Over the span of more than 30 years, I’ve suffered from migraines, been diagnosed with cancer, pericarditis, episcleritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and sudden-onset malignant hypertension. To say that I’ve seen my fair share of doctors and specialists is an understatement!

When you are given a diagnosis that affects your lifestyle, your family, relationships and yes, even the amount of time you have left, your whole world starts spinning out of control and the ground falls away and you may be left feeling desperately alone and overwhelmed. And that’s how it was for me. There were days I was afraid to move because I was at risk of a stroke. I spent nights sitting up in bed because I knew stress was put on my heart if I lay on one side, and I could never remember which side, and so I just didn’t lie down. The games my mind was playing were of no concern to anyone, and the stress kept building.

Too many of us get stuck at that place. We don’t know where to turn, what to do, or how to help ourselves. Family and friends are also at a loss. They may be struggling with their own reactions to your diagnosis and also feeling overwhelmed. There seems to be very few “disease-specific” organizations that treat the whole person, and large areas of your life may be left out of treatment. The disease may be treated, but not how it changes a person, their lives, or their future. I want to fill that gap.

Many health coaches will give you a checklist of what to eat and what not to eat. Because my clients are struggling with a challenging diagnosis or with chronic pain, telling them what to eat just doesn’t cut it.

When you receive a diagnosis, the ground crumbles from beneath your feet, the world spins off its axis, and you are left feeling as if all control has been taken away from you. It’s a scary place to be, and you may feel frozen in place because you don’t know where to go or what to do next. It’s also scary for family members who are not only dealing with the shock they are feeling over your diagnosis, but with the worries about whether they will be able to provide you and your family with any special care needed at this time.

So, first and foremost, my coaching is about bringing the stress and overwhelm back to something manageable through a variety of tools. I follow that up with step-by-step actions that will help propel you forward so that you are not reacting to your medical issues through panic, but with self-care and gentleness.

Something else that sets me apart, is that I ONLY work with people & their families who have been touched by a critical or terminal illness. I am not a Jill-of-all-trades health coach, but I will refer clients who want to lose weight or get healthy to other coaches or nutritionists.

I work with clients whose lives have been affected by illness and disease. Whether the client is the patient, or is supporting someone who is, being able to rein in the stress and regain control is key to being able to move forward.

Consider what you’ll be doing with me to be a transformational experience with a complete plan and series of action steps that will keep you moving forward. Because not everyone thinks alike or is built alike, or experiences the exact same things, you will find that some action steps will work better than others, but you will keep moving forward, being fully supported as you reach for your goals.

NO! Coaches and mental health practitioners are different, and require different training and certifications. But learning how to manage the overwhelm with practical behavioural changes in nutrition, movement and sleep, can go a long way to keeping you mentally healthy. Coaches, mental health practitioners and doctors can work together for even greater benefits. Having a great team supporting you can make a world of difference!

Yes! They love the on-going support and ability to stretch themselves. If that is something you’d like, I share more information with you as we get closer to the completion of the program.

Yes! The result of our work together will be an approach to food, movement, overwhelm, and other factors, that has you feeling less stress, more in control and able to face what may lie ahead.

At this point, I only have a limited number of openings for new clients per month in my schedule, so please know I am very selective about who I work with, and may gently choose to turn away people who not are suited for my program and won’t get the results they would have invested in (it wouldn’t be fair to them).

My coaching is NOT for people who aren’t ready to commit financially to transformation, and is NOT for people who want a list of “eat this, not that”. Another kind of person I won’t work with is the whiner or chronic skeptic, as well as individuals who consistently don’t show up to sessions or make excuses to not do the action steps. Please know that I understand that pain can be a barrier to doing all you want to do, but it should not affect your action steps. Having pain doesn't make you a whiner...complaining but not taking steps to improve your quality of life does.

If you are one of these people, I gently and respectfully ask that you not schedule an initial conversation with me at this time, and I hope you understand why. We probably won’t work well together, and we’ll end up frustrated. I wouldn’t want you to waste your time or money.

Congratulations on making a decision for a totally new experience. I’m honoured and excited to be your guide on this journey!

• During our first session, we’ll talk about your goals and what areas you want to focus on

• This is a fluid process, so your focus for each session may change.

Tackling everything involved in the program is a lot on our own and often overwhelming to the point that it is easier to stay where we are. Coaching is a process that is facilitated in a specific way so you can be different, without having to think about being different. The first step is raising awareness about what we really desire for ourselves and our lives.