Lauren Leduc Lemieux
To say the road I have traveled has lacked direction is an understatement. I started out with a plan. I had been accepted early to Springfield College to study public health administration (a field my father was convinced was the path I should take.) Christmas my senior year of high school was full of presents to decorate the dorm room. I was so excited to head to college and I was ready to get my life started.
Back in the day, before emails and fax machines, all applications for financial aid was filtered through one central location in Princeton, NJ. My mother completed the application and sent the check, but to our astonishment, they lost my application. Even though they cashed the check that accompanied the application, they claimed it was not received. Too much time lapsed and I was disqualified for financial aid eligibility. I was left floundering, like a fish out of water. There was no back up plan. I applied in March to what is now UMass Dartmouth and got in. Public health administration was not offered, and I don’t even remember the major I picked. I remember switching 3 times and ended up graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Social Science in 1994.
While in college, Hurricane Bob reeked havoc on where I live and the boat yard owned by my step father and mother endured extreme damage. I started working there part time in early 1992 and when I graduated, they offered me a full time job. Now, my mother had worked there since I was 3, but I never, ever, imagined it would be my career. But, when the job was offered, I still had no direction. No passion. No idea what I wanted to be doing (of course, I was only 21 and who really knows their purpose at 21.) So, I accepted the job. 18 years later, I was still working for the family business. I had experienced ups and downs over the years, wondering what I was meant to do with my life. I never gave leaving to pursue anything else any serious thought. (Had I known about coaching between 1994 – 2012, I have no doubt that I would have moved on sooner, but that was not the case.)
Throughout 2012, the realization was hitting me hard – I was not living a happy, fulfilling professional life. My job did not excite me or bring me any sort of validation or sense of accomplishment. I was feeling more and more depleted as each day passed. When I finally decided it was time to leave at the end of 2012, it was extremely difficult to leave my family behind. I struggled with guilt for wanting to leave, but I knew in my core I was meant to do something else with my life. The time had come for me to step out of my comfort zone and to connect to what I really was meant to do with my life, even though I had no idea what the future held for me.
Within a week after my last day, I had done all the research I needed to do on the coaching profession. I signed up for the complete training and certification program from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI.) After learning what coaching was, I realized the philosophy was one I had practiced my whole life. When supporting friends and family, I always encouraged them to believe in themselves. To do what they wanted to do in their hearts, regardless of what others thought. To be the best they could be to create their own happiness. I am extremely proud to say I am now living the life I always dreamed of. And soon, you will be too.
On July 1, 2014, I became a Certified Professional CoActive Coach (CPCC) and I hold the accreditation of an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation.
I call myself a Whole Life Coach for 2 reasons: 1) I feel I’ve been doing this work my whole life and 2) when someone feels a shift coming, it doesn’t just affect them personally or professionally – it affects their whole life.
Coaching is a powerful investment to empower yourself with the confidence and courage to embrace what’s possible when you get out of your own way. As a coach, I guide my clients through the process of making decisions that best support their values, goals and dreams. When we live our lives aligned to these three ideals, we feel happy, balanced, and fulfilled.
In early 2017, I became a published author! I wrote about leaving my family’s business in the inspiring book 365 Life Shifts. Order you copy now at 365lifeshifts.com.
When you evoke your power to choose, everything becomes possible!
