Erika Person
CERTIFIED LIFE COACH | ARTIST
Welcome to
the ART of transformation!
Life & Grief Coaching Specializing in Transformation After
Major Life Events
You were raised to be unbreakable.
Breaking - and rebuilding - is actually the whole point.
Nobody told you midlife would be like this.
Nobody told you a lot of things.
Nobody prepared you for this wonderful and relentless world.
And nobody showed you how to grieve.
When things didn't go to plan, you were taught to just "figure it out."
You didn't anticipate a divorce, or a career change,
or the death of a loved one, while navigating caring for aging parents,
parenting kids, career excellence, and peri/menopause.
How do you "figure out" the hardest thing you've ever done
under unfathomable circumstances?
All you know is that you are not the same woman you were,
and people expect you to go back to your old life.
You're trying to keep it together for them AND desperate to build something new for you.
IT'S A LOT.
Too much for one person to handle alone. Even you.
You didn't expect to fall apart. (Neither did I.) Yet here we are.
Gen-X women were taught to be tough and independent, which does not necessarily translate into resilience. We've fought hard to have --and keep-- it all. And when we least expect it, grief knocks us sideways, stirring up old trauma, and suddenly we feel unsure of who we are or what we’re meant to do. We are shattered by loss on top of the constant caregiving, breadwinning, single parenting, hormone changes, and our own health challenges.
What if the broken places are exactly where your next life is coming through?
Loss and other challenges offer us an unprecedented paradigm shift. Our reality has changed. In fact, we ourselves have been changed. If we cling to the old paradigm, we get stuck. When we can move forward and learn how to carry our grief, we have an opportunity to create something new for ourselves.
I love the Japanese art of kintsugi as a metaphor for grief. In kintsugi, broken pottery is mended with gold. The gold illuminates the break, making the loss not only visible but more beautiful.
The gold in the cracks isn't a metaphor for 'everything happens for a reason.'
It's a metaphor for YOU -- still here, still standing, still becoming.
The thing is, you already have everything you need. You are whole and complete (even though you may feel a hole left by the absence of a loved one, or the loss of a job or ability). What you may lack in this unprecedented moment is faith in yourself and someone to listen without judgment, to hold up a mirror and lovingly reflect back your words to you, and to help guide you to the new, authentic, and aligned you...often down an unchartered path based on what’s true now, rather than the well-worn path you used to know.
That’s where I come in.
I’m Erika. I’m a certified life coach specializing in life transformations after major life events such as death, divorce, career change, moving to a new city, etc. (I’m also a visual artist creating paintings based on healing work, and a Partner with Trades of Hope, empowering women around the world out of poverty and trafficking through fair-trade job creation.) I bring what I learned from healing and rebuilding after a series of losses in my own life. In 2016, I experienced an injury, the loss of an opera career I’d spent 20+ years building, and with it the loss of my community, a cross-country move, a low point in my marriage, and most recently the loss of both parents within 6.5 months of each other. The grief from the injury, move and career change was simmering, but it boiled over when my parents died. I was truly and utterly devastated; I had no idea of what to do, let alone a sense of purpose in the new paradigm.
If you’re reading this and seeing yourself reflected in my story, I promise that something lighter and brighter awaits you. And I promise that you already have what you need inside of you to create it. You might just need a partner to listen and ask questions as you do the work of creating a new life for yourself. I experienced a massive shift within my first 3 hours of training with Life Purpose Institute. And I never looked back. I spent 25 years as a professional musician, and while I loved the work and the pursuit of excellence, something was always missing. As a Life Transformation Coach, I know my purpose with utter conviction: to be of service, to share joy, to inspire creative action, to do what I can to help heal the wounds of the world, and to help YOU find your life purpose, all with a bit of Gen-X sass and snark for good measure.
What is Life Coaching?
According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), coaching is defined as a partnership with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
Coaching focuses on the present – moving you from where you are to where you want to be. As a coach, it’s my job to help you establish your desired outcome, ask questions, create a plan, and help you be accountable to achieve it. My role is that of facilitator or guide, asking meaningful questions that lead you to your own answers. I rely on my personal experience with grief to inform my coaching practice, but I am not a grief counselor. I strongly recommend finding a grief counselor or a support group, especially if you have lost a loved one. The support of that community is invaluable. If your grief (or another past trauma) is interfering with your ability to function in your daily life, I will refer you to counseling. The need to heal from loss is very real, and you will get more out of coaching once you have begun this work.
Consulting is about advising, making suggestions, or sharing information with a client, in a particular area of expertise.
Counseling is about healing emotional issues. While these can be triggered by a recent loss or event, they are often rooted in unhealed past trauma or painful events. A therapist can help you through the healing process. While I can hold space for you to empty out thoughts and feelings, I am not a qualified therapist. I will help you find one so that your deep healing can begin.
Please let me know if you have any further questions about the difference between a coach, a consultant, and a counselor.
What Is a Certified Grief Educator?
A Certified Grief Educator is committed to providing the highest level of grief support through education, experience, and insights into the often unacknowledged rocky terrain of grief.
Certified Grief Educators completed a certificate program designed by world-renowned grief expert, David Kessler. They bring his unique methodology, tools, and decades of experience to help people navigate the challenges of grief.
Want to Experience More From My World? Come On In...
You're invited to join me for my monthly newsletter! Once a month, I'll share about upcoming events in my coaching and artist spheres, tips and exercises for processing grief and moving through changes and challenges, and I'll also share pictures of new paintings as they become available for purchase.
Want to Get In Touch?
Use the form below to inquire about coaching, voice teaching, workshops, or payment details for services. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
