Forward Life Coaching, LLC

Big update: this account is now all about helping young adults & midlife professionals get unstuck and move forward.

Coaching, group programs, speaking and bold transformations — welcome to FORWARD Life Coaching!

Stay tuned ✨

SUCCESS STREAKS - A New Path for Stalled Young Adults 🌱

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at a conference on “Stuck in the Nest,” sharing insights on young adults who feel stalled in reaching successful adulthood. When asked, “How many of you know a young adult in this situation?” three-quarters of the audience raised their hands. It was an impactful reminder of how common this issue is.

What does it mean to feel “stuck”? Many young adults fall into the NEET category (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). They’re capable but paralyzed by overthinking, isolated, and unsure of what comes next. Families feel helpless, and the young adults feel something must be wrong with them.

Success Streaks is a new 4-week program that is launching in January to help these young adults build self-respect, reconnect with their strengths, and take steady, actionable steps forward. Through video lessons and group coaching, Success Streaks provides support, accountability, and a path to renewed hope.

Take the First Step Today:
👥 Join my email list for updates on Success Streaks and more resources to support young adults.
📣 Help me spread the word. Let’s create a supportive path forward! I’ll post again once registration opens!

The Power of Digital Decluttering

Decluttering is uplifting and empowering. Most of us have spent time in the last years letting go of material possessions we no longer need or want. After we start to feel some relief there, what follows naturally is to turn our attention to the digital rooms and spaces in our lives. It turns out that digital clutter impacts our energy and well-being as much as the physical clutter in our homes.

But where do you start, you ask? Here is what I found in several books on the topic:

1. Make a list of the digital spaces that you want to declutter (be ready to be surprised that the list is longer than you thought)
2. Declutter your desktop
3. Review and update your folder system on your laptop and desktop computers
4. Organize and create a refreshed folder system for your digital drives (Google Drive/ One Drive/ Dropbox/ iCloud etc.)
5. Free your email inboxes and get them back to zero (feels so amazing!)
6. Review your files on various apps you might be using (Canva/ Todoist/ Evernote etc.)
7. Review your password management system (or establish one if you do not have one yet- I love the free versions of Bitwarden or LastPass)

Spending as little as 5 minutes per day can create feelings of hope and energy and give you a sense of control when days feel otherwise overwhelming, and the to-do list never seems to end. How would you feel if your digital home was in tip-top shape?

I am a business and reinvention coach and it is my passion to help my clients step into the next best version of themselves. Reach out for a call to see what this might look like for you.

Sometimes we get into our own way by having too many opinions! What would it be like if you decided to do something new and told your judging self to chill for 30 days?

Jackie wanted to try out hot yoga. It was something new. The novelty was exciting to her. She signed up for Bikram Yoga close to her house and decided to go regularly no matter what her opinion would be of the experience. She set a date on her calendar to take herself out for a Starbucks coffee 30 days after signing up and ask her opinion on hot yoga on that coffee date. She then did hot yoga three days per week as agreed and she hated it initially...BUT ...she postponed her judgment. It felt powerful. She was able to have an experience that she treasures now. She learned the Bikram routine, and she got stronger. She realized that she had the power to NOT listen to her judgments. And doing so increased grit and opened the door to other new experiences.

What could you dare to do while ignoring your judging self initially? You could do something a bit out there. Or do something scary and uncomfortable. Give your self-judgment space to comment. Just make sure you "set office hours and keep them"! :)

As a reinvention and business coach, I help you get very clear on what you want more than anything. Then I support you in making it happen. I feel that we all need a coach. I have one. It makes life so much easier and more fun. If you are interested, let’s jump on a call and explore what defining your best future yet might look like. I look forward to our call!

A few years ago I felt so frustrated with the endless dandelions that kept popping up in our flower beds. I felt like Sisyphus. I would spend 3 determined hours pulling as many w**ds as I could and would feel completely exhausted afterward but proud that I had finally tackled the task. But, alas, seemingly within minutes 100 new w**ds immediately seemed to appear. Each pulled w**d seemed to have created two new ones just to defy my efforts. How does anyone keep their yard nice looking without paying an arm and a leg for a landscaping company? We were on a clear budget, saving for college for our three kids and a lawn service was not how we wanted to allocate funds. It felt like an issue that was just not solvable. I felt defeated. Clearly, other people who 'can just do this landscaping thing' had something I just did not have.

Then one day I conceived a radically different approach. I decided to come at it from a different angle, a new paradigm. What if I did something super small but did it every day? What if I pulled 5 w**ds per day? A laughable number, given the unrelenting force of dandelion growth who were smiling defiantly at me as I even pondered the idea. But I decided to give it a try and try it for one season: April-October. What did I have to lose?

Every morning after our three kids got onto the school bus, I walked back to the house and plucked my 5 w**ds a day. Initially, it felt useless, but I stuck with it. Then over time, something powerful happened. On some days I wanted to do a little bit more. Some days I pulled out an entire bucket of w**ds. I got one small area w**d controlled. It felt great. Do not mess with me, dandelions!

As I stayed committed to the tiny small commitment that took less than a minute to complete over time it became something easy and I (alas) enjoyed pulling w**ds on some days. It became part of my morning routine. It made me feel good to get it done and to stick with this tiny thing. Some days I just wanted to get back inside, and I counted out 1,2,3,4,5 and I am out of here". But I had still stuck to my promise. On other days I felt like doing more. It feels good to do something daily that is small and aligned with bigger aspirations in your life. It generates hope. If it is possible to be victorious over dandelions, what else can I do?

If you tried this approach, what areas of stuckness would you tackle? What might be the tiniest, almost ridiculous step you could take every day? You can start by giving one change 1 minute of your time every day. Do it in the morning. That is the most likely time you stick with it and give it a try. Will you do it? If yes, please comment below.

We can feel completely stuck. But with the right approach, hard things can become easy and solvable. We need each other to find solutions that work.

As a reinvention and business coach, I help my clients get out of their own way and I empower them to make the changes they have wanted to make for a long time. Reach out to me and let's talk about how I might be able to help you just get things done because you are tired of having them drag you down.

is possible with the right approach is possible

Sometimes we get into our own way by having too many opinions. What would it be like if you decided to do something new and told your judging self to chill?

It is a really fun experiment to do. A few years ago, I wanted to try out hot yoga. It was something new. Novelty is fun. I decided to sign up for Bikram Yoga close to my house and go no matter what my opinion was going to be of the experience. I set a date 30 days later on my calendar to take myself out for a Starbucks coffee to only ask my own opinion at that time. Until then I did hot yoga 3 days per week as agreed and hated it initially (but told my judgment to hold off). I learned the Bikram routine and I got stronger. It felt powerful. I was able to have an experience that I treasure now. I learned that I could choose to not listen to judgments. And by doing so I can increase grit and open doors to new experiences.

What is in your life that you could try out while ignoring your judging self? Doing something a bit out there can be invigorating. Please let me know if you do! Give your self-judgment space to comment, just make sure you set office hours and keep them.

As a reinvention and business coach help you get very clear on what you want more than anything and then I support you in making it happen. If you are interested, let's jump on a call and explore what it might look like for you. I look forward to our call!

There is a beautiful practice called the "favorite moment practice." On your nightstand might be a piece of paper reading "What was my favorite moment today?" It might have a big heart around it. Then, as you get into your bed, you see it, think about the day, and remember the most delightful moment. Was it seeing a sunrise? Or a conversation with a friend when you both laughed like kids? Was it the loving touch of your partner on your walk who threaded their fingers into yours? Was it the first bite of the delicious, broiled salmon with a hint of lime?

Thinking about this for one minute can deepen your love for life. Your day was worth it. It held that moment.

If you have a partner, ask them: "what was your favorite moment today?" You might be surprised and touched by the things that meant the most to them. It might be tender. It might be lovely. And so simple to do. Try it for a few days. All it takes is one piece of paper on your nightstand. And the willingness to recognize delight. You will go to sleep with a tiny bit more peace in your heart.

As a reinvention and business coach, I am passionate about helping my clients live their deepest and most meaningful lives. If you would like to jump on a call with me to explore what it is that you would love to grow into, I would be thrilled. Call me!

Starting to change one aspect of your life for the better can feel so daunting! You take the first small steps, and the final outcome you want can still feel lightyears away, even impossible. It can quickly feel discouraging and lead to not even getting started.

But when you find the courage to take small steps every day toward the outcome you want, the impossible gradually becomes possible. It is like ice melting. All it takes is to define tiny steps and a solid promise to take them every day for maybe 30 days. Then, track your steady small daily steps. Taking your step in the morning right after doing something else makes it easier. BJ Fogg calls this anchoring your behavior to something you did right before. And do not forget to celebrate getting a week under your belt and then another.

What would be the first change you would tackle by setting up a success streak if you tried this?

I am passionately dedicated to finding the small tweaks that make life worth living. As a coach, I help my clients get out of their own way and become better versions of themselves. So if you want to jump on a call to explore how you can expedite becoming your best self, I would be delighted.

Just because something needs to get done and is tied to a professional outcome does not mean we can't frame our work in a way that makes it feel light and fun. There are a couple of ways to do this.

One way to do this is to turn tasks into games and challenges. Then, if I resist doing something, I can invite myself to do just five minutes and see how much I can get done during that small time window. Another way is to choose a location, such as a favorite café and your favorite beverage (vanilla latte with an extra shot of vanilla anyone?). Choosing some big band music to couple with your task at hand at almost dancing volume can be another good choice.

You are creative. Just for today, take one task and make it more fun by adding something around your one task that brings some uplifting and playful flair to the task. Your work is important, but it does not mean it needs to be done with a serious face.

I am a business and personal reinvention coach. I help my clients get out of their own way and become better versions of themselves. If you want to jump on a call to explore how to tweak your life upward in fun and effective ways, I would be delighted.

What small little things in your life annoy you and drain a tiny bit of your energy each moment you notice them? It could be the one wall you never finished when you painted the bathroom nine years ago. It could be the box that blocks the bedroom door from opening. It could be the errors you make while typing because of the touch typing skills you never learned. Each time you bump into a toleration, you experience a micro-injury to your well-being.

What are the tolerations in your life? What are you putting up with, although it might just take a few minutes to address? I challenge you to start a list of tolerations on your phone right now. Then see if you notice one toleration today and add it to your list. On your next cleaning day, allocate time to this list and delete a few. Tolerating feels bad. Taking action feels empowering. Please share this with anyone in your home and have them share what things are tolerations for them. You will learn more about them as well.

As a reinvention and business coach, I am endlessly passionate about helping my clients understand what they are tired of putting up with and what they want instead. Then I empower them to move toward what they want most for themselves. I feel you deserve this kind of progress in your life! So, if any part of you is curious about exploring what working together could look like, please reach out. I would be delighted to talk with you.

There are wrinkles on my face, around my eyes. The skin next to my lips is becoming loose where it used to be tight. I said hello to my wrinkles this morning when I got dressed. Although not all of me was welcoming.

Last week I read the fascinating book "Face: One Squarefoot of Skin" by Justine Bateman (Mallory Keaton on the 80s sitcom Family Ties). I am 56-years-old, and I like who I am more than ever. I have always been fascinated by the beauty of older people. I have felt drawn to their wisdom and life experience since I was a girl. Why then am I now pulling my skin taught in the mirror and looking at what my skin looked like in the past? What do I believe? We are all surrounded by messages pushing youthful skin treatments. More people I know are suddenly looking 20 years younger after taking "a little bit of time away." I don't judge them. But I am fundamentally curious about what a truly empowered stance would look like. We must each ponder what we believe to be true. Otherwise, it's hard in midlife and later to feel beautiful, confident, and strong in our amazing bodies. Reflection and intention are needed to be whole and well.

What do you believe to be true about your body as it is aging? What do you want for yourself as you are lucky to be alive for another decade?

I am a business and personal reinvention coach with a particular interest in midlife. I help my clients get out of their own way and become better versions of themselves. So if you want to jump on a call to explore how to tweak your life upward, I would be delighted.

Springtime feels like a naturally invigorating new beginning every year, doesn't it? Nature took a good break and is now ready to start again, with fresh blossoms, new leaves, and new growth. No looking back on the leaves that dropped last fall. Only a readiness to begin again and the promise of what is possible next.

You, too, can decide to begin again anytime.
What would a fantastic spring 2022 look like for you?
It's your life. Design it.

As a business and personal reinvention coach, I help my clients to embrace reinvention over and over again. If you want to jump on a call to explore how to reinvent your life upward, I am ready.