so pleased to meet you

HEY THERE! I’M HEATHER

Certified Professional Coach, Registered Yoga Teacher, empathetic and encouraging leader, unwavering optimist, adventurer, retired veterinarian. I help Perfectionists and People-pleasers (of all shapes and sizes) who are stuck in a cycle of exhaustion and resentment set boundaries around their time and energy so they can feel better.

I’ve walked the road of burnout, exhaustion, resentment and unkindness to self. Years of behaviour rooted in perfectionism and people-pleasing drained me, taking a toll on my mental, physical and emotional health. My zest for life disappeared as did my ability to show up well both at work and in the relationships that mattered most to me.

Finally addressing these behaviours—while learning to love and accept myself—changed my life dramatically for the better. I had help along the way, and it’s an honour to now use my knowledge, training and life experience to guide others on their journey.

WHO I WORK WITH

This brings me to YOU

Perfectionistic and people-pleasing tendencies will always be part of my story, but they no longer are my story. Are you ready to rewrite YOUR story?

You know that something needs to change but aren’t sure how to get there. Perhaps you’ve read self-help books and listened to podcasts, but you struggle to apply the tools you’ve learned. You might be giving yourself a hard time about that, or continuing to prioritize everyone else’s needs ahead of your own. Either way, you feel stuck in a cycle of exhaustion, resentment, and wish you had the support you need to make lasting changes in your life that will make it better today AND for years to come.

I’M HERE TO HELP YOU TRANSFORM KNOWLEDGE INTO ACTION

HERE’S WHAT MY CLIENTS HAVE IN COMMON:

  • their cup is empty and they feel exhausted/overwhelmed frequently

  • they set extremely high (sometimes unrealistic) standards for themselves and others

  • they’re hard on themselves, might not like or love who they are and often speak/think unkindly to themselves

  • they’re afraid of making mistakes or “failing”

  • they struggle to say “NO” and worry that if they do it will cost them in relationships and at work

  • they feel afraid of challenging emotions (and might try to avoid them)

  • they tend to be very concerned about others’ opinions of them

  • they struggle to appreciate their own accomplishments

MY APPROACH

Doing more & trying harder is NOT the answer

Perfectionism and people-pleasing are rooted in a place of “not enoughness.” Perfectionists feel a deep need to earn their value by working harder and measure up to expectations—realistic or not. People-pleasers believe they must say “yes” to everyone and everything in order to be liked, promoted, valued.

I BELIEVE YOU ARE ENOUGH

This is the place from which I coach and lead. As we work together, you’ll learn AND apply the tools you need to:

  • practice rest and true self-care

  • understand, accept, trust, like—and even LOVE—yourself

  • be kind and compassionate to yourself (watch this spill over into your relationships!)

  • feel grounded and confident in your own unique identity, separate from your results and “doing”

  • set empowered boundaries around your time and energy

  • understand the signals your body is giving you and honour them in a mindful way

I BELIEVE IN YOU

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I BELIEVE IN YOU •

READY TO GET STARTED?

I’m here to guide, encourage and empower you

We’ll start by connecting to get clear on where you are right now, where you want to go, and how I can support you in that process. We do this in a no-cost 30 minute conversation via Zoom. You’ll walk away from our chat feeling seen, empowered, and equipped with the first step you need to begin moving toward ease and energy.

Want to learn more about how we can work together before we connect? You can explore my coaching packages here or learn more about the retreats and workshops I facilitate.

MY STORY

Find out WHY I’m rooting for you

I spent decades of my life pursuing excellence, external success, and the approval of others. Behaviours I learned when young served me well in this, and if you met me in 2015 you’d assume I was in a great place in life. Veterinarian. Married to an amazing human. Athlete. Always wearing a smile (though not always an authentic one).

Behind closed doors, my soul was slowly dying, and only one or two trusted people knew. I put my happy mask on every day and went to work, trying not to throw up on the way. I’d go for a run—something I used to love—but feel pain in my body and hear only words like “you’re slow. Not good enough. You suck” in my head. Self-care was a non-entity and I was so. very. tired.

That year, I decided to leave my veterinary career. The one I’d planned for, studied for, since I was 4 years old. I thought the burnout, exhaustion, stress and resentment I felt was purely due to my job. Leaving the profession helped me enormously (turns out it’s a challenging place to be as a Highly Empathetic People-Pleasing Perfectionist).

BUT

What I quickly discovered was the extent to which my thought and behaviour patterns contributed to how I felt. Leaving my career was only a band-aid solution, and ripping it off finally exposed the inner work I needed to do.

That work—and the knowledge I was deeply loved—saved me.

I learned to accept myself and feel that I was worthy even if I fell short of expectations. To change my mindset and thoughts. To feel rather than stuff my emotions down. That setting boundaries around my time and energy wasn’t selfish but actually improved my most meaningful relationships. That my belief in a God who always demanded more from me wasn’t truth and that I was simply LOVED by him.

I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT FINDING FREEDOM FROM PERFECTIONISTIC AND PEOPLE-PLEASING LIVING IS BOTH POSSIBLE AND LIFE-CHANGING

I’m beyond grateful for the resources and support I had—and continue to—in my journey. This is why I coach. This is why I’m rooting for YOU. I don’t want to keep to myself all that I’ve learned. Coaching is the way I serve others struggling beneath the weight of expectation and exhaustion. You too can replace exhaustion and resentment with ease, energy and a new confidence in who you are. It’s my honour to help along the way.

A FEW MORE DETAILS

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS:

  • Certified Professional Coach, Erickson International

  • Registered Yoga Teacher (200 hour), South Okanagan Yoga Academy

  • iREST Yoga Nidra Facilitator (Level 1), iREST Institute®

  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (University of Saskatchewan)

  • Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, Canine Rehabilitation Institute ®

  • Bachelor of Science (Combined Honours Biochemistry & Chemistry), University of British Columbia

LIFE EXPERIENCE:

  • Married to a Remarkable Human since 2009

  • Mountain and forest explorer on feet and wheels

  • Finisher of 50+ triathlon (Olympic-Ironman distance, 4-time Canadian age-group team athlete), running (5km-Ultra distance), cycling & nordic skiing races

  • Coach to amazing humans, retreat host, workshop facilitator, speaker since 2017

  • Lifelong reader, learner, adventurer, beloved God-daughter

  • Founder of 3 small businesses

  • Lover of all animals, dog and cat mom, future donkey guardian

  • Foodie, pretend chef, generally successful gardener

  • Cold water dipper, sauna enthusiast

  • Recovering Perfectionist and People-pleaser

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES…