SoulBodyMind Life Coaching

Awaken to your own power.

Trauma-Informed, Nature-Inspired, Embodied + Spontaneous Creative Healing Arts

• Coaching for Individuals

• Experiential Workshops & Retreats for Groups

"How do I create something new in my life?"

This is the question inside the heart of each of my clients.

This is the question each moment offers us, if we learn and dare to be fully present.

I coach adults who are seeking any or all of the following:

• to reclaim (or claim for the first time) their own authentic voice,

• to recover (or discover for the first time) their spontaneity and creativity,

• to restore (or establish for the first time) a relationship between mind and body,

• to overcome fear of facing uncertainty and exploring next steps in life transitions, and

• to learn brand new mindsets, actions, and attitudes that serve the manifestation of new possibilities rather than repetition of past patterns or experiences.

If this is you...

I help you find your unique way in the world, beyond others' expectations and past experiences. I encourage exploration, consideration of new possibilities, and forward motion toward wildly improbable goals, guided by the wisdom of your authentic self.

I see the authentic self as a collaged expression of Soul, Body, and Mind, or what I call "SoulBodyMind". My approach to coaching is all about learning to listen deeply to the languages of your SoulBodyMind, and applying the transformative power of Love and Presence as you step in and create the life your SoulBodyMind is calling you to live.

My coaching is influenced by the following concepts and modalities, woven into a seamless framework throughout our time together:

• Creative process and practice - sound, voice and music improvisation, free writing, spontaneous visual art

• Bodywork - breath, awareness, and movement as pathways to shift neurophysiology

• Imagination, visualization, and dreams - accessing the wisdom of the invisible realms present within your own consciousness

• Growth mindset - the power of deliberate practice in the process of changing habits of thinking and acting

• Real speaking - the transformative power of voicing your truth, especially when it has remained in the silence for too long

• Deep listening with the whole body - receiving the unspoken messages of your body's sensations and symptoms

• Spontaneity and play - trusting the innate wisdom of the self before rules and limits were imposed upon your thinking, moving, and acting

• Nature as teacher and healer - experiencing the restorative and generative power of relating to yourself as interconnected with all of nature

Life moments when coaching may be of benefit:

• experiencing "burnout" as a physician or other health care professional, teacher, or caregiver

• starting a new chapter in your career, your health, or your relationships

• creating your own definition of success

• committing to pursue your greater mission in life

• recognizing there is more to life than the script you have been following

• desiring more aliveness and creative energy in your life

• distinguishing your own voice from the internalized voices of others

Formats for individual coaching:

• Skype/FaceTime/other video chat sessions (from anywhere worldwide)

• Nature-based sessions in and around Half Moon Bay, California (San Mateo County area)

• Movement, Expressive Art, & Action based sessions in Half Moon Bay, California (join my email list for updates on group workshops & retreats)

Do you feel called to explore a coaching relationship with me?

Contact me to set up a *free* 20-minute phone or Skype/FaceTime/video chat consultation.

Here's what I do for you...

I create an environment of peace, safety, and playfulness that allows you to listen to your own truth and find clarity;

I share what I've learned in my own journey, and challenge you to discern what's true for you;

I witness you as you reach into your heart, see what's real for you, and build the strength to express it in the world;

I guide and support your process as you develop new habits and practice new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting;

I celebrate with you in that moment of discovery when your soul opens up to claim your own brilliance;

I joyfully support you as you find the music within you, and share it in the world as only you can.

I am not a "business" or "career" coach. If your goals are primarily financial ones at this time, there are many talented coaches who specialize in helping their clients achieve growth in their businesses and goals of wealth creation.

I believe that your life is your greatest teacher. I will help you get in touch with your creative potential as a human being, starting with the practical situations you find in your life right now. I will help you uncover and release the obstacles that stand between you and your highest potential to live a life of joy, peace, and freedom. I will also teach you the principles and habits of self-care that will serve you well beyond our coaching relationship as you continue to learn to listen to your life.

Testimonials

“Lisa has a way clearly seeing your blind spots, asking the right questions at the right time to not only force you to confront your assumptions about yourself, others, your past, and the narratives you tell yourself.   She is able to strike the perfect balance between guiding you and letting you discover work on yourself and finding your path.   Lisa also employs an impressive repertoire of both proven and novel techniques in her coaching, often on the fly as needed in the perfect moment. She will help you recognize what's holding you back, and how to move forward, with crystal clarity.” - Symon H., education entrepreneur

"Lisa has helped me transform from feeling like a lost and aimless empty nester to a joy filled woman with a full and exciting life. She helped me uncover and change the beliefs behind some thought patterns and behaviors I had that were no longer working for me. As a result, I now have my dream job as a financial coach at a local non-profit, I am drawing and painting again (something I loved in my youth and never gave my self permission to do as an adult), and I have a wonderful and loving relationship with my husband and daughter. Even more importantly, I am at peace within myself and am embracing life again. I am so thankful for Lisa's gifts of listening, coaching and sharing her wisdom with compassion and understanding. Working with her has truly been life changing!" - Jill M., financial coach and mom

"I want to take this moment to REALLY THANK YOU Lisa. My outlook on life has been changing gradually over the last 3 months and I want to genuinely Thank you for being a great Life Coach. Your honesty and willingness to make a difference in my life is tremendously appreciated (more than words can express). You have become a role model for me. I am really inspired by what you have done (and continue to do) for yourself and others because I know how much courage and persistence it takes." - Neha K., physician

"Almost everybody who has heard my story cannot believe it. More than one person have come up to Jaime and said, "So George basically dropped everything, decided he wanted to do something different, but had no experience in it, and now he's doing it?" People have come up to me and told me that I've inspired them because they didn't think that it was possible to make that kind of dramatic change in one's life....I'm only just scratching the surface of everything that I'd like to share with you, but more than anything, I just wanted to say Thank You for being a force of positive change in my life when I really needed it." - George M., from business owner to dream job as theme park interactive ride producer/creator

"This wasn't just some New Age internal bliss while the world moves on. I gradually changed my behavior, attitude, job, hobbies, classes, living circumstances, relationships, family ties, etc. More importantly, I shifted the way I lived and experienced this world, which was the real answer to "fixing my career."...After one year with Lisa, my life is different both internally and externally. Internally, I experience more stillness and excitement. I am much less reactive. I feel more wonder for the things that intrigue me....First and foremost, it is her genuine understanding and interest in applying what she has learned to help me.  It is, in fact, what prompted me to continued working with Lisa at the beginning despite frustration with other coaches and therapists. Another quality I'd like to highlight is her "warm wisdom". She has or is walking the path she teaches. She coaches me like a wise companion." - Travis C., from tech executive to world traveler

"I became a client of Lisa's and have had coaching sessions both by phone and in person, in the peaceful ocean setting of the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay and in a "healing hike" in the hills of Silicon Valley. These have been magnificent experiences. The outdoor atmosphere, in particular, helped me to gain a fresh perspective, extract my mind from workaday concerns, and assess my life's path from an "aerial view" in nature's patient, serene surroundings. She urged me, through the adoption of specific practices, to make space -- both temporal and physical -- in my life and to be creative, rather than reactive, in difficult situations. With her guidance, I have begun examining the thoughts that underlie feelings I previously thought were spontaneous and automatic, and to question the truth of those thoughts. At once brilliant, patient, and understanding, Lisa excels as a life coach, brimming with creative ideas. If you want a reality-based approach to taking your life to the next level, beyond where others would have you settle, contact Lisa to begin your quest." - James H., physician and lawyer

Areas of specialization

Below are specific populations and situations where I have a deep interest and experience in coaching. If you resonate with these brief descriptions, I invite you to contact me for a conversation, even if you don't have a specific need for life coaching at the moment.

Soul Recovery for Adult Children of Tiger Mothers

The unexpressed pain and untold stories of first-generation Asian-Americans have always been of personal interest to me.  I wondered why so many of our parents specifically wished for us to become doctors. Did they think we would heal their pain? I also wondered why western classical music was so commonly valued by them. Would the ordered beauty of the sounds drown out the chaos raging inside? 

I was once told by an Asian-American physician executive at a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company -- someone whom my father wanted me to regard as a mentor -- that my life story was "a dime a dozen." That I would have to do better if I wanted to stand out. At the time, I was an eighteen-year-old finishing my freshman year at Harvard, wondering what the world was really like. Unfortunately I learned from that interaction not to expect much support from fellow Asian-Americans. And I promised myself to be a better mentor someday.

With the publication of the "Tiger Mother" book, and with the recent release of Amy Tan's memoir detailing her mother's suicidal tendencies, the whole world now has new windows into the once dark corners of our family histories. We are just beginning to open ourselves to examine the effects of our personal and collective histories on our own life trajectories. Many of us have our heads down, providing for our own children, much like our parents did for us. We hope their lives are even better than ours. But is success, as defined for us by American society, the balm our souls really seek?

My invitation is to ask, who will do the work of soul recovery? How many generations will we defer until we turn the mirror inward? What will be our true legacy for future generations, if we remain hidden from ourselves?

Creative Process Coaching

The creative process is the process of life unfolding. While we are made to believe that life is a unidirectional pursuit of constant accumulation of achievements and success, nature shows us the spiral cycles of death and rebirth. What one process leaves behind, another transmutes as food for growth and renewal.

My attitude toward creative practice centers around the recovery of spontaneity and the feeling of liberation as therapeutic experiences.

I provide support, mentoring, and accountability partnership in the following situations:

• Overcoming creative blocks

• Reawakening a "shelved" creative practice from earlier in life

• Remembering the joy of creating after becoming a professionalized creative

• Committing to the pursuit of personal creative projects within the context of a professional creative life

• Starting a creative practice for the first time as an adult, while reversing childhood conditioning around "lack of artistic talent" or trauma from shaming

Soul Recovery for Physician Burnout

Eight years ago, when I began writing and reading about physician burnout, there were only a handful of articles describing the symptoms and defining the term. Now, it is widely acknowledged as a public health crisis. Here's my take on it. Physician burnout is an evolutionary wake-up call for your soul. Burnout is the loss of soul fire, imagination, and human artistry that is alive in the heart of any healer. Medical students surveyed in one study said that the part of themselves they checked at the door in order to excel in medical training was their creativity. What would happen if doctors were given permission to respond creatively to the physician burnout crisis? What if this awakened creative response by physicians were seen as essential?

Much good work is being done to illuminate the issues of physician suicide, physician happiness, and physician wellness. Beyond keeping your job, coping with stress, and becoming more efficient, my invitation is to ask, what will be your soul's unique response to this wake-up call?