ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Becky. I am a coach, an artist, a mom, a thinker, and a lifelong student of the natural world. For me, the woods always remind me to slow down, breathe, and listen– to nature, to myself, and to the deeper layers of life. My work with women navigating big life transitions is rooted in that same sense of presence, reflection, and connection.

I’m guessing, like me, some aspect of your life has upended in a big way. A chapter in your life is closing– whether it’s a marriage, kids going off to college, a medical diagnosis that changes your trajectory, or a realization that you can’t keep doing what you’ve been doing– and you feel untethered and confused. You might be grieving what has been lost and are experiencing fear and overwhelm about what is next. Maybe you have lost your sense of self and are hustling to find meaning and purpose, a path forward that feels good. Thoughts that you should be able to handle this and figure things out on your own make you feel like you’re the only one. You feel emotionally stuck, but I can assure you that you are not.

I have been where you are. 

Here is what I’ve learned:

• Fear, confusion, and overwhelm can wreak havoc in our lives, but do not define us.

• The parts of us that tend to make our lives difficult, ie, perfectionism and people pleasing, are actually attempting to keep us safe. 

• Painful feelings and beliefs that we suppress or avoid are unproductive and detrimental to our well-being and by leaning in with compassion, we can begin to understand these parts of us and give ourselves the grace we’ve been yearning for in order to heal.

• Our bodies hold incredible wisdom and guidance if we are present enough to listen. 

• Our presence helps us to let go of the past and release fear so that we can step into the future fully and enthusiastically and be excited about what is next. 

• Our Core-Self is the place within us where we find the answers we are seeking, the care our parts need, and a path forward.

• Core-Self alignment helps us create the distance we need from the parts of ourselves that keep us stuck and small out of fear.. 

If any of this resonates with you, you are not alone. Feeling confused, afraid, and overwhelmed are natural human responses to the challenges of change, and asking for help is a sign of courage, not weakness. This is what I have learned on my journey, and it is what drives the deeper work that I do with my clients. 

Today, I live in Portland, Maine– a city I adore– with my husband and our two dogs, Rosie and Rita. My daughters are grown and thriving and it is such a thrill to watch them as they shine their light into the world. I take time every day for activities like creating art, practicing mindfulness, and spending time in the woods because it helps me stay present and grounded which allows me to do the work I love. Serving my clients and witnessing their learning and growth brings me such joy.

~ I value the freedom to be unapologetically ourselves, to prioritize joy, to love fiercely, to lean into our own wisdom, and to create with abandon. 

~I believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. I wholeheartedly support equality, inclusion, and respect for all– including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and people of color.

~I read– a lot. My days begin with books that inspire growth and often end with historical fiction, although surprisingly, I have become a fan of fantasy. Some of my favorite reads are The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

~I live for my morning coffee. Please don’t acknowledge my existence before I consume my first cup!

~I am an unashamed tree hugger and dirt grubber. When I’m not working, I am likely in the woods with my furry friend, Rosie, or digging in our gardens. 

~I am passionate about art and have fun creating quirky mixed-media pieces using as many different mediums and materials as I can find. 

~I love to laugh, and I am oh so easily instigated by my husband’s irreverent sense of humor, absurd dog memes, and silly pranks.

~As an HSP (highly sensitive person) with a strong sense of empathy, I create spaces that feel calm and safe. I can listen beyond the words spoken, can sense the meaning in a pause, hesitation, or energy shift, and intuitively understand what others might be experiencing. In other words, I have a sixth sense for feelings– mine, yours, and sometimes the neighbor's dog!

I majored in painting as an undergraduate, went on to get certified in art education, and later completed graduate work in elementary education. I worked as a teacher for over twenty years before I made a shift towards more creative endeavors. After several years of freedom pursuing my art interests, I decided to return to school in the hopes of helping people find meaning and purpose in their lives. I attended The Mindfulness Coaching School in Sante Fe, NM, and I am credentialed through the International Coaching Federation. Additional trainings include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Internal Family Systems for coaches. 

In my early thirties, I was faced with one of the most challenging transitions of my life. I married young and quickly had three beautiful daughters. By my 33rd birthday, however, my marriage had fallen apart, and  I was plagued with anxiety and fear about what was next for me and my family. As I pushed through exhaustion, I was filled with shame over the failure of my marriage and the intense struggle that I found myself in, and I was convinced that I was the only one in this place.

In an effort to regain control of my life and move forward; perfectionism, overdoing, and people pleasing began to dominate my life. I filled my days with endless to-do lists and caretaking responsibilities that kept me in this relentless spiral. I love my daughters endlessly and take my role as their mother to heart. And I believed that if I just tried harder, I would “figure things out”-heal from a broken marriage, be a stellar mom, a thriving breadwinner, and find the life I yearned for.  I loved caring for my children, but I personally felt miserable, stuck, and utterly confused about how to move forward.

During this time, I read self-help books, took supplements to combat my exhaustion, tried sleeping more, tried sleeping less, and I realized it was not enough, as anxiety bumped alongside me like a shadow from the minute I woke up until I finally fell asleep at night. I turned to exercise.  I ran—a lot. And experienced temporary relief, but the pace wasn’t sustainable, and the relief wasn’t lasting. 

I decided to invest in therapy, which helped me “put out the fires” in my life and gain clarity around how I arrived in my present situation; however, I wasn’t making progress toward a more balanced, happy life. 

At a certain point, I came across a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course that opened up the door to the next chapter of my life. A breakthrough happened with this mindfulness practice that helped me slow down, become more self-aware, and accept myself and my life exactly as it was. I began to ask for help when I needed it, took self-care more seriously, and was able to be more present with my daughters and myself and that’s when balance and happiness became more accessible. 

This was part of the answer, but not the whole story, as I continued to battle with fear, habits, and stories within me that blocked my way forward to a happy, balanced, and fulfilled life. I struggled to reconcile being raised during the 1970s and 1980s, when girls were conditioned to work hard, be productive, and prioritize the needs of others, while striving to achieve prescribed ideals of beauty and success with prioritizing my own needs and being true to myself. 

With my mindfulness practice in hand, I found an Internal Family Systems coach who had her own mindfulness practice. I was on my way to unraveling a quagmire of beliefs, expectations, and behaviors that no longer served me and kept me stuck.