Hey there! I’m Mary. 

Here’s a quick snapshot of my journey and my style. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

 

 

On a TRULY miserable day many, many years ago, a life coach saved my life.

At the very least she saved my sanity. 

I’d spent the better part of a year going through …  let’s call it a series of (very) unfortunate events. Events that resulted in (among other things) my developing PTSD. (PRO tip: PTSD sucks. 0/10, would NOT recommend.)

And I tried a LOT of things to get even a little bit better. But the little remote area I lived in had limited access to health care, so … yeah, it was bad. When an intake appointment (read: the first chance you have to even TALK with a provider) I’d already been waiting three months for was suddenly cancelled – and could not be rescheduled for at least 10 months … well, turns out there are levels of despair. NOT my favorite life lesson.

Eventually I remembered that my employer offered an EAP – Employee Assistance Program – something I had never before thought to use. And working with the life coach the EAP connected me with right away (because I was a WRECK, and I suspect they thought any wait of more than a minute might do me in), I felt the first small glimmer of hope I had encountered since the PTSD symptoms began.

Did my life progress from that moment in a seamless movie montage of success after shining success? 

NOPE! 

But having any hope at all, after having precisely none for too long?
That changes things.

In addition to becoming a life-long advocate for EAPs, I was fascinated by the concept of life coaching.

At that point, pursuing anything more complex than surviving each day was far beyond my capacity, so I just did the surviving then the healing, then the kinda functioning, and so forth, from where I already was. 

 

You ever have that THING that nags at the back of your mind, though? Never really intrusive, but always kind of THERE?

That was coaching for me.

 

It wasn’t until 2023, when I was working with a client group run by an ICF master coach, that I started to really consider coaching. It started with asking my client if I could interview her sometime, separate from our project, to ask questions about coaching because it was something I had long had an interest in.

And she surprised me by saying, “I mean, sure, of course … but … you’re … already coaching …” with a slight air of confusion.

Further discussion ensued, and she taught me that I was already asking coaching questions and posing coaching scenarios in my work with her team. I was leading her and others on her team through our work together in same way she worked with her clients. HUH. 

Over the two years of our project together, she graciously supported me to really explore what coaching already looked like in my work as well as talking time to answer my questions about her training and processes. 

AND I WAS HOOKED. 

Training, certifications, and a lot of ups, downs, and in-betweens later, and I got to move into coaching full time.

 

 

 

In 150 words or less – 

In taking the goals, projects, processes, efforts that aren’t working the way you want them to, and collaborating with you to figure out WHY they don’t work and HOW to change that, so that you get most success out of each unit action, effort, blood, sweat, tears –

  • I learn the most amazing things
  • I meet the most spectacular humans
  • I get to live my own life the way I want to
  • I’m inspired to live ever more into my values, 
  • I make some life-long friends
  • And I get to be part of building one more life in this world that suits its person perfectly!  Vive la révolution! 😊

 

Or, everything you ever wanted to know – 

1. Enjoying my life is really important to me. There are a LOTS of books I haven’t read and coffee shops I haven’t checked out. And SO MANY glorious flowers I’ve yet to see. And, let’s be honest, I did the living-hell that is PTSD, and it took a lot of time and energy, so there’s a lot of peace, health, and joy I need to make up! Life, therefore, is too darn short to spend most of my waking hours doing things I don’t love or value.

So, I wanted to build a life that suited me. 

2. I noticed in a lot of my work, conversations, social media feeds, and clients, and then in research, that I wasn’t alone in those values and desires, and that a lot of other folks were also wanting want to build lives that better suit them.

3.  I hate wasted time, energy, or really ANYTHING of value. And when things aren’t working, a lot of the time and energy invested in them is wasted. In a world where too many of us have far too little time and energy for the things we REALLY want to do … wasting even one precious minute on something that’s just plain frustrating? NOT ON MY WATCH. 

4.   I have a thing for transitions.

Positive transitions that inspire excitement or make a system work better? Let’s get that fully operational ASAP! 

Negative transitions that makes everything hard, or worse, painful? Let’s get those suckers over with in the least stressful way possible! 

I know change isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but me? I kinda like it. 

Or at least, I like taking it apart, seeing how it works, breaking it down into bite-sized pieces, making it flow smoothly into what it should be, then standing over it with a triumphant smirk once it’s accomplished. 

Back before I had ever really considered coaching as a career, I worked in:

  • education
  • public health
  • forensic science
  • international relief and development 
  • strategy
  • communications
  • crisis counseling

And the common thread that wove through them was that tackling the barriers, finding the problems, working out solutions, building strategies, and collaborating with smart, dedicated people to bring those strategies to life … that’s just my happy place.  

I love it when a plan comes together!

5.  Turns out, I’m pretty good at helping other people, maybe not LOVE transitions … but at least TRIUMPH in them. With FAR less stress than they ever dreamed it would take. And THAT, I eventually figured out was MY DREAM JOB!! 

6. Last but not least, every single person I’ve helped with their transition ended up making my life even better along the way!

7. So I decided to do that full time.

 

 

 

My coaching philosophy is embarrassingly simple:

  1. We’re all adults here, we each have our own unique areas of knowledge, skill, experience, and gifting. So it just makes sense that coaching is a wholly collaborative process. 
  2. I’m not a fan of shoulds or shames – so I’m always going to make sure coaching is a safe space that supports your growth … and I’m going to gently insist that you do the same for yourself. 
  3. YOU are absolutely the expert on YOU. So I’m going to make sure we use that expertise to the fullest.
  4. As a coach, I have no interest in changing you. My job is helping you make your own changes, in areas you value, to accomplish what you want to do. 
  5. My work as a coach is to help you:
    – See yourself, your situation, and the point you want to get to, clearly.
    – M    ake choices that clear away barriers and build the foundations your goals require.
    – Identify and develop the skills, tools, support, and other resources you need to achieve your goals.
    – Tie that all together in clear plans with concrete, actionable steps.
    – And TAKE EFFECTIVE ACTION. Because that’s really the whole point, right?
  6. Oh, also, because I’ve worked internationally for eons, I primarily coach online.

Video, voice, chat, and email are all tools I use every day, and I bring in other tools based on different clients’ needs.

Technology not your forte? No worries, I can probably find a way to make things work for you! That’s one thing we can figure out in a free intro call. 


 

 

As I mentioned, my main focus is helping people move into and through changes effectively. 

Sometimes transitions are things we choose – new opportunities like opening a business, a well-deserved retirement, a move you’ve been wanting to make, or smaller changes like de-cluttering the house or learning a new skill. 

Sometimes transitions we’d never choose, but we still need to navigate – an out-of-the-blue illness forces retirement, a relationship ends, the company downsizes, the test results aren’t good, a pregnancy miscarries, or burnout makes a change we never imagined suddenly become something we need to do right now. 

ALL transitions go better if we feel truly prepared, skilled, and supported while we live them.

Transitions come in all sizes and all degrees of emotional impact. My job is to help you assess, plan, and act to make your path flow as smoothly as possible, no matter where you’re starting from, or what kind of transition you’re navigating.

 

Everything else …

  • My Bachelor’s Degree is in Biology and Education and my Master’s is in Public Health. 
  • I’m a certified crisis specialist trained in peer support, suicide prevention and support, mental health support, and coaching, as well as a certified life coach.
  • My coaching training includes Strategic Life Coaching, Group Coaching, and most recently, Burnout Coaching. 
  • I live in the GLORIOUS Pacific Northwest in the US, but coach internationally. 
  • I’m a HOPELESS. NIGHT. OWL. If you see me before 10am Pacific Time – something is very, very wrong: please send help. 
  • I’m a big fan of making meetings as comfy as possible and you’ll usually find me with a large mug of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa in my hands in our sessions. I 100% urge you to show up with your favorite hot drink (maybe not hot toddies, though, since focus is important), beanie, emotional support mug, fuzzy slippers, or whatever lets you focus with intention in peace and comfort, as well. 
  • And I have THE. BEST. CLIENTS! Seriously. I‘ve been blessed to work with folks in non-profits, healthcare, non-governmental organizations, UN organizations, businesses, consultancies, rural and urban areas, and a number of amazing countries. I’ve worked with folks struggling as much as I ever had, and folks who are so far beyond anywhere I’d ever even want to be. And every single one has been such an amazing person to work with and get to know. 

Yep, I’m completely spoiled. And I’m completely fine with that.  😊

 

 

Have questions? Want to discuss a project? Need more information?

You can reach me at Mary@MaryMorrisConsulting.com or via the links below!