It can take our sessions in unexpected (and really helpful) directions.
I’ve always been an avid reader because I’ve always been perpetually curious. My reading habits as a kid were all over the place – fiction, science, history, National Geographic, and even the backs of cereal boxes when eating breakfast. As an adult, my reading interests are still quite varied, but they have veered away from fiction and become much more focused, primarily on physical health, psychology, and history. In the last 20 years, I’ve become particularly interested in how our perceptions of ourselves and our external environment affects physical health. This interest began with efforts to get a handle on my own pain, and eventually led to a deep interest in positive psychology, optimism, and the challenges that must be met for change to be sustainable. I encountered a LOT of bullshit claims along the way, and I was taken in by a few of them for a time. I have to thank my interest in science for getting me comfortable with the idea that even the smartest among us can make incorrect assumptions and conclusions and that each time we can recognize and acknowledge the mistake, it’s an opportunity to grow. I credit my years as a history teacher for making me far more keenly aware of the importance of not only thinking critically about claims, but examining the sources of those claims for credibility.
Click on topics below to check out my reviews of books related to each topic!
Chronic pain and tinnitus
Procrastination
Academic challenges
Weight loss
Anxiety
Expat life and China
Sustainable change
Work-life balance
Career changes
How do my curiosity and reading habits benefit you?
I am not a psychologist, therapist, or a doctor, but my reading habits can benefit you in several ways:
· I’ve become fairly well versed in matters of health and connections between what we think and how we fare physically. The more I understand that everything is connected to everything else in some way, the more I holistically I think. In that context, my curiosity will take our sessions in unexpected (and really helpful) directions.
· You can trust that resources I suggest are truly evidence-based, and that I have personally found value in them.
· My approach to our sessions together becomes more effective and efficient because exposure to ideas, concepts, and stories that are both relatable to my own yet far more challenging has enhanced my own empathy and understanding.
· I regularly try to incorporate new information and techniques into my coaching.
Click on topics below to check out my reviews of books related to each topic!
Chronic pain and tinnitus
Procrastination
Academic challenges
Weight loss
Anxiety
Expat life and China
Sustainable change
Work-life balance
Career changes
My struggles with chronic pain and tinnitus were often lonely experiences in that empathy and practical solutions were scarce from those closest to me, as well as from some healthcare professionals. As someone who understands not just the surface problems but the deep-seated battles that come with these issues and others, I now offer the support I once desperately needed. Your battles can be won, and sustainable change is possible. While I won’t guarantee success because that depends primarily on the work that you do in and beyond coaching sessions, you can expect that for the duration of our working relationship, I will be personally committed to helping you achieve sustainable goals that are important to you. Get in touch for a free consultation to discuss how we can work together!
