Seriously. What Could Life Coaching do for Me?

PTSD survivor and author of The Invisible Storm, Juanima Hiatt have discussed PTSD and triggers … we’ve chatted about what hinders a survivor’s healing process, how PTSD relates to post-adoption issues, and what friends and family CAN do to help.

Whew, I’m exhausted already …

But I haven’t shared my personal connection to her, and I want need to do that today.

While Juanima Hiatt was training for her Life Coach certification, she offered her friends a free 45-minute telephone consultation. Always on the look-out for something to write about Always one to want to help, I volunteered and the appointment was set.

Aaaaand then I got depressed.

I’d been doing really well watching for my triggers, paying attention to the physical signals from my body that depression may be encroaching. But it just slipped through the cracks. Before I knew it, I was curled up in bed, and the thought of talking to anyone, especially a stranger over the phone, was … terrifying.

But, I’d made a public commitment here on this blog to be open and honest. So, instead of making up some excuse, I just told her straight up:

I’m going through a slight depression period right now, I need to focus on functioning, and I simply cannot talk.

I have to take care of myself, make sure I get out of bed every morning, so I can take care of my children and be a good mother. I’m sorry.

Juanima didn’t give up on me, she didn’t scold me or shame me. She just wrote a quick note that she understood and she asked that we keep in touch.

It took a few days, and a few good metaphorical self-inflicted swift-kicks-in-the-ass to pull me and my damaged psyche up by the bootstraps and back to (relatively) normal, sane-based thinking.* We rescheduled, but my next problem was

What in the hot-place do I talk to her about?

Juanima told me

Honestly, it’s completely up to you. We can do any area of your life. You bring the topic that perhaps is weighing heaviest on you. And it’s not really counseling–I don’t tell you what to do.

We come to the call as co-active partners, and as a coach I help draw out your own wisdom and insight to come up with the best solutions and a plan for you. It’s such an amazing process! So it can be relationship-based, or something just about you you’d like to improve or change or get “unstuck”. It can be a goal you haven’t been able to accomplish. It can be any frustration in your life.

As far as specialty, though, I feel extra connected to people who are dealing with crazy! Haha!  But seriously, given my history with PTSD, as my practice expands, I want to work with people who are feeling stuck with anxiety and stress and are having trouble moving forward in their life and achieving their goals.

But for you, it can be anything.

So decide on your specific agenda or topic you want to discuss, and then have a “take away,” or what you’d like to leave the session with.

So … I went into the call with an open mind, but still lacking a specific topic.

I just knew I had this amorphous frustration with the fact that I hadn’t “caught” the depression trigger in time.

How I broke free from an emotional trigger

As we spoke, Juanima expertly drew out a real live active trigger. Let me just say here and now: the woman is amazing. She has this uncanny ability to be a true active listener, allowing silences to let me figure out things myself, while interjecting suggestions at just the right moment.

We realized that it had to do with rejection <<<waves arms–Hello? Post-adoption issue over here on Aisle 1!>>> and we discussed concrete ways I could

1. recognize the trigger for what it is: just a trigger, nothing more, and

2. not let it affect me in the ways it has in the past.

Of course, it’s more complicated than a two-sentence explanation.

But Juanima was able to hear the underlying message of my confused, emotional ramblings. She understood, and she helped me with clear, actionable steps for overcoming the “rejection trigger”; one that’s led me right into my depression fog for years. Yes. In 45 minutes.

It was only one teeny tiny trigger, but after we spoke, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me.

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Today, I’m talking more with Juanima about life coaching. And I am so excited that she has offered a free 45-minute consulting session to especially for my readers!

What the heck is Life Coaching?

Laura — You’ve just received your Life Coaching certification. What’s that all about? How does it work?

Juanima – I like to call myself a Transformational Coach, because my mission is to help people transform their lives from a place of stagnancy and frustration, to a place of inspired motivation to break through the obstacles that keep them from having the life they want. I have a special place in my heart for people who struggle with anxiety (including PTSD), feel stuck, and desperately want to move forward.

Coaching is not counseling. A therapist will typically focus on root issues from the past and help you heal old wounds. There are times when therapy is needed in order for the individual to heal and move forward in their life.

A life coach, however, starts with the present and helps a client manifest the dreams and visions they have for their future. Sometimes there are obstacles in the way that stem from ineffective thinking or negative self-beliefs. Rather than analyze and dissect the reasons behind those obstacles, I’ll help a client focus on a new story, and as co-creative partners, we bring out the brilliance and beauty that has always been inside them.

When an individual is finally able to drop that “old story,” and the inhibiting beliefs and self-doubt that have held them back, incredible, dramatic change occurs.  It’s such a thrill to be a part of!

I invite anyone to experience this inspirational process through a complimentary 45-minute coaching session.

If you have a struggle in your life that has been holding you back and challenging you to no end, I invite you to see how coaching can help you break free from it once and for all.

You can email me at Juanima@healingmindscoaching.com to schedule your free session.

Thanks so much, Laura!

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Juanima Hiatt is the mother of two girls, a life coach, speaker, and author. Her compelling memoir, The Invisible Storm, portrays her battle with PTSD and what it takes to overcome the disorder. Her uplifting blog focuses on healthy living, PTSD, and positive life change.

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I invite you to catch up on this eye-opening, important PTSD series with Juanima:

• Part 1 — PTSD, Not Only for Ex-Soldiers
• Part 2 — Trauma, Adoption & PTSD, what not to say
• Part 3 — What You CAN Do To  Support a Trauma Survivor

* Clinical depression is often such that “up-by-the-bootstraps” positive thinking isn’t enough. It requires therapy and medication.

“Dummy Climbing Up From Ground” by Salvatore Vuono, “3d Chain Breaking – Isolated Over A White Background” by David Castillo Dominici, and “Bird Cages Painted On White Wall” by Toa55 from freedigitalphotos.net