February Newsletter

This is just a little reminder that Love is something that starts with us.
Loving ourselves throughout the process of exploring:

Our Fears
Our Truths
Our Values
Our Joys

Learning to accept our perfectly imperfect selves creates our compass in life,
because it is from that place of knowing, accepting and loving ourselves that we start to truly live.

Love Without the Disguises

Perfectionists and People Pleasers tend to live their lives behind a disguise. Keeping up the appearance of being someone who is independent, put together, able to handle anything, and always "happy" to take on more, distracts people from their true and most vulnerable reality. How very fearful they are of being seen as unworthy or not "ENOUGH" to themselves & everyone else. The effort this takes can be exhausting!

Finding the way to "enough" starts with a decision being made...the decision to choose YOU. What I do as a coach, my tools, my experience is only a piece of making that change, but the joy you will FEEL moving forward stems from YOU making that one important choice.

Choosing you doesn't mean that you are self centered, or don't care about anyone else, and it definitely doesn't make you unkind. It means that you have the desire to reconnect with who YOU really are, inherently, and at your core. It's a heart reconnection that brings you back to a place of truth. Loving that truth is where the transformation really makes itself known.

In that place there is no push to "DO" what you think everyone wants from you, there is no pressure to perform "perfectly", there is no guilt for taking 15 minutes to go for a walk and buy a coffee. There is only you "BEING" your best, showing kindness to others when it won't deplete your energy, learning what you have control over and what you don't and learning how to identify when your efforts can best be put to use.

When you can truly embrace and pursue life as the most authentic version of you, there will be a notable shift. You will begin to live with intention instead of apology, love more bravely, and you'll begin finding the time to pack up those disguises because you KNOW the real you deserves to be seen.

When you're ready to try this on for size, and see if this transformation could fit the you within, I provide a safe space for my clients to lay down the disguises. Reach out to me at jennifer@dailychoices.life. I'm looking forward to meeting you.

Coaching Certifications

Though it isn't required that someone hold certifications to become a coach, I chose a school that easily sets me up to be certified through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Very soon, I will have acquired enough hours to take the test and apply for my (ACC) to show that I am an Associate Certified Coach .

For me, it's important to provide my clients with assurances that I operate under a code of ethics, and put the time in to learn proven tools that will give them the best results. I'm also working towards taking classes to learn and understand more about trauma, in order to be aware of how I can best support my clients if something arises in a session unexpectedly.

In addition to currently being a CPC (Certified Professional Coach), I also obtained the ELI-MP certification through iPEC. This allows me to administer the Energy Leadership Index assessment that has been researched extensively, and shown to advance people's self awareness about how they respond to the world around them, and better yet how that awareness gives them what they need to respond better to stressors, increase their life satisfaction, and bring their energy levels to a more positive and joyful focus. It is an amazing in depth tool, that really helps us understand the filters through which we view our world.

These certifications mean a lot to me, and hopefully will offer assurances to my future clients, but what I offer as an individual is what's important. Through coaching I have learned to recognize and speak to my own strengths, but I'll let the words of one of my clients speak for me in this instance.

"Working with Jen was incredible. From the very first moment I connected with Jen I immediately felt safe, heard and was truly comfortable being vulnerable. Her natural ability to be fully present and to actively and intuitively listen, made each session successful both in bringing awareness to blocks I didn’t realize were there and in allowing me to see things from a different perspective without any judgement. By the end of each coaching session I always felt we created a clear roadmap with reasonable action steps I could take to achieve my goals. Jen has such a generous spirit and compassionate nature- highly recommend her as a coach!"

Tobie L. - West Hollywood, CA

Beautiful red and white sunlit flowers in a window box over a tiled sidewalk in Cali.

Journey to Cali, Colombia

We have been in Colombia, visiting our friends now since the end of October, 2022. Minus a short trip to Panama for reseting our "days in country" clock, we have spent our time living with them in Guadalajara de Buga.

We have really enjoyed getting to know their friends, and recently spent an evening together playing the beloved Colombian sport of Tijo. It involves hucking heavy metal weights across a room in the hopes of hitting a packet of explosive, doing this earns you 9 points and the satisfaction of an accompanying loud explosion. There is often alcohol in the mix...either beer (Poker) or Aquardiente, the national liquor that tastes of Anise.

They wisely separated us newbies from the professionals by one full lane, allowing our increasingly wild throws to not threaten the lives of others. I was terrible at it, but managed to bury the weight in the clay surrounding the explosive packet a couple of times.

We decided last week that we would take a fun trip to Cali, which is a 40+ minute bus ride away. The San Antonia area, where we stayed, is fun to wander around in and is known for having some incredible food.

For the most part we worked during the day, and then would venture out in the evenings to restaurants that had been recommended to us. One of my husband's co-workers lives in Cali so we joined him and his partner for some sushi in the middle of the week.

He also took us on a small adventure at the end of our stay up the mountain for breakfast. The place we stopped, La Cabaña, had some delicious sancocho (a traditional Colombian soup) and calentado which consists usually of beans and rice left over from the night before...it doesn't sound exciting, but it was delicious! The restaurant was in a gorgeous setting looking out at the mountains on grounds that were filled with beautiful flowers, and was a great way to end our week.

Being a nomad isn't always filled with explosions and gorgeous views, but it is an incredible thing to stay somewhere and step outside every day to experience a foreign culture. Our Spanish is still awful, but I notice how much we have improved since our arrival. I'm so grateful for all that we have experienced in Colombia so far, and how it has given us a better look into this country.