Be Grounded, Get Clear

Like singer-songwriter Lizzo once said, “Oh, I’m not the girl I was or used to be– [girl], I might be better”. Working with Estee–who provides a compassionate, structured approach–was a journey of empowerment that led me to rediscover myself, actually set boundaries, and regain the confidence I had lost though a series of “bad fits”. She saw past my effusive (her word!) and independent nature and recognized a lost, nervous young woman who desperately needed guidance–and she provided it without hesitation.

Estee found me as a people-pleaser in denial–deeply neglecting myself and my needs, under the guise of showing up and “being the light” for others, which resulted in me slowly spiraling into a depression and starting to develop a resentment for the world. I thought what I needed was a new job or a career pivot, because I felt crushed by steep targets, and frustrated with corporate dysfunction in my work environment. Since I was new to coaching and didn’t quite understand it at first, our time together began with me almost begging Estee for career advice, in hopes that she could wave a magic wand and say, “ta-da! based on my calculations, here is your perfect role”. Instead, Estee assigned me a values exercise.

Initially, I tackled the exercise, thinking it would help me figure out what job I’d be best aligned with–but gee, was I in for a self-discovery surprise. As we discussed the exercise, I realized that I was being terribly drained by value misalignment to the extent that I felt I was living a life that was not my own. Both at work and in my personal life, I just wasn’t having fun anymore. I found myself struggling to be authentic, stuck in my work persona, really never fully resting and even going as far as demonstrating professionalism in my personal relationships. I felt unrecognizable to my favorite self and felt like I had to totally rebuild my life. Estee, however, immediately saw the shiny parts of me and started polishing. We shifted from strictly business, and began working together on a set of totally different goals, focused on rediscovering rest, fun, and fulfillment.

Throughout our sessions, she recognized when I was pushing myself too much, or being too critical, and encouraged rest and reflection. She recognized when I was going too fast, and encouraged me to slow down and take inventory. She recognized when I was sitting in discomfort, or when my energetic nature was more frantic than excited, so we had more than a few mindful breathing sessions to recenter. No matter the kind of day I was having, she identified what was going on, met me exactly where I was at, and gave me credit for just showing up for myself, while quietly acknowledging distractions and making sure that I was getting value out of every single session. She assigned me more exercises, that even if I only did partially, led me to more epiphanies and realizations that she helped guide me through. Her questions are thoughtful, her presence is soothing, her demeanor is supportive. She is a stellar listener and was so effective in knowing when to hear me out, versus when to rein me in from straying off topic. Our sessions were focused, and left me increasingly self-assured.

Estee is an incredible woman with a wealth of life experience and many pearls of wisdom. She knows how to make you feel yourself on your worst days, and provides a safe environment for you to figure yourself out, while stoking the fire that may have dimmed within you over time. Sincerely, she did more than help me understand what balance and sustainability looked like in my life. She helped me identify self-imposed limiting beliefs and let go of all that does not serve me. I trust myself again, and thanks to her, I have totally changed my mindset and now lead my life from a position of self-love instead of self-loathing. I have refilled my life with joy, love, friendship, effort, and will be starting a new job soon, after taking needed time for myself. I remembered who I am and found new and exciting parts of me I didn’t know existed, all while gaining new tools and techniques to tackle life’s myriad challenges. I truly enjoy life again! I cannot thank her enough for such a gift!!

"Working with Estee was nothing other than an incredible experience - she helped me evaluate the root cause of work-related unhappiness and supported me while pushing through deep self-assessment about how a changed mindset can impact not only work but also personal life. I look forward to working with Estee during different periods of growth throughout my career."

"Having Estée as my career coach for the past few months has been incredibly valuable and rewarding in not just my professional life, but also my personal life. By empowering me through the art of asking questions and helping me unearth things that are already within me, Estée has helped me to leave my comfort zone, take risks, make mistakes, and show up for myself with grace (and without judgement)! If you are looking for a thought-partner, sounding board, someone to celebrate your wins with, and to kick off a life-long journey of growing, I cannot recommend Estée enough."

"Working with Estee in our career coaching session has been a transformative experience. From the moment we started our conversation, I immediately felt a sense of safety and comfort that allowed me to open up completely. We quickly established a great connection, which led to significant breakthroughs in understanding my goals of creating space for myself through project management and overcoming self-confidence challenges. I would highly recommend Estee's career coaching to anyone looking to navigate their professional journey with clarity and confidence."

"I wanted to thank you immensely for your skillful coaching! You were a game changer in helping me see blocks that I couldn't see despite all of my reading and small group coaching experiences over the years. I have worked one-on-one with coaches before for different reasons and I really appreciate your unique approach. Working one-on-one with you in a brief amount of time allowed me to explore barriers that had been interfering with my progress in areas that I have been focusing on for years. Estee, thank you for holding space for me, giving me different tools, and challenging me."

"Estee is the most incredible coach, she has supported me to define my values, decipher my

strengths and saboteurs and identify what is most important to me in career and life. She has

challenged my thoughts about myself in every session and I haven't not come away more

motivated and inspired. Oh and I think almost importantly, Estee is also just great fun and I

love that!"

"As a business founder, I don’t always have the right answers to all the problems. But the most valuable thing I’ve learned with Estee are that the answers are already within us. I just need to explore, reflect and dig a little deeper. Estee served as a guide for me to uncover these unknowns."

"Navigating my future always seemed like a daunting task that I didn't know how to begin tackling until Estee helped me recognize that it doesn't have to be. Often I would go into our sessions with a whirlwind of thoughts, so she helped me sit with the uncomfortability through mindfulness activities. The sessions allowed me to turn my thoughts into a future I envisioned for myself. Through coaching with Estee, I learned to take simple steps towards big goals and I have all the skills to get where I want to be."

"My coaching experience with Estee opened me up to a more grounded, trusting, and clear version of myself."

"Through her expert, guided inquiries in our weekly sessions, I feel I was able to re-orient myself and gain new confidence in who I've become as a person aligned with my core values, the strengths I bring to all my relationships, and my ability to show up and be my best self for my child, my partner, and prospective employers. I am immensely grateful to Estee and myself for prioritizing this time and feel excited, even- to see what the next chapter of my life will bring."

 "Estee uplifts you with her energy, supportive presence, and partners with you on how to approach problem solving. "