Category Archives: Take Back Your Life

This month, these stories… just WOW! The inspiration has been never ending!

First and foremost, I need to say THANK YOU to all of these wonderful people that truly reached within themselves and shared their stories. Their honesty, their humour and their frank reality checks have been so valuable for us all!

The range of stories shared has been incredible. From people choosing more time for family, to taking their life back for the sake of health, to experimenting with unique career choices or leaving undesirable relationships. ALL of the stories have had so many compelling take-aways and mirror so closely what is going on for the rest of us. So to those of you that shared, THANK YOU, a million times THANK YOU!

I’ve complied all of their stories here for easy reference. As I look down at this page I’m so overcome by the strength of these beautiful faces and the power of their words. If you haven’t already, I hope you take the time to read though their stories. Trust me, it is definitely worth it!
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Carey is a self-described spiritual gangster. Think life long entrepreneur and former business exec meets soul-seeking Co-Active Coach. Truth is her trademark, love is her come from and inspiring is her way.

With an extensive background as sales and marketing executive and co-founder of her own company, Carey’s professional journey has included working across several industries helping both small and large companies innovate, transform and grow. All the work she is up to these days comes from her fierce commitment to create space for the next generation of leaders to emerge. www.careybbaker.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

What event didn’t lead me to “taking back my life”? That is to say that in retrospect it seems as though my entire life lead me to choosing aliveness over surviving.

The accumulation of my life events had me measuring my life and work in direct correlation to my ability to capitalize on everything. Any choice I made, any dreams I had, anything I wanted seemed to have a price tag. And so I prioritized the things that made me money. My strategy: get a job, climb the corporate ladder, acquire fancy titles, cash big paychecks and make even bigger sacrifices. My relationship to my world became one big transaction. On a good day, I sidestepped what was most important to me, most of the time I just stepped on it. By the time I was 29 I had worked for the man, lead a turn-around for a Silicon Valley company and launched and almost sold my own company.

I had a career on the fast track and piles of money in my bank account…and I felt totally bankrupt.
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Shoshana is an international coach, speaker, author, leadership specialist, yoga teacher and dance facilitator. What connects all of these is her focus on the wisdom of the body as the foundation for how we show up in the world.

Shoshana has worked with social entrepreneurs, youth, executives, teachers and holistic professionals to connect with and embody their personal leadership. She has designed and delivered leadership programs; facilitated embodied movement; coached, mentored, and advised leaders at all levels of organizations. She has learned that leadership is inseparable from the body.

Shoshana is an ICF Certified Coach, with a Masters Degree in Human Systems Intervention and certifications in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Somatic Yoga and Dance. www.shoshanaallice.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

I’ve taken back my life a few times. In this crazy fast-paced world, we are constantly changing and growing and faced with new opportunities and changing circumstances. I believe it’s a continuous process of claiming and reclaiming our story, our power, and our life. So I’m going to share two significant events – because they are reflective of how truly ‘taking a leap’ on ourselves can look so powerfully different at different times in our lives.
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Diane Rolston left the life of the 9-5 employee and simultaneously became an entrepreneur and mother. She considers herself an expert in work/life balance, prioritizing, and getting things done! As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), she serves women who face obstacles and gives them tools to jump forward, providing them with clarity, confidence, and manageable steps to get them into action.

Through Diane’s coaching, Keynotes, workshops and her ‘DynamicWomenInAction.com’ community, she continues to empower individuals, expand their mindset and encourages each one of them to find ‘Clarity, Confidence and take Action’. Diane’s clients say, “She’s a positive person who constantly challenges your limits and helps you keep growing”. www.dianerolston.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

After leaving my job, I was happily running my own coaching and workshop business. By doing the work I love combined with the freedom of choice every day, I felt that I had already taken back my life.

At the same time, I had also become a new mother. It was an amazing time. Everyone was impressed that I was still ‘able to do it all’. Publicly, I continued to do a great job. Privately, it was another matter. Life became overwhelming.

I had too much to do and no time. My expectations of myself were too high! I was trying to be perfect; a successful business owner, a supermom. I was failing.
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Dawn is an accomplished and versatile leader with strong interpersonal skills and over twenty years of professional and business experience. Dawn created the Facebook page She Recovers in 2011 to reach out to other women wanting to recover their lives and their potential. Building on her degrees in women’s studies, women’s history and a PhD in health care policy, Dawn completed recovery coach training with Crossroads Recovery Coaching in September 2013. In addition to operating a full-time health and social policy research consultancy, Dawn has been running She Recovers Retreats since 2012. In Dawn’s view, we are all recovering from something and – we’re stronger together. www.sherecovers.co

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

I’ve taken back my life at a few crucial points. Most recently – in fall of 2011 I came to the hard realization that I had become a raging workaholic. Having conquered alcohol and drug addiction in my late twenties it was a shock to realize that I was once again addicted, but this time to a process (work) rather than substances. Like a regular alcoholic or addict – my health was declining, my relationships were suffering and I was in complete denial about how out of hand things were getting. I was “sneaking” work in the middle of the night by going into the spare room with my tablet and working – under the covers. It was pretty insane.
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Sean Aiken is the creator of The One Week Job Project, an inspiring journey across North America in which he worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks to find his passion.

After having graduated from Capilano University with a Business Administration degree, top of his class with a 4.0 GPA and Class Valedictorian, Aiken struggled with the direction his life should take. This inspired his website and journey and ultimately his book, The One Week Job Project, which was published in 2010 by Penguin Group Canada and Random House USA.

He frequently speaks to students and companies about what he learned from his experience and has developed an international program to empower others to discover their passion by taking on a series of “one week jobs”. www.oneweekjob.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

I was struggling with the question, “What should I do with my life?” I felt depressed, lacking direction, and the societal pressure to choose something that would be seen as successful.
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Leadership coach, consultant, facilitator and designer, Christie Mann inspires individuals and organizations to develop people, drive business and ultimately improve lives. Christie spends her days working with organizations  coaching senior and executive leaders, designing and delivering coaching and leadership programs and developing leaders who coach. She holds the designation of Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation, is a graduate of the Co-Active Leadership Program and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CTI) – in her quest to infuse more Co-Activity into the corporate world Christie provides business development services to CTI in Canada and South-western US acting as Director of Corporate Client Services.

In addition to corporate clients and in a desire to give back, Christie has custom-designed and delivers a series of experiential developmental workshops to heighten self-awareness, build self-compassion and leadership skills among the vulnerable youth of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society in Ontario and juvenile detention centers in Los Angeles.

Christie is an impactful coach, dynamic speaker and facilitator, and is a trailblazer in the field of leadership coaching. Her passion for what she does paves the way for those seeking new personal and professional heights. www.christiemann.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

I was doing the kind of work that was meaningful but I wasn’t doing it in the environment or with the audience where I knew I could have the greatest impact and show up as my most authentic self. I kinda felt stuck and the quiet voice inside of me was whispering saying; “slow down, there’s something else for you…” So, I choose to not take on any new contracts for a period of time, do some deep self-healing work and reflection and listen to the quiet voice…
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Lauren Bacon is on a mission to help business leaders become more joyful and generous. A seasoned entrepreneur, published author, and business and leadership coach, Lauren coaches startups, entrepreneurs, and leaders of all stripes – asking lots of questions, and employing her unending curiosity to help people and organizations get clear on their purpose and realize their visions. Her writing on business, technology, and leadership has been featured on The Atlantic, Women 2.0, Quartz, The Huffington Post, and Fast Company – and her bestselling first book, The Boss of You, got props from both Bust Magazine and The Financial Post. Lauren’s e-book, Curious for a Living: How Asking Better Questions Makes You Indispensable, is available on her website. www.laurenbacon.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

I was in a relationship that was pretty good – good enough to have lasted ten years. We loved each other. We rarely argued. We had a comfortable life and we’d bought a home together.

But.

(You knew there was going to be a “but,” right?)

But… if we rarely argued, I suspected it was because we so rarely touched the depths of what we were feeling. I spent months trying to forge a deeper connection.
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What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

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Michelle L Evans left her 16-year corporate career in business + marketing strategy in 2012 to start her business helping business owners to develop simple, effective marketing strategies and bottom-line results. Combining her proven business-building skill set with a serious desire to help other professionals, Michelle focuses on helping entrepreneurs cut through the cookie-cutter marketing tactics and design results-based strategies that actually work.

When she’s not working on her business, you can usually find her in the car taking one of her three kids to some sort of activity or at home cooking with her handsome and talented photographer/systems engineer/baker husband (his chocolate truffles + lava cakes are a-mazing). Check out her best tips on adventures in online business building and balancing life outside the corporate world while juggling a business and family at MichelleLEvans.com, or tune in to her Breaking Free podcast to learn more about developing an entrepreneurial mindset and busting through the fears most business owners face. www.michellelevans.com

What events led up to you deciding to take back your life?

My dad passed away very suddenly (and unexpectedly) 7 weeks after getting the ‘all clear’ sign from his doctor that his cancer was gone…

Was there a significant event or moment that made you realize you needed to make a change? What was it?

Yes. I realized how important it was to take care of myself and my body. I had been putting myself on the back burner for years putting the kids, my husband, my extended family, friends, the house, to dos, work, etc… as so much more important than ME taking care of MYSELF.

When my dad passed away, I realized that if I didn’t take care of myself I may not get the full life I truly desired AND that by NOT taking care of myself I was actually more selfish than taking an hour here or there.

(I miss my dad terribly and I want to have as much healthy and fully alive time as possible.)
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