My Story 2

I first came to Dee because I felt I was in a job that I was overqualified for, but did not have the self confidence to change my situation. However, during our sessions I realized it was more than that. I was overwhelmed with taking care of my 3 kids, an aging father, a home and a job and I didn’t have time for me. Dee showed me another way of looking at my job and helped me improve my time management. She helped me find ways to have my kids take more responsibility, make the most out of my visits to my father and helped me see I had the answers inside of me. I now feel I have accomplished all of my goals for coaching and have taken action on all the things that need improvement. I still need to work on some things, but I realize that it takes baby steps towards my goals and I am happy about that. I will miss our sessions. I always looked forward to them. In fact, I remember being very sick one morning and took the day off from work. I told her that I still wanted to have my coaching call because it makes my day and cheers me on!

My Story

Years ago I experienced traumatic significant change. Through many twists and turns I was led to Life Coaching and am happier than I’ve ever been. Here’s my story…

Within two months, the following events occurred in this order. I left my job, friends, little sister (through Big Brothers Big Sisters) and home that I loved, to move to another state. My fiancé, Scott, and I settled into our first house. We had a beautiful wedding and honeymoon. I started a new job as an assistant professor. On the day classes were to begin, one month and eight days after the wedding, Scott accompanied me to the hospital where I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I didn’t make it to class that day. We spent the weekend in the hospital.

When I think about that time of our lives, I can still almost touch the desperation and fear.

I’m telling you about this because if I knew then what I know now, it would have been so much better. If I had a coach, I would have learned how to integrate the changes into my life. As questions and issues came up, my coach would have guided me. She would have listened to me, supported me, helped me find my path and peace. I would have suffered less, grew more, and would have actually (unthinkable then) had hope.

But I didn’t have a coach then. And after living with MS for 12 years, I was still in the survival mode.

I began working with a coach. I identified where I was “Living in the Survival Mode” and where I wanted to be “Living with Integrity” (basically walking the talk: living, being, doing, in alignment with my values). My coach and I created a strategy to bridge that gap.

I worked hard with my coach. We bridged the gap. Guess what? My life is no longer just about surviving. I’m living with integrity. I’m doing what I love, coaching others. MS still affects me daily, but it’s no longer a matter of surviving. It’s all about thriving! Mahatma Gandhi was right, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.”

– John O'Donohue

Diane Swartz

The Bloodless Stigmata (an exciting murder mystery) grew not only from my dream to write a novel but also from my experience of living with MS.

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Dee has lived with MS for more than 21 years and as a Life Coach helps adults with MS thrive, not just survive. She speaks at NMSS events and is on the Board of Directors of the MS Center of South Texas. She holds a Ph.D. Her coach training is through CoachU, the leading, internationally recognized institution for professional coaching. She is certified by the International Coach Federation and is a member of the San Antonio Professional Coaches Association.