My name is Stephanie MacKinnon and I’m delighted that you’re here.
I support big hearted, nurturing people who are catalysts for change in the world.
I came to coaching seeking a space to grow a community. One that is both grounded in the realities of the world we live in and intentionally prioritizes our humanity.
A community which challenges isolation, and helps us stay connected to our hope, love and collective care.
I am energized by human connection, meaningful conversations and new experiences that challenge my perspective, open my mind and stretch me beyond my comfort zone.
My university experiences were very formative in my life as they created an environment that consistently challenged my perspectives and helped me develop an appreciation for the importance of relationship building. I worked with incredible professors who supported me to develop a stronger understanding and analysis of the systemic oppressions and exploitation inherent in our current society, which now underpins all I do as a coach.
One of the experiences that was most influential from my studies was how it felt to be held in a supportive community, that both challenged us to grow and learn, but was also held with compassion and care. I knew I wanted these feelings of being connected, supported and challenged to be part of my every day, but I wasn’t exactly sure how I could do so. I contemplated pursuing my Ph.D. dreaming of re-creating such communities for future students of my own, but I knew this wasn't my path.
With this seed planted I returned home to Nova Scotia and community/non-profit work. Within my work, there were moments of great joy that fueled me, but eventually I began to feel drained and witnessed the same imbalance amongst many of my peers with patterns of burnout, guilt, lack of boundaries, support and precarity.
In some roles, I became completely consumed, losing myself in consistently worrying that I was not doing enough and feeling guilty that I was letting people down. While I know there are things I could have done better - I can also now see that projects were often allocated insufficient resources to create the impact funders wanted. Yet, I saw it as my personal responsibility.
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
- J. Krishnamurti
In some roles, I became completely consumed, losing myself in consistently worrying that I was not doing enough and feeling guilty that I was letting people down. While I know there are things I could have done better - I can also now see that projects were often allocated insufficient resources to create the impact funders wanted. Yet, I saw it as my personal responsibility.
I am very aware that this is a pattern in non-profit, community and care work, and likely other fields too. Many uphold the mentality that if you CARE enough, you will work through all limitations present, or if you are PASSIONATE enough, you will make the sacrifices you need to overcome systemic and institutional barriers.
Yes, being passionate, caring and hardworking are important but not at the expense of the rest of your life. I’m now done with glorifying overworking and I never again want 'being busy' to be a badge of honor.
At the end of a particularly intense experience with work in 2019, which I can now name as burnout, I met and fell in love with my partner, and followed my heart to the Atlantic Coast of Ireland where I now reside.
Ireland because of its spectacular nature has consistently grounded me and my life perspective. Being here has allowed me to step out of the boxes of what I thought I was supposed to be, and steadily step toward owning the beautiful community spaces I now hold as a coach.
I came to coaching on a nudge; a mixture of trusting my intuition and the practical need to act while facing the reality of 6-8 months without work while awaiting immigration approval in Ireland. During this time I learned about the Beautiful You Coaching Academy and immediately felt seen in their approach. Learning about their commitment to social justice was the final piece that supported me to commit.
As soon as I started coaching people during my training I knew it was exactly where I was supposed to be. I fell in love with holding space as a coach and always feel transported to another world -someone else's -when I am coaching with them.
The last 3-4 years have been about growing into my role as a coach and space holder, and about owning how my pre-coaching experience can be integrated into that.
It is through holding space as a coach and holding powerful conversations with my clients, that I can now clearly name that capitalism is not just about money, greed, and consumerism. It is about manufactured exhaustion, which fosters individualism, apathy, and disengagement.
Your love and care actively step you toward a world that dreams of and moves toward collective liberation. It supports you to keep paying attention AND to find the energy to advocate for better for everyone.
I now know as a coach that people have capacities beyond their wildest dreams if they have the tools and the support to release the pressures of a society that are not aligned with their values, and grow their self-trust to in a way that embodies the world they want to live in.
If you are keen to…
Break cycles of burnout
Shed the expectations of others
Release the capitalist conditioning that is keeping you feeling stuck, guilty, overwhelmed and isolated
Reconnect to your creative practices and to play and joy
Prioritize your care through deepening your understanding of how it is a radical act in our capitalist world
Get comfy calling in and building communities of support/cultivating collective care
Embody your values and grow your self-trust
It would be my honor to support you to know and embody liberation as a vote of confidence for the world you want to live in.
One of my core values is curiosity.
I live this out through my commitment to lifelong learning. Some qualifications and training I have to date include:
MA Adult Education and Community Development, University of Toronto
BA Honours Development Studies and Political Science, St Francis Xavier University
Coaching Training and Certification, BYCA
Coady International Institute, Certificate in Development Leadership
Positive Space Training
REPRESENTED: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Course
Dialogues for Peaceful Change, Community Conflict Resolution, Tatamagouche Centre
RISE UP, Course on Visionary Business for These Times