Patti Obrist here and I'm a giddy, middle-aged, certified professional life coach...
I've not always been giddy (or middle-aged, for that matter!) but I have been able to find my passion, my zest for life; an unwavering trust and confidence that I can, and will succeed at just about anything I put my mind to.....as long as it's on my terms and created from my own true heart's energy. I experience freedom and joy on a daily basis. I know who I am. Now, that really makes me giddy!
This hasn’t always been the case. In the past, looking at my life from the outside, it seemed that I had it all – a successful husband, a big blended family, money, beautiful houses, cars, several businesses of my own - pretty much anything I wanted - I had. Well, that was one of the biggest problems – I thought I wanted all these things, but more often than not, they brought me stress and unhappiness. If my life was so great why was I fearful, sad, angry, and anxious most of the time? Why couldn’t I enjoy what I had worked so hard to get? Why was it so difficult to hang on to success? What happened to all the fun I was supposed to be having?
I finally reached a point where I desperately wanted things to be different in my life for some obvious reasons; divorce, failed businesses, serious health problems. I didn’t know if I could actually change any of these things. I certainly didn’t know where to begin. But it was time. Making positive and lasting change that would support my own true heart's desire was overdue.
The idea of working with a life coach presented itself to me somewhere in the middle of yet another one of my epic moves across the country. Being unsettled and unsure about what was next, hiring a coach actually sounded like it might work for me: it offered support and accountability, the coach could be non-judgmental, I would be creating my own plan, and figuring out what my true values were (I really had no clue about these!). Hiring a coach was definitely worth a try. The process made sense, grounded in the present with an eye on the future. Many times, though, as I was going through the process I thought that I must have been the most challenging client my life coach ever had! But most importantly, my coach hung in there with me, knowing I had exactly all my own answers within my heart just waiting to be discovered, nurtured and coaxed into the light. 
Working with a coach helped me see that as long as I lived in my head all the time, worrying about what I "should" do, what I thought other people thought of me, what my previous perceptions were of success and happiness, I would always be struggling. I would never have the confidence and success that I wanted. I would continue to make the same old choices over and over again....choices that never really served me. . .
I would always be stuck where I didn't want to be and trying to find a way out.
The results of working with my life coach became quickly noticeable to me. I felt an almost immediate shift and lightness in my world. I now had some practical tools to work with, and a a process that I could repeat again and again. I could explore the dark and scary places that were holding me back and not be alone and afraid. I could actually learn to appreciate and love who I am and all the things I had accomplished in my life. But most importantly, I found out that nothing would work for me unless the choices I make are based on my core values (yes, I found out what these are and some are pretty surprising!). My intentions, choices and actions are nowadays fully grounded in who I know myself to be – and always from my heart.
The work I did ignited in me a new appreciation and a real passion for life. And it ignited my own passion and desire for becoming a life coach. I wanted to help other people discover, like I have, how to turn to their own hearts in order to be authentically happy and successful in life, in careers, in business, and in the world.
My passion and desire to become a coach came out of my own life’s transformations. I will always be grateful for the lessons I’ve learned, the journey I've taken and the people who have helped me along the way.
I woud be honored to support you as you begin to navigate positive changes in your own life, too.
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
-Carl Jung