What I’ve Been Building Since 2009

In April 2009, eight months after my youngest daughter Zara was born, I met a friend for lunch.

At that stage of my life, my world revolved around raising my three children.

Raising my children taught me how to guide something through many stages of growth.

They are grown.

In a very real way, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐩 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲™ is what I am raising next.

That day in 2009 in Geneva, my friend was going through an intensely difficult period following a deep betrayal.

I expected bitterness and anger. Both would have been completely understandable.

Instead, the woman sitting across from me was calm, grounded and peaceful.

I was amazed.

She told me it was because of a process called The Work.

She explained it briefly and gave me a short demonstration.

I remember thinking it was completely bonkers.

It made no sense to me.

And yet, something about it stayed with me. Enough that when I got home, I went straight to YouTube to learn more.

The Work is a simple but profound process where you identify your stressful thoughts and question them. To benefit from it, you need an open mind, and that can feel uncomfortable at first. We are deeply attached to our beliefs about our lives and the stories we tell about them.

But those beliefs and stories, not reality itself, are what keep us trapped.

The prison is in the mind.

I went on to do deep work with this process and certified in it in 2012.

It changed my life.

It was where I learned that I had agency over how I felt.

I learned that my pain did not come from my circumstances, but from my thoughts about my circumstances.

I became an avid student and facilitator of The Work until 2016.

By then, something inside me had shifted.

I became far more interested in possibility.

It became one of my favorite words, and one of my favorite questions:

What’s possible in your future if you drop the fear?

I discovered that with the right coach, I could move into a state where I felt almost invincible. In that state, I genuinely believed anything was possible for me.

I fell in love with the art of coaching.

I decided to deepen my skills and began more formal coach training. I trained with a large, well-known international organization and planned to continue with them until I achieved my International Coaching Federation certification.

But when I looked at the highest level of leadership, something didn’t sit right.

They didn’t inspire me.

They didn’t look particularly healthy.

And there was an energy of conformity that did not resonate with me.

For me, coaching was about dreaming big, learning how to navigate challenges, and building a healthy life of freedom that you genuinely love.

I could see coaches in the online space living that reality, so I chose that path instead.

I learned from incredible coaches.

I also made painful mistakes.

There are no shortcuts to real-world results. They require deep inner work, and without the right guidance, that process can take far longer than it needs to.

The years that followed were filled with peaks and valleys, growth and setbacks. Learning, overcoming, and moments of awe at the magic of life itself.

I discovered meditation.

Then I discovered Dr Joe Dispenza’s work.

That has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

It showed me a far more effective way to create the magic I had previously been seeking in all the wrong places.

It has been a beautiful progression, challenges included. Those challenges strengthened me and taught me something essential.

I could rely on myself.

I did not need to fear difficult times.

To bring this journey full circle, I eventually returned to professional coaching mastery and recently finally applied for my Professional Certified Coach, PCC, accreditation with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

I firmly believe there are no mistakes, only learnings. And if I had known then what I know now, I would have pursued my ICF accreditation much earlier.

Not just for credibility.

For opportunity.

Many organizations hire ICF accredited coaches as consultants. You can choose your hours, and there is consistent work available. It is an excellent income complement for any coach who is building their own business.

That is why, now, inside The Fired Up Coaching Academy where I train others to become coaches, the academy is strongly ICF focused.

Participants who complete my program can apply for ICF accreditation after six months (currently via the Portfolio route).

The accreditation is a powerful bonus. More importantly, it ensures you are a genuinely skilled coach. The standard is high.

Inside The Academy, because health and energy matter deeply to me, coaches are also trained in how to cultivate optimal physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy. They are encouraged to live what they learn, not just teach it.

This Academy is the culmination of everything I have learned and lived since 2009.

By 2029, I expect it to be globally recognized, with Fired Up coaches working throughout the world.

Right now, I am preparing to welcome the next group of participants in January 2026.

If you feel called to learn a skill that can shape a meaningful, well-resourced, and healthy life,
The Fired Up Coaching Academy™ may be the next step for you.

I would be honored to guide you.