For most of my adult life, I have lived outside the box. I am a single parent and raising my daughter alone without any financial assistance meant I have had to make living outside the box lucrative. This has not been easy to do. It has been a journey of trial and error, personal growth, failures and successes; and it has provided me with a life experience that I believe will help others find effective short cuts to success.

My profession for the last 20 years has been in the health and fitness field. As a massage therapist I have a thriving business, which I established in 1990. This was the same year I received certification as a yoga instructor. I have taught classes and workshops at various studios and am currently affiliated with the University of California at San Diego Calworks program teaching yoga workshops as part of their Stress Reduction program. Within both of these professions I have found it essential to provide a safe, secure environment that encourages my clients to experience their essential sense of ease and tranquility.

I am also a certified mediator with a focus on working with families and couples. My first experience with mediating for a family with stepparent issues was in 1999. It resulted in an entire family, including estranged parents, to reunite for the first time in 10 years. Communication has always been at the forefront of my focus. It has been obvious to me that finding the right way to say the truth made all the difference in allowing people to hear and accept rather than to feel defensive and reject ideas.

Above all, using communication as a skill to listen to my own voice has been at the center of all that I have been and done. I am fortunate enough for the last 25 years to have been on a personal development path that has guided and encouraged this inner connection. Throughout this time of being on this path and working with my clients and students, I have developed an absolute conviction that we all have a sense of what is good for us and how to create it. All we need is support and guidance to tap into this ‘sense’ and make it a reality.

This knowing is something everyone has the ability to develop and one of the main focal points of my approach to coaching . My life experiences, vision and knowledge have provided individuals the chance to take what they have and really make it work for them. To create the life of their dreams. This is what successful life coaching is all about and this is what I do best.

Catherine Stewart is also a member of the International Coach Federation.