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 and loving 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 my 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 pretty obvious reasons: divorce, failed business, and a serious health problem. I didn’t know if I could actually change any of these things. I certainly didn’t know where to begin.
The idea of working with a life coach presented itself to me somewhere in the middle of yet another one of my moves across the US. Being unsettled and unsure about what was next, hiring a coach actually sounded like it might work for me: oodles of support, accountability, non-judgmental, my own plan, figuring out what my true values were (I had no clue about these!). Hiring a coach was definitely worth a try. The process somehow just resonated with me. 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! My coach hung in there with me, knowing I had exactly my own answers within my heart all the time. 
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 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 and 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.
I won’t say that I found instant enlightenment, but the results of working with a life coach were becoming quickly noticeable. I felt an almost immediate shift and lightness in my world. I had some tools to work with now. I could look into the dark and scary parts and not be afraid. I could actually appreciate who I was 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 those are and some are pretty surprising!). My intentions, choices and actions are nowadays wholly grounded in who I know myself to be – and always from the heart.
The work I did ignited in me a new appreciation and a real passion for life. And it ignited my 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 business, and in the world.
My 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 would be honored to support you on your journey as well.
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
-Carl Jung
I'm proud to be a graduate of the International Coach Academy in Sydeny, AU and a member of the International Coach Federation