My Story
I started out with a BA in Teaching and a good job in education in my home country… but I was restless for big world adventure. One early Sunday morning after a 24-hour mountain bike race, my team and I unloaded our mud-covered bikes. Somehow, in the haze of post-race tiredness, mine was run over beyond repair. The insurance payout from that beloved bent-up bike lit my travel spark. And so, an exciting new beginning ensued.
Since then, I’ve travelled a lot more. Enjoyed great job opportunities and promotions in the teaching and learning field. Done more adventure racing. Jumped out of a plane. Pushed my limits. Wrote a Masters thesis. Explored cultures. Learned to embraced change. Met amazing people. Embarked on some incredible personal growth. Landed a partner for life. Birthed a couple of gorgeous cross-culture kids. Definitely broadened my perspectives! But it was when I began coaching teachers for professional growth in the middle of all that somewhere that I recognized a huge need for support, connection and personal growth opportunities in the expat community. So I studied counselling techniques and coaching approaches. And now I’m doing something I really love.
I’ve lived the expat life for more than two decades now, across numeorus continents. Seems to me with social media these days, people often blurb about the glorious happiness of life. It’s true to say, looking from the outside, I live well. I’m grateful for the life I have. But none of that happened out of some blissful wander through a sparkling, fairy-filled forest. Like the complementary opposites of yin and yang, we often only appreciate what makes our lives worth living from surviving the falls and hitting rock-bottom. Have you done that?
My beliefs. Life is a lot like a mountain bike ride! You can’t always see what’s coming, and no one gets through without a few scrapes and crashes.
Well, I’ve totally crashed my bike! More than once. As an expat, and probaby like you, I have loved and lost. I’ve grieved from afar. Navigated culture shock. And reverse culture shock on visits home. I have battled communication barriers. Felt the frustrations of cultural difference and the sting of discrimination. Become acutely aware of minority group powerlessness from multiple perspectives. Stood in the centre of a city and felt completely isolated and alone. Screamed injustices to a raging ocean in a bid to convince myself of my worth. Once, I sat outside locked church doors in the rain at midnight, head in my hands, praying for a big black hole.
I’m human too. But it is there, in the depths of despair, in the hellish, hard times, our feet may find solid ground. You land. Take stock. Get back on that bike. Make change and move forward again. It’s how we learn and grow.
My Superpower? Choosing to seek out the silver lining in every dark, lonely, angry, frustrating cloud that comes along. Facing fear and embracing challenge. Appreciating every lesson. Looking deeper. Getting crystal clear on my values. Nurturing a growth mindset. Building resilience through inner strength. Reprogramming thoughts to stay courageous and focused. Prioritizing my health and wellbeing. Setting boundaries. Finding my tribe. Learning to be present. Actively seeking joy. Knowing my damn worth. And never giving up!
Sunlit Souls Coaching was born from the desire to help others see their silver linings and chase their goals. To be a soul lit from within. A Sunlit Soul.
I warmly welcome you! And challenge you to ask yourself – are you living the life you really want?