help you make that dream come true. Take 30-minutes to learn more from a free, no obligation, Insight Session. We'll talk about where you are, where you want to go, and how to get you there.

Anyone who trains animals is accustomed to receiving coaching while learning new skills. I've spent the majority of my life working with coaches. For me, receiving coaching began as a feisty 8-year old when I started riding lessons. I got caught riding my neighbors' horses so my punishment was riding lessons, which was the best punishment ever!! Then I worked with a coach for high school track before transitioning to dog training in my early 20's. Hiring a coach to master riding, training and any sport skill is essential to learn and progress.

Most coaching, from my experience, is action based. The idea is that changing your action will change your result. Yet, so many people, including me, get hung up in the action. Action is just a tactic that's meant to keep you focused on the goal. You know, like all those planners you have but don't use? No judgment from me - I'm a planner hoarder, too!

Sometimes 'just doing it' doesn't work. What happens when you don't feel like it or think you can't or doubt something will work? Or, feel overwhelmed with it all? I bet you allow distraction to take over so nothing gets done. Then you end up hustling with a nice dose of guilt and shame on your back. And then that whole entire cycle starts up again because action doesn't fully change your mindset.

Three months into my first coaching program I hired my first coach. Since then, I have always had a coach to help me call out my bullsh*t and get out of my way. I am coached at least weekly and I self coach myself daily.

For several years I used my coaching skills with the professional dog trainers I managed to implement a shelter behavior program for dogs seized from high volume cruelty cases. Having a coach helped me stop my inner critic's dialogue while creating a shelter behavior program, better manage and train a group of rotating behavior consultants, better manage a heavy travel schedule, and deal with the cultural drama that every organization has.

Whether you're creating amazing programs, teaching students, helping families, training your own dog, playing dog sports, or simply want the life you're dreaming of then you need a coach. Actually, I think everyone needs a coach regardless of profession and goals.

Looking back, I wish I had a coach to support me while building my equine/canine & human massage therapy practice, dog training & behavior consulting business, stepping into leadership roles at a local then national animal welfare organization, and simply just for me. We all carry junk that needs tossing.

6 Reasons Why Dog Trainers Need A Coach

1. If you're thinking, "I don't know what or how, this is too hard, I don't know enough" and/or you're feeling doubtful, frustrated, anxious or even disappointed in your training abilities or growth of your business.
2. You're tired of going it alone. You'd love to have someone at your side for support, spot your blindspots, brainstorm ideas, or offer accountability.
3. You want to build or expand your practice, attract the right clients, create class curriculums, shelter behavior programs or protocols without overwhelm and confusion.
4. You're tired of listening to your inner critic's dialogue and feeling bad about yourself.
5. You want ethical and professional advice about dealing with challenging dogs and clients.
6. You're high standards make you feel impatient and judgmental with clients, their dogs, or even your own dog. And, you're left feeling emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausted and depleted before, during and after your sessions.

Get yourself a coach. Think I might be your coach? Setup a free Insight Session to learn more about coaching, how it works, and where it can take you. The session is free with no obligation.

Today marks the day that the United States of America celebrates the signing of the Constitution.

230 years ago the US Constitution was signed to ensure certain freedoms - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bare arms - to its citizens.

Humans and animals alike, deserve and are worthy of freedom in their lives.

The 5 Freedoms for Animals was created to maintain the highest quality of physical and mental health for animals finding themselves in the sheltering or captive environment. The 5 Freedoms apply to all animals, including owned, rescued/shelter animals, and captive wild animals.

The criteria of the 5 Freedoms was the main focus in the shelter behavior programs I developed and managed over the years.

The 5 Freedoms for Animals are:

1. Freedom from hunger & thirst
2. Freedom from discomfort
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease
4. Freedom to express normal behavior
5. Freedom from fear and distress

Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was also an animal lover, created the Four Freedom's for humans. His words are etched in stone at the Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedom's Park in New York City (www.fdrfourfreedompark.org).

The FDR Four Freedom's are:

1. Freedom of Speech & Expression
2. Freedom of Worship
3. Freedom of Want
4. Freedom from Fear

On this 4th of July, I wish to offer all dog trainers, professional or amateur, or enthusiast this list of 5 Freedoms for a gold standard of emotional health and personal growth:

5 Freedoms for Dog Trainers & Enthusiasts:

1. Freedom from overeating & overdrinking: by choosing food for nutrition than numbing pain
2. Freedom from discomfort: by processing emotions for emotional wellbeing
3. Freedom from Dis-Ease: by knowing thoughts and beliefs are choices
4. Freedom to express normal behavior: to be you regardless of what others might think
5. Freedom from fear: by using fear and doubt to propel you forward

We aren't taught that thoughts are optional.

We aren't taught how to process emotional pain.

We aren't taught we can change beliefs.

Instead,

We're taught how we're supposed to be rather than embracing who we are.

We're taught to hide emotions under the carpet.

We're taught someone else causes our emotional pain.

May you find your freedom in choosing to believe you can do, think, be, and feel anything.

May you find your freedom to be a human.

Let's set those Freedoms in motion. Schedule a free Insight Session to begin planning your roadmap to freedom.

On average, dog trainers earn $33K to $57K per year.

On average, dog trainers working for big box companies earn $11/hour.

It's estimated that $75 Billion will be spent on pet products and services in 2019.

$6 Billion of that estimate will be spent on dog training, grooming, boarding, and pet walking.

People clearly love their pets.

Another interesting statistic to note is approximately 85% of dog trainers are women.

As women well know, a wage gap exists between women and men. A woman earns 80 cents to a single dollar a man earns (and even less if you happen to be a woman of color or Latina).

Many of my clients have limiting beliefs about money. They believe they can't make money as a dog trainer or can only make a certain amount. My clients' views on money and these statistics made me curious about wage inequality and beliefs around money in the dog training industry.

Many people have the following belief(s) about money or something along similar scarcity lines:

• Dog trainers can't make much money
• Oh, I couldn't charge that much
• I don't deserve money
• Women don't make money
• Money is hard
• I'm not good with money
• I'm not good enough to make money

The thing is that money is totally neutral until you attach a belief to it.

Choice is so powerful that a training game was created to teach dogs impulse control. A great example is Susan Garrett of Say Yes Dog Training's game, It's Yer Choice.

With IYC, when the dog selects the correct choice she's heavily and enthusiastically rewarded. The result of this powerful game is a dog who doesn't snatch stuff and waits for direction. Because this game easily transfers to multiple scenarios, the dog learns to make better choices in general.

It's Yer Choice is a powerful game we play with our dogs that aligns with our training goals.

We often make choices in our own lives that negatively impact how we feel and how things are done.

What if I told you that you truly have a choice?

What if I told you that choosing to do something from love, kindness or compassion that it would feel so much better?

What if I told you that choosing to do something out of guilt, shame, anger, or resentment that you'll still feel awful?

We choose to play the It's Yer Choice game because we love our dogs and love to train. So we choose to play this fun game from love and intention. We feel accomplished, satisfied, and happy when our dog quickly figures out the game.

It's easier to decline when an option has a small impact. Choosing to tackle a task from anger, guilt, shame or resentment usually ends with you still feeling awful. Sometimes things must be done that we don't want to or hate and there are no other options. How you think about doing that task is a choice.

My husband's habit is to drop his coffee mug in the sink as he arrives home from work before scampering to his office to complete his end of day paperwork. This drove me batty for the longest time. I'd wash it while saying to myself, "It's MY job", "It's women's work so I get to wash it", "I get to do the inside work", and "his assistants do everything for him. I guess I'm an assistant so wash the damn thing". I'd make a ruckus and mumble under my breath the entire time. Or, I'd wash everything else but that mug - a nice passive aggressive move on my part. And, I'd be snarky to my husband, dogs, and even myself.

One super cold winter day I decided I'd just wash his mug because "I can keep my hands under the deliciously warm water longer." Washing the mug didn't bother me one darn bit. I actually wanted more to wash. Crazy, right???

Now I choose to think that I'm contributing to our household with housework. That choice is coming from love. My tendency to get angry and resentful when doing any type of housework radically changed when I choose to think about it differently.

Changing my interpretation allowed resentment and anger to walk out the door. But, what's really cool is that my husband now steps up to wash his mug and any dirty dish in the sink without my asking. He is also contributing more with the housework. No longer do we have a divided sink or household, for that matter!

We all truly have a choice what to think about circ*mstances. If you're someone who tends to think, "But, I have to" or "But, I have no choice", I invite you to closely examine what's making you think there is no choice. Is that thinking true? Absolutely true? And, how can you make it better?

It's Yer Choice's is an effective life skill for dogs.

It's Yer Choice is an effective life skill for you.

PS: Choosing to unravel the mind tangle is a total life game changer. For too long I allowed stories to fill my brain that was untrue and caused unnecessary emotional pain. I'd love to help you step out of that space to use choice in an amazing new way. Schedule your free Insight Session to experience coaching and discover your choices.

Road warriors are familiar with the Delay Fairy. We dread her appearance. I'd be exhausted from long days caring for animals held in protective custody or being on my feet judging hundreds of dog agility runs that the vision of home dangles just out of reach. Getting mauled by my dogs and hubby and crawling into a cozy bed is so vivid and welcoming that I can actually envision myself slipping under the covers and resting my head on that soft, comfy pillow. Then POOF! That dream of getting home suddenly gets shut down by the Delay Fairy.

Some days the Delay Fairy ups the ante. You'd get on the plane, then off the plane. Or, go from one gate to the next, especially in Chicago for some reason. The indecision and shuffling around compounds the exhaustion and frustration.

Indecision is stressful, just like the Delay Fairy.

Like planes, our brain keeps our undecided thing queued up and ready for take-off all while burning fuel to keep the engines running. That thing you need to make a decision on is just like those planes waiting for the go-ahead to take off. The decision is always waiting and ready to go.

Staying undecided is a time waster and eats up precious brain fuel.

Indecision easily conjures up feeling uncertain and worry. Worrying and confusion lead to missed steps, tentative or no action, and quitting way too soon.

Many competitors in dog agility are indecisive whether they want two-on/two-off or running contacts on the dogwalk and/or aframe obstacles. Let's be honest here - in public we'll say we trained or want two-on/two-off contacts but, in our minds, a firm decision hasn't yet been made. If you committed to a decision, your dog would perform the behavior you committed to, you'd be focused, and objectively evaluate each performance to make necessary adjustments.

It's hard to admit not committing to a decision. Being honest with myself was the first step to decreasing worry in the ring.

Admitting my indecision then committing to a decision was the best thing I did - for my dogs and me! I decided to keep the managed performance since Zesty's career is coming to an end in a year or so and Simi consistently strides in naturally. I looked at the objective data (where we fault on courses), made tweaks, and practice at home like we do in competition.

Making a firm decision created clarity that took so much pressure off of me!

I exchanged confusion and worry with excitement and confidence. Our teamwork rose to Badass Level with speed, accuracy, and fun!

I attribute all this thought work I write and speak about and self-honesty to our successes in and out of the agility ring.

Making a decision freed space for my brain to process and focus on other things.

Just make a decision.

Stopping putting decisions off.

Decide to not decide and let it go.

Decide, commit, follow through, objectively re-evaluate, and tweak or abort.

Deciding offers direction, clarity, and confidence.

PS:Deciding to commit to looking inside myself to learn how to create what I wanted out of every aspect of my life was the best decision made. We have one shot at life, as far as I know. What I now know is that our one shot at life doesn't have to be miserable. That we have the option to savor every moment. Give yourself the gift of coaching for 30 minutes with a free INSIGHT SESSION. You deserve it.

Geez, what a day!

You know, one of those days where everything goes haywire?

After spending 4 solid hours prepping and placing this year's plants in the garden, our fancy, low tech garden irrigation system sprung a leak creating a mini lake. Zesty promptlytook great glee and delight in expanding the lake by digging up the plants I just planted. She emerged from the muck a super happy camper covered in mud and shards of plant matter. Ugh.

Then our internet fizzled out in the middle of Outlander -arghh! We were at a super good spot, too!

To top it all off, Simi had a seizure after being seizure-free for a smidge of a year.

Seriously, Universe?

A day like that can make you feel like nothing is good. Right?

Our brain conjures up the most fantastical stories whenever things go astray. For instance, more often than not I bet you say, "Nothing's going right at all! The world is out to get me today." Or, you might say something like, "Damn, Girl, you're such an idiot for turning on the hose then walking away!"

I don't know about you, but when this happens, a nice glass of wine or yummy co*cktail tastes extra yummy. Until that one glass becomes three or four to numb the frustration and disappointment. And, then extra special to wake up with a hangover.

No need to say things like that to yourself or overindulge in co*cktails, cupcakes, and shopping!

Sometimes things just go wacko. It's all a-ok, I promise you! It's all part of being a wonderful human.

We all want everything to work without hitches. So, when things go amuck, pause and take a few very deep breaths.

Feel the disappointment and frustration. Allow those emotions to wander in, swirl then fade away a bit.

Then go into problem-solving mode. Whether you're still feeling frustrated or not still. Start solving the problem.

Ask yourself, "What now?" "What can I do to fix the leaks to properly water the plants?"

Start with something, even if it's just picking up the busted pieces one by one.

Soon you might notice that you're starting to feel resourceful or that you might have a solution.

Thinking "I can fix this" or "I'm figuring this out" definitely creates that feeling of resourcefulness.

Stuff goes amuck all the time. It's part of life!

The dogs have a scuffle, the sheep go on a walkabout at 2 am, everyone keeps bumping themselves to the front of the line at an agility event, and seems like nothing is going as planned.

Dialing up the drama with terrible stories that make you feel miserable and seething is not necessary.

Dial down the drama by pausing to feel the disappointment then swing into troubleshooting mode.

Even better, take a break. Step away, take a walk, cry, hide under the covers or vent briefly with a friend.

Don't kill the dead horse deader by rehashing the drama. Repeating stories over and over and over again will keep you swirling in misery.

Step out of misery, drop the drama, fix what you can, and let the rest go down the drain.

PS: Being stuck in drama central sucks the joy out of life. I can help you dial down drama so you can step into the life you want. Claim your free Insight Session so we can strategize how to get you where you want to be.

A raised lip is usually the first clue.

A raised lip says, "Give me distance!"

A raised lip with a beautiful show of shiny and sharp weaponry clearly screams, "Back off NOW, Dude!"

BUT

What did you see before that initial yet slight tremble of the lip raising upward?

Or even before that ultra-fine change? Do you know?

Studying raised lips with curiosity taught me to deeply listen and catch subtle messages spoken by dogs.

My entire career as a behaviorist and dog trainer revolved around rescue animals, aggression, fear, and amazing opportunities. Not many get to step into an enclosure with a dog lunging, snarling, and ready to take a nice chomp on a body part. Or, sneakily capture a feral-like dog or cat without nary a scratch or bite. And, all conducted in the worst conditions - poop, mud, and ick everywhere, tight spaces, and either super hot and humid or freezing cold with rain or snow while sweating profusely while wearing heavy black pants, boots, and a thick cotton t-shirt. Ah, the joys of animal rescue field work!

Dealing with extremely aggressive or fearful animals requires deep listening skills. Otherwise, the risk of being bitten is imminent or an escapee creates a frantic search that coworkers never, ever let you forget. I needed to closely listen to the animals I removed or risk injury or relentless teasing.

My field experiences coupled with mindset coaching triggered curiosity within me.

My border collie, Simi, has a personal space bubble that reveals itself with raising a lip. Challenging myself to actively and deeply listen to Simi, I set about a little experiment.

First, I decided that Simi would tell me what she needed and that she was in control. Whenever she seemed to want to raise her lip, I engaged her in a game of play or a simple trick.

I further challenged myself to see the slightest change before each successive lip raise and progressing to the finest change. Kinda like a ripple effect looking at the furthest ripple as the subtlest change and the inner circle as a full blown lip raise with teeth. Our goal was to stay within the outer rings of the ripple.

Being the clever girl she is, our game quickly turned to come between mama's legs. Five years later, Simi ignores other dogs or comes to me on her own when worried. All she wants is her mama and cookies. In truth, at agility trials, she high tails it to her chair to impatiently wait for cookies!

Interpreting her raised lip to only mean discomfort, I turned Simi's worry into trust and security with me. I became her advocate. Releasing judgment what other people might say and worry about the why, I learned to quietly focus and notice minute signs of Simi's discomfort.

Simi's raised lip was never, ever punished, tsked, or discouraged as I see so many trainers and owners do. Instead, the slightest bit of concern by Simi was redirected into something she loved most. In the end, I created a strong bond between us.

Cultivating deep listening skills is essential when working with any animal. And, also with people as well as yourself. Enhance your deep listening skills by practicing these three things:

1. Self-coach before teaching, consulting or engaging in a training session to be present and neutral. My coaching program, Unleash Your Potential, teaches you self-coaching skills.
2. Remind yourself that your dog's behavior is not a reflection of you at all. Discomfort is all she's trying to tell you.
3. Ask the "why's" later when your dog is safe and relaxing. We didn't consider Simi's accident at first. Her only visible injury was a broken tooth and our vet deemed her a-ok. Her low back pain revealed itself a couple of months later. Those border collies can be damn stoic sometimes!!

Everyone wants to be heard.

You want to be heard.

Your clients want to be heard.

And, dogs are craving to be heard.

Are you really listening?

PS: I'm listening to a light Spring rain falling, birds singing their sweet song, and a toad bellowing for a mate while I write this blog. I also hear Scooter lightly snoring from under my desk. Zaya staked out the biggest dog bed in the studio to my right. Zesty is sprawled out on the futon enjoying a comfy nap. Simi, as always, is laying next to my feet on the left keeping a watchful eye on me. The connection I have with my dogs is what I wish for you and every dog owner. This is why we have them, right?

PPS: I attribute my deep listening skills from my experiences and coaching practice. You, too, can take your listening skill and create a beautiful and strong connection with your dogs with the Unleash Your Potential 1:1 coaching program. The coaching I offer you is exactly what I practice. Learn more by scheduling a free, no obligation, 30-minute Insight Session.

Our world has become highly stimulating and distractable.

Isn't it frustrating when a doctor barely listens yet quickly preps a prescription? Do you feel dismissed when a friend or loved one gives a distracted murmur or periodically peers into a cell phone during a conversation?

Imagine what a dog must feel when their clear requests are consistently ignored by us.

Learning to truly listen to people is important, especially for coaching clients. Truly listening to dogs is even more vital. A verbal vocabulary is not in their repertoire.

Many years ago, a mentor gave me the most impactful piece of advice about working with one of my dogs. Darla was a bit snarky, had a small personal space bubble, and I was a newbie trainer working with a behavior issue. My head was full of why's and how do I's that I rarely saw Darla's subtle signals of discomfort. My dear mentor said to me, "Stop asking why and just work the behavior". Basically, get your head outta your ass, start listening, and get to work.

Every time Darla snarked I thought, "What do I do?", "Why is she doing that?", "What are people thinking?". All that mind drama caused me to worry, feel inadequate and embarrassed, which meant drama and Darla's behavior worsened.

My mentor's sage advice taught me to listen without the mind drama to help Darla out. Instead of worrying, I began to tune in. Soon I discovered her first signs of discomfort. Once I "heard" Darla's discomfort, I helped her back into a comfort zone.

Darla's legacy led to my mastering subtle dog speak by being present, aware, and open.

Watching and actively training - even though I was fumbling at first - without questioning the why's grew my skills and techniques exponentially.

Don't let a questioning brain or other distractions keep you from listening to the one at the other end of the leash.

Allow yourself to struggle and be a beginner.

Allow yourself to be free of distractions.

Allow yourself to listen.

P.S. Hey, fumbling and mind drama is part of the process. It's frustrating, too. Busting through brain drama is one of my superpowers. Schedule a free 30-minute Insight Session to discover how coaching can boost your skill mastery.