Dana's Story
Who am I? I am a teacher, leader and communicator. I describe myself as someone who has “teaching bones.” I should have known that I would be a teacher or leader in some capacity. It became evident fairly early in my life.
As an elementary student, when a school year would draw to a close, I saved my notebooks so I could use them to play “school.” I was the teacher. My younger sister and brother as well as my next door neighbour became my students. On our back deck on a hot June day, I gathered my students for a wonderful exploration of the provinces of Canada and their capitals. It was an irresistible presentation despite the repeated question, “When can we go play?”
Growing up, my mother was a catechism teacher. I loved to help run the class. I reviewed the readings then provided my insight on how the lesson should flow with the appropriate supporting activities. One day she actually let me conduct my own class. In a makeshift classroom in the basement next to the washing machine, I doled out my inspirational philosophies and wisdom with a dash of humour at the ripe old age of 11.
I was always drawn to teaching. I loved the feeling of delivering valuable information. I loved the feeling of creating and designing so that learning was fun, yet meaningful. I certified my teaching bones when I graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 1994. I was officially a teacher!
Instead of pursuing a life as school teacher, I pursued opportunities in the business world. If it is true that success is just outside your comfort zone, then I was brilliantly successful! I was comfortable in the role as teacher, but now I was definitely the student. I learned about selling, how to be part of a dynamic team, importance of communication between people and departments, and what is needed to be a leader. I didn’t know it yet, but these were all pieces of the puzzle I would need years later. Throughout my business career, I never abandoned my teaching bones. You can never abandon that which you are. Any opportunity I had to teach, lead or communicate, I grabbed it.
As each year passed, however, I began to question what I really wanted from a career and from life. As the questions about what I wanted to do with my life surfaced repeatedly, I stepped back from the work world to raise my children full time. One day, in the midst of my domestic goddess work, my husband arrived home from a course where he learned about using coaching in the work place. He was inspired by the woman who passionately led the course. My husband, in turn, passionately, pointed his finger at me and said, “This was you. This woman was you. This is what you are supposed to be doing.” As I rocked a child back and forth on my hip, I said, “That’s great, but I don’t know what to do about it.” I had nothing against which to register the word coaching. It didn’t mean anything to me. I could, however, feel the passion and genuine connection he had made between coaching and me.
Fast forward two more years. I was feeling stuck. I didn’t know where I was supposed to be going next. My youngest child had one more year at home with me before going off to Kindergarten. I wanted to make plans so that when she went off to school, I had something to work on as well. What was I going to do? What did my future hold? I was feeling the urge to discover what I was supposed to in this life.
I knew I could get a job. I would be a great employee, but it wasn’t about getting a job. It was about me – my purpose, my passion. I was at my wit’s end thinking about what I wanted to do with my life when I was fortunate to be introduced to a coach by friends.
After about three sessions with my coach, I could feel the fog lifting. What we were exploring was amazing. Being coached was one of the most powerful things I had ever done for myself. All of a sudden the sky was the limit. I was identifying what I wanted and I started moving forward with plans. By being exposed to coaching, I realized that becoming a coach was another piece of the puzzle for me.
A few months ago, I was cleaning out a closet. I stumbled upon paperwork from the coaching course my husband took four years previous. The word coaching on the cover struck me. As I flipped through the coursework, I mumbled, “This is what I do now.” I showed this to my husband, “Why didn’t you tell me about this? This is really useful stuff.” He said, “I did tell you about it. This is the course taught by the lady I was telling you about a few years ago.” Hmmm….I wonder if I found coaching or coaching found me. It is said that what you are looking for is also looking for you.
For me, marrying coaching with my teaching bones along with my ability to communicate is powerful. I am in awe how all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Even the lessons from my business experience are coming in to play as I cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit. My extraordinary life is coming together. It just doesn’t happen without putting some action behind your dreams and goals. The successful plans are the ones you execute.
I invite you to accelerate your personal and professional growth. Your extraordinary life is awaiting you. As your coach, I promise to be committed to your learning. I will support you, challenge you and cheer you on as you take the action necessary to bring about the life you want.