Kind Words From Clients

Lizzy (she/they) Early Childhood Education

Before working with Stephanie, I’d forgotten how to dream and felt stuck in many areas of my life. I feared I had to blow up everything to make any significant changes.

I had two good friends work with Stephanie and share their experiences; they both nudged me to at least meet with her for an introductory call and see if it was a good fit.  What good friends I have!  Going into that first call, I was very excited and terribly nervous that I would somehow fail at it.  

After my first session, I was amazed. Stephanie understood where I was at and why I was struggling in my life – her approach was safe, comforting and motivating for me.  I immediately could see that change was possible.

Together we came up with a goal that was exactly ~me~ and just what I needed; it combined my internal and external worlds. I felt thrilled, deeply listened to and very encouraged.

One of the biggest changes I have witnessed in myself is that my confidence has grown. I feel less pressured by my number 1 critic (moi) and am giving myself permission to grow and bloom in new ways.  

I feel exceptionally lucky to have worked with Stephanie and look forward to working with her again in the future.

Julie Parker, Founder, Beautiful You Coaching Academy

 

I approached Stephanie for guidance in supporting The Beautiful You Coaching Academy to be more financially accessible - while still deeply valuing the work we do. After our first session together I was confident that coaching with Stephanie was the right decision and I quickly felt clear on the steps and action I needed to take. Throughout our coaching Stephanie provided me with confidential and secure support as I navigated the practicalities of implementing changes in our business and some fears I had about doing so too! My team and I are excited about the positive impact my work with Stephanie has brought about. She was clear, supportive, generous and incredibly knowledgeable and I can’t recommend her to other business owners more.

Julie Parker, Founder, Beautiful You Coaching Academy

Orla, Creative Technologist & Digital Artist

 

Before coaching, I felt stagnant, like I needed motivation or reframing to create change in my career and creative goals. From the beginning, Stephanie created a wonderful supportive space that felt easy, accessible and had all the intimacy of in-person.

The biggest change I have witnessed is an increased confidence in saying YES to myself and my needs more. This increased self-belief has helped me to create some exciting opportunities for myself!

I also feel clearer on the supportive role of boundaries in my life and more confident about how to implement them. Overall I loved how everyone showed up with respect and vulnerability; it was beautiful.

The experience was insightful, supportive and increased my self-belief.

Roberta, Anti-corruption Associate Expert

When I first met Stephanie, I was really dissatisfied with my job, felt that I had no time left to do the things that I loved, and struggled to find joy in my day to day. I realized later that I was probably experiencing what feels like the lead up to burnout. I felt that I had achieved my "after university 5-year plan" and did not know what was next. I was struggling with lacking creativity and stimulation in my life. 

I wanted to create the community I crave around myself. I wanted to change my internal narrative that told me that I was too much, too loud, too passionate, too emotional, too high-maintenance…  Together with Steph, we started giving this feeling a name: it was the weight of a capitalist society, which measures one’s worth in their ability to create profit, and that is founded on monogamous couples and traditional families.

While this journey shook things up and is still ongoing, it was worth it, because ultimately I came home to myself. 

Since working with Stephanie, I feel more myself. I feel less judgmental and more accepting. I feel more beautiful and confident. I feel less willing to compromise on my values and ready to choose what is right for me right now, away from others' expectations of me and outside judgment. I am excited about the process of figuring out the next steps and seeing where my plan goes and what happens next. I am ready to take the risk of embodying my values and have made space for creativity in a number of ways!

Overall coaching has felt supportive, liberating and filled with acceptance and I could not recommend it more!

Kelsey, Environmental Policy

I wanted to create momentum and gain clarity on how to move forward. I was caught in a spiral with feelings of overwhelm and guilt that I wasn’t doing enough.

The biggest change in myself is more of a sense of calm, and more confidence in my ability to make choices in a thoughtful manner. I have a tendency to rush. And I used to equate being busy as being “productivity” but now I ask: What am I avoiding? Do I need to be rushing or can I take more time to be more purposeful? 

Since the sessions, I have really come to value spending time journaling, and giving voice to my inner self. I am less frustrated, less overwhelmed, and more relaxed because my inner voice is not fighting and wrestling for space. In other words, it feels like my inner world is more connected with my outer world. Pursuing your goals is a process, but it’s now one that is enjoyable and fulfilling since the coaching sessions.

I also thought that maybe the coaching series would spur feelings of inadequacy, but Stephanie’s non-judgmental, welcoming, and supportive spirit made it feel ok to open up. Her careful guidance, allowed me to work through the problems for myself. So many times I was like, “Dammit Stephanie, just tell me what to do!” and she patiently struck the perfect balance of skillfully supporting me to find my own way to the answers. 

In the end, it made me feel like I came out of the 3-month coaching series with a better understanding of who I am. Honestly, that was the greatest gift of this experience.

Laura, Non Profit Manager

As a mom of two small children who works full time, I was struggling with the constant rush rush pace of life these days. There is a constant pull of which one gets the most of me (and never a chance for me to get me time!!). I wanted to create space to find balance and stop the mindless rushing and burnout.

The biggest change for me is that I really have been able to carve out small moments in time to make space and pause. This felt so unobtainable before, and now I recognize it is a mindset and something I can control. I am being kind to myself and recognize that when I make a choice that puts myself first and allows me to rest and take care of myself, I am a better person in all aspects of my life.

One of the things that really made the experience so special was the other people who were with me on this journey. We each had our own unique things we were working on, but we really supported and “saw” each other. This made a big difference in holding myself accountable.

Carly, Yoga & Pilates Teacher

From day one, Stephanie helped me to figure out what my priorities were and guided me to create tangible goals each week to get me there.

Our work together has transformed me and helped to bring me back to enjoying my life and having fun even while moving through challenging situations. I’ve also found increased confidence and clarity in my purpose.

This coaching series exceeded my expectations in every way and truly gave me the support and direction I needed to get me through this huge transition. We laughed, we cried, and I am so grateful.

Stephanie is supportive, kind, encouraging and wise. It’s beautiful and inspiring to see someone doing what they’re meant to be doing in this world, and Stephanie is one of those people.

Lisa, Non Profit Manager

I joined HOMECOMING seeking support to implement habits to feel more grounded in myself and my work. I had been feeling frustrated at my day job, so trying to navigate feeling good in all areas of my life was a struggle.

Going into our first Group Coaching Call, I was nervous - I'm not the best at being vulnerable, let alone with people I'd never met! But by the end of Week 1, I felt really at ease - Steph holds such an amazing container of support.

One of the most significant changes for me is being more gentle with myself and the realization that I can't do it all - nor should I ever strive for that! One of my favourite parts about our time together was the amazing group of people! I was always so excited to hear what others were up to and celebrate their wins each week. And even though we had different intentions and were navigating different circumstances, there was so much overlap in the advice and encouragement.

 I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Homecoming; it was supportive, caring, and fulfilling!

Jenn, Anesthesiologist

I came to coaching having recently moved through some major life changes; completing medical training, relocating to a new city, and starting a family. I wanted to find a community with which I could identify, contribute and belong.

Life goal setting was new for me and felt challenging initially, as it is quite different from the rigid structure of post-secondary education I was used to. However, I am so glad I stuck with it! One of the biggest changes I noticed in myself was my ability to recognize the current challenges I face, accepting they are temporary and putting my energy into a dream for the future; creating a career I want and one which provides me balance.

Working with Stephanie has allowed me to explore a more creative and personal side to myself. She encouraged me to break down the rigidity I was used to and allowed me space to just dream. This newfound space allowed me to think about what I really want and need to fulfill my soul rather than aiming to meet expectations set by myself or others. It was so liberating!  I hope to continue working with her in the future! ♥

Kailyn, Teacher

Before working with Stephanie I was craving momentum and forward motion in my life after a period of confusion and darkness. After completing the Coaching Series together, the biggest change I’ve witnessed is my willingness to take action in my personal life to attain the life that I want going forward.

Whereas before I was hesitant and confused about what to do, I now have clarity and conviction in my choices as it relates to the family I want to create and the life I want for myself. It feels as though I have reclaimed my power and purpose after having felt very much defeated by life.

My partner noticed a huge difference in my mood, my mental state and generally said I was happier and more energetic. I too have felt a profound shift in the three months of our work together, and am excited to build on our success even more.

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Maddie, MA Student

Prior to working with Stephanie, I was struggling with how to tackle a few goals that felt overwhelming for me. I was definitely ready to leap into something bigger in my life and work hard towards the goals I had wanted to achieve for a long time. I was trying to create healthier habits and strategies for myself that supported me through not only my studies but becoming a better version of myself in all aspects.

By the end of the first session, I realized that all goals were worthy. Stephanie was very affirming and excited about even my smallest goals, and it solidified to me that my dreams were important no matter what they were. It was very clear to me that Stephanie is an intuitive, talented coach with who I could learn a lot from and benefit from working with.

Since completing my Coaching Series, I feel better able to break down big tasks into manageable chunks and feel more confident setting goals for myself. The progress I’ve made in many areas of my life over the course of the series affirms that I possess the tools inside myself already to work towards what I want, and I’m excited to apply that to other areas of my life!

If I could go back in time, I would do it all over again. If I had to share any advice with someone considering working with Stephanie, I would tell them it is really the best gift they could give themself.

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Jacinta, Canada

Before I started the coaching series, I found myself in a continuous cycle that began with me feeling overwhelmed, was followed by inaction and ended with me feeling unfulfilled. I knew I needed to change something, but it felt like I didn’t know where to start or how to tackle the issues so that I could feel happier, calmer and more fulfilled. 

After the first session, I realized that Stephanie’s approach was completely different from anything I had experienced. She created a cozy (dunno how she made it feel cozy over a video call, but it worked!), safe space to talk through some items and reflect on how those items were manifesting in my life. I found that the sessions we had were far more personalized and focused on myself/what I was looking for, and there was a lot more room for input on my end and I was surprised by how many of the things we chatted about could actually apply in my everyday life.

Since completing the coaching series, I have found myself increasingly using those real life applications, and have been able to more effectively combat the overwhelming feeling that used to lead me to my inaction and unhappiness! I was also able to become more comfortable in valuing myself, my needs and my time instead of focusing on putting others before myself.  Since I am spending less time dwelling in a negative mindframe, I have more time and energy and my family have also noticed that I am more often upbeat and less often stressed. 

While I came into the coaching series a little skeptical about whether or not it would ‘work’ for me, I left knowing that I had the confidence and skills to break out of this cycle, reclaim that time and mental space and direct it towards things that are important to me.

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Jess, Occupational Therapist

Working with Stephanie was the best decision I have made for myself for some time. Certain aspects of my life had started to feel stagnant and as a result, I was no longer feeling energized in my daily life. My life role recently changed as I entered motherhood and I assumed this would fix the feelings I was having, but not surprisingly it just brought the issues closer to the forefront. Before working with Stephanie, I felt a bit lost and was unsure of the direction I was heading. After three months of working together, that has completely changed.

Stephanie's warm, supportive and uplifting personality helped me find my strengths and a renewed confidence in myself. Through our time together she held me accountable to my goals and action steps in an encouraging way. As a result of her guidance and support, I no longer feel like my thoughts are scattered and unorganized and I feel that I am moving through life with purpose and clarity.

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Sheena, Ph.D. Candidate

Sheena, Ph.D. Candidate, I feel intense gratitude to Stephanie for having had the opportunity to work with her and am excited for what is to come. The coaching sessions provided the platform for me to be truly reflective of what my dreams and goals are and motivated me to establish the necessary priorities, steps, and path forward to achieve these. Stephanie asked provocative questions that guided me to connect my feelings to my goal and supported me to become more self-aware and accountable.

Stephanie really set me at ease and provided such a supportive and positive space; I felt truly listened to. Her open demeanour encouraged an organic process where I felt supported to engage and be vulnerable while also building my confidence to take the necessary steps for my personal growth. My friends and loved ones have noticed that I am more positive and focused. I have been able to let go of things that drag me down and find more balance. It has manifested in more intentionality and mindfulness in all aspects of my life. It has been a pleasure and joy to work with Stephanie!

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Joanna, Canada

I came to coaching feeling incredibly challenged by all of the intersecting challenges in the world and my place in navigating them. Stephanie was so validating and affirming, she gave me permission to be exactly where I was while also creating the space for me to define for myself where I wanted to go. It was like I had a personal cheerleader and gosh what a gift! 

She supported me to take practical actions like budgeting, as well as exploring concepts, ideas, and feelings that were less tangible but just as important to me. Stephanie has beautiful energy and shared a clear intention to serve me on my journey to become more myself in the world.

Through working with Stephanie, I not only moved on some of my goals but gained more clarity on my process for making big decisions. I feel significantly less existential dread (when making purchases big or small) and feel better able to align my values with my actions.

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Inga, Graphic Designer

 

Having Stephanie as my Life Coach was one of the most amazing and transformative experiences of my life. With her loving presence and her amazing intuition, she helped me create a lot of positive change in my life- with my (inner) self, my beloved ones, and also the way I behave in my business.

Stephanie is an amazing listener, she always knew when to give me more space and when to ask powerful questions. I always felt safe, heard, and supported in finding my own way. I'm more than happy and grateful that she was my coach - an experience I'll always carry in my heart.

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Amy, Canada

Working with Stephanie was such a huge gift. She has a graceful ability to ask thoughtful and insightful questions that opened up whole new ways for me to understand my thoughts and perspectives.

I appreciate everything that Stephanie brings to her coaching— a kind curiosity about what’s going on inside the hearts and minds of her clients, an ability to ask challenging questions and a grounding in both the individual experience and larger systems that operate around us.

I would highly, highly recommend Stephanie as an accompanist to your journey of getting to know yourself better and reaching goals you hold close to your heart.