Get To Know Your Coach
When you decide to work with a life coach, you're not just signing up for professional guidance but you're also inviting someone into your very personal journey of self-discovery and growth. From my own experience working with a coach, I understand that the process can sometimes feel a bit intimidating which is why I thought it would be helpful for you to get to know me on a more personal level. This process of getting acquainted is crucial to building a genuine relationship of comfortability and trust. I think it’s so important as a coach to be transparent, relatable and more than anything else, warm and approachable so that all of my potential and existing clients feel safe and heard when we work together. Having a good rapport with one another allows you to get as much impact as possible out of each of our sessions together. So whether you are here to explore coaching for the first time, or ready to jump in and get going or even if you’re just looking for a trusted positive psychology resource, I am here to help guide and support you at whatever stage of your journey that you’re on. I am very excited to share a small little piece of my personal and coaching world with you, let’s get started!
WHO AM I?
I am a born and bred New Yorker having grown up on Long Island, not too far from the city. I come from a big Italian family and was fortunate enough to grow up with a lot of aunts, uncles, cousins and yes, amazing homecooked food! I am the oldest of three and have always been a very independent person, even from a young age. I like to figure things out for myself, carve my own path and lead my life in a way that works best for me. I consider myself to be quite resilient and although I’ve had my fair share of setbacks and stumbles over the years, I always manage to “bounce forward” from them both happier and stronger.
Aside from being a Positive Psychology Coach, I am also a devoted wife, mother and homemaker. My husband and I are high school sweethearts having met at a very young age. In fact, the first time we crossed paths was on a 6th grade Yorkers trip across the bridge in Philly when I told him that astronaut ice cream was gross. It would however be a few more years before we ended up together, even though we were in the same grade and school. We began dating in the beginning of 11th grade at the young age of 16, went off to college together, got married soon after graduation and the rest is beautiful history. We have two amazing children, our daughter Emerson who is now in 11th grade and our son, Grayden who is in 6th grade. My daughter is a competitive Irish Step dancer and has been stepping since she was just five years old. My son is the little jokester in the family and loves to play soccer. A few years ago we decided we wanted a change of scenery so we traded in the hustle and bustle of NY for a more quiet, laid back and rural lifestyle in western NJ. Although COVID was a bit of a snag when we first moved here, I have to come love our new surroundings and although I miss good pizza and bagels, I wouldn’t want to ever move back to the island.
No matter what life throws at me, I try hard to always remain grateful for the good fortune in my life and I hope to never take it for granted. I am a “glass half full” girl and an eternal optimist. As a coach, it’s my passion to bring that same positivity and hope to all of my clients.
WHAT IS MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
My collegiate background is a beautiful complement to my coaching education and career as it has helped to me to develop into a very well-rounded and knowledgeable coach. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and then went on to earn my Masters of Science in Education from Hofstra University.
I received my formal coaching training from the Institute for Life Coach Training and became a Board Certified Coach soon after. I earned my Executive Coaching Certification and Resilience Certification also through ILCT and I am a fully Certified Positive Psychology Coach through the Wholebeing Institute. Last, but definitely least, I have my Certificate in Happiness Studies from the Happiness Studies Academy (HSA).
I am a lifelong learner and as such, I place great value on education and continued personal growth. Although I have fulfilled all of the necessary requirements to coach, I continue to take classes, seminars and training to further develop myself as well as my coaching skills.
WHAT KIND OF WORK HAVE I DONE?
Before I found my passion and calling to be a Positive Psychology Coach, I was an elementary school teacher with the NYC Department of Education within the Queens borough. I am permanently certified in New York State to teach grades PreK through 6th however, I left teaching after having my daughter in 2008. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom so leaving the classroom was an easy choice for me once she came along. A few years later I had my son and I’ve been a proud stay-at-home mom for the last (almost) 16 years. It’s been the joy of my life to be home with my children and I wouldn’t trade a minute of the time I’ve been able to spend with them. Like children do, they are fast growing up and it made me realize that it was time to start thinking about what would be next for me after being a stay-at-home mom.
Fast forward to early 2022, when I decided to take a leap of faith and go back to school for life coaching. Without any hesitation, I enrolled myself in a variety of wonderful coaching programs and since then I‘ve been coaching clients of all backgrounds to live their best lives and find true happiness. It’s been a profoundly inspiring experience for me and I absolutely love having the opportunity to share my expertise while meeting all types of wonderful people along the way.
WHAT BROUGHT ME TO COACHING?
The short answer to this question is that my own journey of setback, self-improvement and personal growth is what brought me to this profession. I stumbled my way through a pretty tough year back in 2021 and it took lot of hard work and soul searching in order for me to transform my situation into something more balanced and fulfilling. What I learned along the way is that while growth is hard, it’s not impossible and that understanding gave me so much hope as I forged my way forward. In hindsight, I realized that my journey would’ve been a lot easier if I had a coach in my corner supporting me along that way. That realization is what drove me to want to become a support system for anyone else in a similar situation who is feeling overwhelmed and scared by the change process. My personal setback and subsequent triumph is what led me to immerse myself in learning everything that I could to be able to make a real impact in someone else’s life.
WHAT KIND OF COACH AM I?
My coaching expertise is within the domain of Positive Psychology which relies heavily on exploring one’s strengths, focusing on the good and what works well, cultivating an optimistic mindset and building resilience and happiness through the SPIRE model. I start every new coaching engagement by having you take a strengths based survey through the VIA website. Once you better understand your signature strengths, you can use that knowledge to help lead your life in a more positive manner. All coaching sessions are client driven where the focus is on what the YOU need most and would like to work on. I am not here to tell you what to do and how to do it rather, we work together side-by-side to help enact change so you can achieve your goals. I do my best to provide some level of support outside of sessions so that you can maintain your momentum in-between conversations. I encourage you to reach out to me via the Quenza Client Portal should you have any concerns or if you want to share a happy success. I oftentimes will share with you pertinent resources, worksheets or readings that I feel may be useful to you on your journey. Please note, these “shares” are always optional and to be used at your own discretion. I will always strive to create a very warm, comfortable, friendly and trusted space for you so that you leave each session feeling hopeful and inspired. Building a good rapport with one another is very important to me and it’s my hope that through the coaching partnership you are able to transform yourself and live life better.
OTHER LITTLE DETAILS
When I am not learning or coaching, I am busy trying to balance much needed time for myself with being the best mom that I can. I am an excellent home cook and at one point I started my own cooking group along with a successful food blog where I shared recipes, tips and personal stories centered around food. I am also a voracious reader and might have a slight addiction to buying books in addition to loading my Kindle with everything I can get my hands on from the library. Although I am tech savvy and appreciate the ease and usefulness of various apps, I am still a “pen and paper” girl at heart and nothing beats a fresh notebook and a great pen! I love to clean and organize my home because I function best when both my mental and physical clutter are minimized. Autumn is my absolute favorite season, I love cozy warm clothes and comfort food, I regularly practice the Danish art of Hygge and Christmas is my most favorite holiday of the year with Thanksgiving being a close second. My guilty pleasure is really good quality ice cream and listening to Christmas music year round! I tend to be a homebody and really enjoy spending time at home with my husband, kids and dogs. I really appreciate the “simple life”.
So there you have it, me in a nutshell! I hope that this post gave you a little more insight into who I am and what I love. If you’re interested in working with me, you can reach out and schedule a complimentary call at any time to see if we’d be a good fit. Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic day!
