Mary Slagle is a SaaS Sales Specialist for MINDBODY, Inc. Working in the field of wellness, and for a company filled with mostly twenty-somethings, Mary was feeling as though she had missed out on the chance to join in on the activities and fun they all enjoyed. With five grown children and four grandchildren, her dream was to be more active and healthy.
While prospecting for new clients, Mary came across Health and Lifestyle Coach Lara Dalch's website and program for a Vibrant Healthy life. She realized it was exactly what she was looking for, in a wholly unexpected way.
In this podcast with Jill, Mary and Lara tell us how they partnered up to help Mary feel balanced and successful in all aspects of her life.
Mary is a high-achieving, got-it-all-together kind of gal. Why would she need a coach? Because being driven and having a full life is terrific, but it can also be stressful. Lara helps her prioritize and spend her time and energy right.
There are lots of coaches and coaching programs out there. We asked Mary how she knew Lara was the right partner for her. According to Mary, The “Get Out of Your Own Way” worksheet, plus the chance to consult with Lara for free, opened her eyes to where she was in life. She was settling, she realized, and that just wasn’t right.
Lara’s online worksheet was born from watching women sabotage their lives and their opportunities to live more vibrantly. Check out the ways Lara sees women block their own dreams and futures.
There must have been a moment when you realized you weren’t living the life you wanted. What was it like when your eyes were opened? Mary talks about when she realized she was giving so much to her professional life, it was leaving her powerless in her personal life.
The workshop is a “sliver of hope” that things can change, says Lara; it’s a glimpse into that better, more fulfilling life. Whatever your goals are, there are paths to achieving them – Lara helps her clients realize first, things can be better, and second, here’s how we’ll get you there.
What did the day-to-day work feel like? Lara and Mary talk about the dangers of The Grand Plan and the sanity of setting reasonable goals.
As Lara says, “Feeling well means something different every day.” It’s important for highly driven women to train their brains to notice what’s going well, to celebrate the small steps as much as the big victories. As Lara told us later, there are two critical steps here. Step one: honor how you're feeling and be compassionate with yourself. Step two: redirect your attention to what's going well. Listen to find out how.
We asked Mary about the low points. What were they and how did she get over them? In a house full of food that wasn’t healthy for her body, constant denial was grinding her down. Mary describes how she and Lara developed tools that allowed for some indulgence but kept her choices under her control.
We could all use tools like that! Mary talks about how Lara’s program allows for 24/7 access to the whole history of their journey together through video. Being able to go back to critical touchpoints along the way really helped Mary stay on track.
We asked Lara how she realizes her clients are struggling and what she does when they need a boost. So, what’s “new and good” with you?
“There’s always something” that shifts the client and the coach back into a positive mindset, Lara says. Sometimes they have to talk a while to find the good, but there’s always something.
We asked how the program finishes and Mary is sustaining her progress. The program is designed to be finite, Lara says, though there are options to continue. But high-performing women like Mary tend to get through the material quickly and are ready to fly solo pretty fast. From her side, Mary didn’t want to say goodbye, even though she was “soaring”! So she’s opted to keep Lara in her corner, through check ups and check ins to keep her moving forward. Will she finally join that CrossFit group? Stay tuned!
Life makes it tough to make the right choices sometimes (e.g. a cruise ship full of ice cream and pizza), so negotiations continue. But now, Mary says, she has the tools to make judgement calls and control her own decision-making (like spending candy bar money on better “indulgences”).
“It’s such a pleasure to see her thrive,” Lara says. No surprise there. 😊
If you’re looking to get out of your own way and feel vibrant and fulfilled, take a look at Lara’s website or find a coach near you.
For those who think you should be able to do this on their own, you may well be able to, and that’s great. But also think about all the other times in life when you’re willing to call in expert help – is fixing your future to be more fulfilling less important than fixing your car?
If you’ve utilized the services of a coach for career, fitness, lifestyle changes, nutrition, etc., we’d love to know how you found your coach and how the partnership worked for you. Please feel free to share in the comments on genneve.com. You’re also welcome to join the conversation on genneve’s Facebook page or Midlife & Menopause Solutions, genneve’s closed Facebook group.
Coming up soon on genneve’s podcasts: nixing sugar with Dr. Anna Garrett, just in time for Halloween; brewing up something special for menopause with the Portsmouth Brewery; and learning more about the innovative Mona Lisa Touch with Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su. Stay tuned or subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher or SoundCloud so you never miss an episode!