Meet Coach Kelly Burke

Kelly Burke

Tel: (508) 361-7276
kckaleidoscopecoaching@gmail.com

Tell us about your background.

I was raised, with a surplus of love, by top-notch parents and their village in Massachusetts and I’m eternally grateful for my upbringing. Family, friends and my relationships are what matter most to me. I’ve studied everything from biology to massage therapy, personal training to coaching and I continually learn how much more I need to learn! I LOVE to LAUGH and consider myself an ambassador for spreading joy and fulfillment. I think of myself as a passionate person and one of the things about which I’m most passionate is personal transformation for myself and others.

What brought you to coaching?

Fear paralyzed me for years from taking a step in a new direction from my original career in project management in the pharmaceutical industry. The sea of corporate buzzwords, recurring office problems and golden salary handcuffs had me drowning in dread each morning and self-loathing for being ungrateful for what was—for all intents and purposes—a fantastically full life of unfulfillment.

I always wanted to be a coach of some kind and figured I’d end up coaching my kids’ soccer games. I stumbled into life coaching when I started exploring my interest in human behavior, personal change and what it takes to create fulfillment and change.

Are there any particular life experience that inform your coaching?

My own and others’ personal transformations inform my coaching.

No two people are alike, which I find beautiful. I’m deeply interested in the mind-body connection.

What is your mission as a coach?

Every cell in my body craves helping others overcome obstacles that stand in the way of their dreams and goals. Fortunately, I know I can’t change anyone but myself. Through coaching I provide clients with a space and tools to uncover more about themselves. My mission is to help them gain new insight and perspective and empower them to start their journeys.

What kind of client do you most enjoy working with?

I enjoy clients who are hungry—even just a bit hungry—to learn more about themselves and love learning in general. My coaching juices start flowing when I meet clients who are feeling stuck.

Where and how often do you meet with your clients?

We start with a complimentary session to determine if the coaching relationship is a good fit for both of us. All sessions are conducted via phone and sometimes Skype (for international call alternatives). The client and I determine the appropriate frequency; we generally have two to three sessions a month.

What is the most important thing a new client should know about you as her coach?

I am driven by the infinite possibilities in life and I want to do all I can to help clients squeeze every drop out of their lives.

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Meet Coach Catharine Ecton

Catharine Ecton, ACC, CPCC

Tell us about your background.

I help clients in transition to create a plan to help them to lead the life they want because I know first-hand the challenges of change. I moved over 15 times in the US and around the world. During those years I raised a family, started and ended jobs, went to graduate school in a foreign country, learned new languages, and created and re-created plans for a fulfilling life wherever we lived. Sometimes those plans were difficult to make and often they were difficult to execute. These changes forced me to grow and stretch beyond my comfort zone into areas that proved exciting and stimulating. The unexpected results gave me insights into my personal values and life goals. As a coach I use this experience and learning to encourage others who want to do things differently, who may feel stuck or who are relocating.

What brought you to coaching?

As a FabOverFifty woman I have the opportunity to use my education and life experiences to show others that change is possible at any point in life. It is never too late to go in a new direction. I am the person who inspires and stimulates such action.

Are there any particular life experiences that inform your coaching?

Everything informs my coaching. I have had a rich and exciting life that continues to evolve in unexpected ways. Learning and challenge are important values for me and I have had my share of both over the years. In my coach training and busy practice I have discovered that self-enlightenment is the greatest contribution an individual can give to the universe.

What is your mission as a coach?

I want to help clients focus on individual goals for a fulfilling life. Together, we discover personal values and develop insights that will take clients on their transition journeys. My mission is their mission. My step-by-step approach includes the exploration of documented stages in transition: exhilaration, alienation, re-organization, adaptation.

What kind of client do you most enjoy working with?

I love the clients who find themselves in a transition, either by personal choice or imposed by circumstances, and want to create a purposeful and balanced life as they enter another stage. I also enjoy people who are dedicated to making changes because of personal circumstances or who are stretching into new areas of learning. I have expertise working with clients from other cultures who are experiencing culture shock in a new environment. That builds on my experience as a cross-cultural trainer with the Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Self-enlightenment is the greatest contribution an individual can give to the universe.

Tell us about your workshops and presentations.

I have given several teleseminars on Thrive in a New Culture and Your Transition. I am an experienced trainer and have assisted in coaching workshops sponsored by the Coaches Training Institute.

Where and how often do you meet with your clients?

I coach most of my clients by phone for an average of two hours per month for three to six months. I also meet one-on-one with clients who live in the Washington, D.C. area.

Waht is the most important thing a new client should know about you as a coach?

I am energetic, I have a great sense of humor and a lot of wisdom. I bring warmth and empathy to the coaching relationship while being demanding and non-judgmental about client choices. I am passionate about this work.

Meet Coach Linda Ratcliff

Linda Ratcliff

Tell us about your background and what brought you to coaching.

I was born in Washington, DC, and have lived there or in its suburbs all my life. Looking back, it was a great place to grow up. I was surrounded by all types of people, from our nanny, who took wonderful care of me and whom I loved deeply, to my parents who were both mathematicians, to the scientists and professors from all over the world who visited our family and sometimes lived with us for months.

After college, I taught for 30 years, fully enjoying primary age children and then, later, teaching learning-disabled children. Their parents often dropped by for a conversation, and I learned to listen to their problems. I loved that part of the day and took courses in counseling to improve my ability to help them. After some years of retirement and feeling unsettled, I looked into counseling again and discovered life coaching, a way to help people who are capable of learning, recovering, and taking action. I love that life coaching is about the coach and the client working together, rather than the therapeutic model where the client needs help and the therapist gives it.

I love to help people who are in pain and need to find their direction and who begin to feel empowered as we work together.

I’ve had lots of life experience. I’ve been single, married, divorced, and remarried. I’ve experienced family with dementia, cancer, mental illness, and death. I’ve experienced being a grandmother, a sister, and a wife. I’ve gone through hard times; I’ve had amazingly joyful times.

What is your definition of coaching?

Life coaching is a chance to plan your future rather then to just be washed along as things happen. It is a way of focusing on a future that you really want. It allows you to evaluate your goals and direction with a fine-tooth comb! It allows the client a chance to be held accountable. Life coaching is about continued growth, regardless of age. As a life coach I am there to raise the bar, to love and to support you.

Who most benefits from your style of coaching?

Men and women begin to rethink their lives around 35 and often make major changes. They get married, they may get divorced, and they may change jobs, when they start feeling that the job their parents pushed them toward isn’t what they enjoy. This is where I come in and why I called my business Life Stages Coaching.

My clients are serious about improving, even transforming, their lives. Most of them have not yet discovered their life purpose and are floundering, wondering why they are not content with their life or work. Once we begin the process of discovering their purpose, their life becomes easier, more productive, and more fulfilling. I love clients who are enthusiastic about our work together and who work collaboratively with me to achieve their goals. I love to help people who are in pain and need to find their direction and who begin to feel empowered as we work together.

I offer free consultations to see if we can work well together. Together, we design our alliance, our plan of action. I charge by the session (currently $115) and my clients do not sign agreements that force them into plans they must pay off. Most alliances last six months to a year, with check-ins as needed and desired.

Meet Coach Cindy Hooker

Cindy Hooker

Tell us about your background.

I’m 53 and I’ve had many jobs, including waitress, travel agent, Nordstrom sales associate, Navy Petty Officer, college English instructor and now, Coach. I have an MA in English and I’m a sucker for a good story. My master’s portfolio focused on the Renaissance, and I love the arts. I was stationed in Wales and Guam in the Navy, which secured my love of travel. Some of favorite places are Sukhothai, Thailand; Madrid, Spain, and anywhere in Ireland. I practice yoga two to three times a week and boot camp three times a week.

Are you or have you been married and what’s your view on marriage?

I married, nine years ago, for the first time. He’s a wonderful man. We don’t have children, but we do have three golden retrievers. It’s great being married and having a partner for life, and I want to be the best partner I can be. We enjoy doing many things together, such as traveling, yet we also have our individual interests. I like that I can have my own hobbies and activities and that he can have his.

While it works for me, I realize marriage isn’t for everyone. There are all forms of relationships and each of us has to decide what kind of relationship we want and who we want to be in the relationship. That’s the most important decision.

I am helping women become the jewels they were meant to be.

What brought you to coaching?

After a long career in human resources, coaching managers and employees, I decided to become a certified coach and start my own business. There’s a moment when clients achieve clarity that gives me great satisfaction. That feeling also comes when I teach. I always wanted to help people become their best selves, and knew that work didn’t have to be a chore. That doesn’t mean I have always chosen the best direction in my career. The reason I resonate with women and their transitions is because I’ve reinvented myself multiple times. At sixteen I was a high school dropout working as a waitress at a truck stop. I always intuited there was something more that I should be doing. It took many years and a Master’s degree to figure it out, but here I am helping women become the jewels they were meant to be.

What is your mission as a coach?

I want to compassionately provide feedback and accountability to women who wish to change their lives in extraordinary ways.

Are there any particular life experiences that inform your coaching?

I draw on the whole package, good and not so good. The jobs that challenged me to the core have created the most growth for me and make me a better coach, including my four-plus years in the Navy, being a college instructor and a vice president of human resources. I had success and failures in every position and experienced issues of confidence, work-life balance and fear of change. All this guides my coaching.

What famous women do you most admire?

I adore Katherine Hepburn for her authenticity and femininity in pants; Isabelle Allende, because she writes such passionate, heart-wrenching stories and Susan Butcher for her strength of will and love of nature and dogs.

How do women most sabotage themselves?

We lack confidence, don’t trust our intuition, allow situations or people to step on our values. We stay in situations, jobs or relationships because we care what others think of us.

What kind of client do you most enjoy working with?

Women who truly want to make change. If you are committed to show up and do the work, I want to speak to you!

Where and how often do you meet with your clients?

I consult with nearly all of my clients via telephone or Skype. My appointments vary widely. I meet some clients twice a month for one hour each time, others four times a month for 30 to 40 minute sessions, still others for less time. I usually recommend starting with two hours a month and going from there.

I always am available via text or email for communication between sessions.

Tell us about your workshops and presentations.

I provide workshops on finding happiness at work and at home, discovering and using your strengths, 360 degree feedback for leaders, and I’m available by request for other topics.

What is the most important thing a new client should know about you as their coach?

I have your back and I am truly in awe of your strengths as well as your vulnerability. I will compassionately provide you with honest feedback. I will hold you to your goals as if they were mine.

Your transition is safe with me as your co-pilot.

Meet Coach Mike Halsey

Mike Halsey

Age: 46

Tell us about your background

I’m 46 and live in New York City. I have a B.A. in Economics from UCLA, was in the U.S. Navy for 10 years, and have been a pilot for a major US airline for 14 years. I love travel, visits with family and friends, surfing, reading, guitar, and live music.

Are or have you been married, and what’s your view on marriage?

I was married for over 18 years to an extraordinary woman. I did and always will love her from the core of my soul. It was the most harrowing challenge of my life to finally accept that our best selves simply were not well-suited to flourishing together as husband and wife. Divorce tore me to pieces emotionally, and then allowed me to put myself back together in a much more authentic and full form.

I believe committed partnership can be a uniquely life-enriching gift, or a crutch for our saddest insecurities, depending on how we design and live into it each moment. Marriage is one possible structure in that design. I feel we should champion devoted love in all forms, but never burden couples with an expectation that marriage is some kind of cure-all, end game or societal “stamp of approval” in and of itself.

What brought you to coaching?

The end of my marriage shook up many stuck habits and latent dreams, and also a ton of pain and fear. Sitting on the couch one gorgeous spring day in my cool new Georgetown bachelor pad, I was shocked to suddenly realize I had no absolutely no idea what mattered to me! I knew that I loved my family and friends dearly, but that was about all I was clear on. What was my purpose? My contribution to the world? Did it matter at all what I did, or even what I thought? My lack of answers scared the heck out of me.

Airline flying was what I did, but had never been who I was. People, relationships and creative possibility captivated my imagination. In spite of the “doing” stuff I had filled my life with, my heart always ached for richer experience, more meaningful happiness, and deeper understanding of why we’re all here. My brain recognized this calling–fulfillment–as the ultimate end goal of everything we humans do, but I had only the foggiest dreams of what it could look like in my real life.

As I know now, a foggy dream is a good enough place to start.

I was told I needed to write, I needed to speak before groups–those were my clearest gifts. Lovingly worn and notated books on psychology, spirit and self-development filled my home, fueling my dreams while silently chiding my stagnation. But it wasn’t until I worked with a skilled and perceptive career coach that these inklings crystallized into a clear vision and a concrete conduit for my gifts and values. I soon found myself enrolled in over a year of intensive coach training and certification. Since then, Mike Halsey Coaching has grown into the centerpiece of my inward and outward life purpose.

I best serve those who feel a deep sense of some important calling–even if they can’t yet name it–and who hunger to answer it.

What is your mission as a coach?

My mission is helping people to live the really cool lives of their dreams. I believe this is important in the grandest sense imaginable.

I believe happiness is more than a selfish indulgence with transient rewards. To the contrary, it seems that if we have any purpose at all in this universe, it is naturally steered and motivated by the spark which shapes our deepest wants and curiosities. In my estimation, the clearest sign that we are “doing what we are supposed to” is when life feels thrilling, juicy and deeply satisfying. Why else would Nature wire us this way?

The path to fulfillment looks different to each of us, of course, but its rewards are shared by all. Joyful and purposeful living is contagious, and I would like to see it become epidemic. My commitment–what thrills and motivates me–is to help others access the vision and energy already inside them, to blow past or straight through useless fears, and then transform life into an experience even greater than they could have imagined.

Are there any particular life experiences which inform your coaching?

My childhood spent “in the middle” between two wonderful sisters, divorced parents and step parents, gave me an appreciation of how good people can vary so widely in their perspectives and struggles. This shakes up any tendency (in myself or with my clients) to buy into any reflexive judgement or rigid world view, thus opening up a playground of possibility in which to experiment.

Flying Navy jets from aircraft carriers and then instructing the next generation of tactical aviators taught me a ton about shattering self-limiting beliefs, and what amazing stuff lies on the other side of fear. The incredible sailors and Marines I led and followed opened my eyes to the unique capacities we each have, and how a spark of motivation can be nurtured into miracles of performance. I’ve learned this to be true of individuals and teams of any size or complexity.

My richest lessons of all, though, have come from a goldmine of personal and family relationships which continuously point me toward life’s highest meaning.

What famous women do you most admire?

Rock stars come to mind: Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Madonna, Lady Gaga. These ladies hung their inspiration, sexuality and wild creativity way out there, with no guarantee at all of approval or acceptance, and virtual certainty that many would judge and chastise them. Fearless, genuine and vividly alive!

How do women most sabotage themselves?

My gut answer is easy: Women sabotage their greatness by looking outside themselves for the rules of how to be, for validation, and for love. Strong, brilliant women commonly waste valuable energy looking to society, romantic partners, mothers–anyone but themselves–to let them know they are getting it right, that they are simply OK.

As a coach, the most important thing I can do is help my clients move away from such pointless habits as wholly and rapidly as possible. They resist, of course. (There is a certain comfort in hiding from choice, right?) Fortunately, the thrill of finding and following one’s own internal compass is irresistible once tasted, so my prodding role usually morph’s quickly into one of smiling support and applause.

What kind of client do you most enjoy working with?

I best serve those who feel a deep sense of some important calling–even if they can’t yet name it–and who hunger to answer it. Whether in career, relationships or self/spiritual development, this usually appears as a nagging little voice which whispers (or screams) something like, “There is untapped richness here. Life could be so much better. Make it happen!” Eagerness to explore non-linear solutions and powerful, creative shifts in perspective is a major plus, too.

While I’ve chosen not to limit my practice to a specific topical or demographic niche, the vast majority of my clients are women who are either contemplating or in the middle of major life transitions. They are often torn between a knowing heart thrilled by life’s potential, and a mix of fear, guilt and obligations to others.

I simply love helping these wonderful ladies to transform what may have seemed like selfish, unrealistic or downright crazy dreams into wholesome and utterly fulfilling new realities.

Where and how often do you meet with your clients?

Almost all of my coaching is done via phone or Skype with great clients around the world, but I am also available for in-person sessions in New York City. We generally meet for three 40-50 minute sessions per month, or two longer sessions of 60-75 minutes each, depending upon your situation and preferences.

Tell us about your workshops and presentations.

This is a great new adventure for me, a natural extension of both my personal journey and professional mission. Unlike individual coaching, which requires that I constantly clean my slate of personal opinions, priorities or expectations, keynotes and workshops allow me to create fun and valuable learning from all that this rich life has provided — bloopers, heartaches and “greatest hits” included.

Whether in a high-impact talk of 15 to 60 minutes or an interactive workshop of a few hours or days, my goal in group work is to jumpstart big, positive and lasting change. I tailor my message to the unique makeup and priorities of each new audience, leveraging the most powerful themes which have shown up time and time again in my own life and through my clients’ shared journeys.

I’m not big on scripts, lectures or one-way preaching; but I do have great fun smashing false mental barriers. So if you invite me to work with your group, expect to be shaken (with a smile, promise), awakened, and challenged to play well outside of any comfy confines or boxed paradigms.

What is the most important thing a new client should know about you as their coach?

That I love them. Seriously. We may never meet in person, but when you invite me to partner with you in the most important venture of all–your life–I consider it a great honor and responsibility. You enter the fabric of my thoughts 24/7. During and between sessions, I challenge myself to abandon comfort zones and constantly reevaluate what is possible in the service of your.

Since I may often hold you in higher regard than you do yourself, I will ask you to try ideas and actions you might never ask of yourself. When you stumble, I will champion your courage and effort. When you succeed, we will celebrate. I will support your vision of what your best life, and I will never judge.

It thrills me to witness a life transformed, and I’m well aware that such a shift sends positive ripples far out into the world we all share.