One-on-One Coaching
Jessica Swift, Georgia
“I hired Michelle as my life coach because I loved her positive energy, and I was feeling really stuck in a spiral of negative energy. I needed someone to help get me unstuck, and she seemed like the perfect person! Getting to talk to someone that really understood what I was feeling was so wonderful. Plus, Michelle’s hilarious, and it was just so much fun to TALK to her. She’s a great listener and could really quickly get to the heart of what I was trying to say, and often pulled things out of what I’d said that I didn’t even know were there. It was great when she could help me connect something that just wasn’t happening on my own. I could feel that she was very present and that she genuinely wanted to help me. It was really inspiring that Michelle was able to think of really wacky yet practical things that I had never considered– she was great at opening my eyes to different ways I could perceive a situation or how I was thinking about something. She gave me permission to do whatever the heck I want to do, and that is HUGE! I gained a new sense of being my own boss, in business and in my life. I am learning to let go of the “shoulds” in my life more now, and just living instead. It feels really good. I think the permission to be whoever I want to be, work however I want, and trust that I know what is best for me is the biggest thing I gained. It’s invaluable.”
Alexandra Franzen, Minneapolis-Saint Paul
“After handing in my notice to my boss, I suddenly felt the “freelance clock” start ticking. I knew I was leaving the 9-to-5 world, and I knew what kind of lifestyle I wanted, but I had no friggin’ idea how I was going to create that life. I needed someone to help me pluck out which of my 5 billion ideas were actually worth pursuing … someone to hold me accountable for forward momentum … sometime to tell me to relax, on occasion … someone to help me connect with a larger support network creative entrepreneurs … basically, someone to help me grow into my self-imposed freelance identity! And YES, Michelle met all my expectations — and then some.
Michelle is relentlessly positive without handing out “empty praise.” She has a knack for keeping the conversation action-oriented when I veer off into long, rambling brain-dump monologues. She gets what it means to be an entrepreneur — and a creative entrepreneur, at that.
Michelle helped me connect — both directly and indirectly — with brilliant, fabulous role models, collaborators and clients. She expanded my vocabulary, giving me the gift of the word “amazeballs.” In working with Michelle, I gained a ferocious sense of who I am, what I can do, and how much to charge … tons of creative, non-icky self-promotion tactics … and a fresh network of virtual and real-life career comrades. Thanks Baby Jesus for Michelle Ward.”
You can watch Alexandra talk about what lead her to seek coaching, and what she gained from working with me, below! This was taken from her amazeballs 1st Entrepreneuriversary celebration, where she hosted a live video call to tell stories, answer questions, and create much mayhem, celebration and ballyhoo. I heart her to the max.
Jacki Leahy, New York City
“Michelle Ward helped me realize I have the power to change my life. In just the first session I realized I had a deep fear of growing up! Basic things like keeping track of a budget, pursuing a rewarding career, and even keeping the apartment tidy…were secretly scaring me so I avoided them! She asked questions that challenged my dormant fears and all of a sudden I could clearly see how having a well-stocked bank account, job I love, and tidy bedroom would all bring inner peace and a sense of purpose. She supported me SO well that I did about 2 year’s work of realizations and metamorphasizing in 3 months! I’m serious! I am now a real estate agent with the confidence to create my own wealth and the courage to bring those ugly hidden fears to the surface.
Michelle will help you clarify your own goals and keep you on track to realizing them through insightful questions, space to reflect, and a weekly challenge to keep you in motion. She does it all with a powerful mix of a breezy tone, empowering words, and a healthy dose of hilarity. Sign up with Michelle, trust the process, and get ready for the ride of realizing your best life!”
Jenni I., California
“I was finishing my master’s degree in a major it turns out I suck at and am not interested in and felt completely lost as to what I wanted to do and how to go about figuring it out and then doing it – which is why I hired Michelle! I was looking for some guidance for how to move forward, but also kind of a sense of accountability in more actively working to discover my true interests and skills and values, etc. My expectations were met, especially because I appreciated having concrete and practical exercises to do in order to help me move forward, in addition to being able to talk things out. Michelle brought many things into our sessions, including realistic positivism (i.e. not blowing smoke, or at least very creatively & diplomatically disguising smoke when necessary!), a system that helped me feel like I was moving forward, cheerfulness, and attentiveness. I’ve gained a better understanding of who I am and my true interests, as well as how to move toward finding ways to better incorporate those into my career and life.”
Wendy K., Japan
“When I started my coaching sessions with Michelle, I expected to be supported and at the same time not judged while making my own life choices. Even when my focus shifted, Michelle supported me in each situation. Her humor, patience, honesty and power tools were strengths that helped in this process, and she even managed to make homework fun! I also greatly appreciated her ability to break tasks down into manageable steps. Keep up the great work, Michelle! You rock!”
Celina McMahon, Massachusetts
“I expected to be challenged & encouraged to explore different perspectives when I started coaching with Michelle, and she delivered. Michelle ended each session with a challenge – sometimes a concrete action, sometimes more of an awareness one – depending on what we were talking about that session. She encouraged me in every session with acknowledgment. She offered challenges to my views and helped me brainstorm around new ways of thinking. She used questions to helped me explore my expectations of myself and the challenges I was having.
One of the greatest things I liked in our sessions was her enthusiasm and energy. I always had more energy after the session than before. She created a positive, fun place where I felt safe and comfortable to talk, a space for me of comfort and friendship. Michelle could relate to a lot of the same challenges I am experiencing and that helped me relaxed when sharing. The biggest highlight for me were just how much we laughed about things, how much fun it was to talk to her.”
Esme Wang, California
I was coming close to graduating from a creative master’s degree, and had no idea where to go next once I went out into the Big Scary Real World. I really had no expectations when I decided to start coaching with Michelle, but she’s totally surpassed them! Right before our very last session, I’d scored a fashion writing gig at a fabulous company. Coincidence? I think not! I loved how Michelle took me through the entire process, really listened to what I had to say, and repeated back to me important components of the problems I was having. Plus, she’s funny and fun and all-around awesome. I’ve come out of this with a better sense of how to invest my time both in my creative life and in the job that gets me “the dollahs”, which can also be completely creative! I seriously can’t think of how Michelle could have done a better job.”
Sophie Hainsworth, Australia
“Michelle has an amazing gift for “just knowing what to say”, for reading what I need, for pointing out my strengths and creative skills, and for guiding me to best manage my time with my personality. She is such a positive person, and the energy she excels is a powerful tool that she has. Michelle knows how to use just the right mix of talking and listening, which was great because I wasn’t looking for someone just to listen – I was looking for interaction too. Every week was so much fun with Michelle, I cannot think of any one that was better than the other.”
Zoe Yule, London
“Michelle particularly relates to creative-types who are stuck in unfulfilling desk jobs, and her particular brand of chutzpah comes from her own experiences doing the very same thing – I felt instantly at home and comfortable sharing my true dreams and ideas with her because she doesn’t judge them as crazy, and won’t tolerate the “I’m-Not-Qualified”or the “I-Can’t-Really-Make-Money-From-That” as excuses in her sessions. A qualified life coach, her exercises and homework activities are professional, relevant and easy to follow, and always manage to make you either re-think a situation, challenge your attitudes or clarify your ideas. She is also incredibly perceptive, overwhelmingly positive, endlessly supportive and really, really funny. But she doesn’t let you get away with much – she holds you accountable for your decisions, follows up on everything you say, no matter how flippant you think you’re being, and always digs deeper to discover insights you never realised were possible.”
Mark Stone, Canada
“Michelle will cheer you on, make you accountable, and ask the right questions that will steer you to where you’re supposed to be. But above all, she genuinely cares about your success. Her energy, enthusiasm and great sense of humor make her one of a kind.”
Tiko Davis, Georgia
“I was very unhappy with my current job, had a slight idea of what I really wanted to do…but, really needed some help figuring out all the details. I was very comforted by Michelle’s warmth and spunk and felt that I found someone who would truly understand what I was feeling. During our sessions, I went from being totally flustered, frustrated and overwhelmed…to being confident, at peace, and totally excited about my new career options!”
Mike Cullen, New York
“I was looking for some direction for the next phase of my life (my current job isn’t going to last forever!), & I wanted to sketch out some ideas for the steps I needed to take. Michelle’s honesty & diplomacy were appreciated & her enthusiasm was infectious, & I found myself looking forward to my challenging – but always fun – weekly homework assignments. I now have a much better idea of what the next step of my life is.”
Katie Osborn, New York
“I hired Michelle because I had a lot of balls in the air and was finding it hard to focus on where to go first. It was great to have someone that was completely objective and was just there to help me focus on what I could accomplish and where I could go. Michelle gave me great ideas for being pro-active and kept me on track with what I was striving for, which allowed me to focus on my strengths and get to my goals one week at time. Meanwhile, I was able to fight through those annoying bumps in the road that can throw you off your game when you least expect it. Michelle’s a great listener who gives great feedback and is really big on celebrating success, which is completely awesome! She inspired me every week.”
Andi Whaley, Colorado
“In the time I’ve been working with Michelle, I have become much more clear about what I like about my life and what needs to change. I don’t have the gnawing something’s-not-right feeling. There are things that are still not right, but I know exactly what they are and I am working actively towards fixing them. I know what I want to try next. My ideas about what I want to do to change my life (finances, career, living situation) have gone from being theoretical to being put into practice. It’s one step at a time, but it is clear, marked progress that I can celebrate. The great thing about her is that she doesn’t tell me what I should do, she makes me figure it out through asking me questions that I don’t think to ask myself, such as, what could you do right now, even a small thing, to change this? What are the possible outcomes and how would you handle them? She is entirely non-judgmental and yet calls me on it if I try to wiggle out of something…she listened very carefully when I told her what I needed out of this experience and she holds ME accountable for making sure that happens. I find that I stay on task better when I have to tell someone what I did and why I did it, and someone who celebrates my victories with me. I think a little more about the decisions that I make in regards to my productivity because I have an action plan for the week. Without Michelle, I think I may have stayed stuck wondering which direction to take for a long time. Working with Michelle has entirely changed that.”
Kristen H., Pennsylvania
“I really enjoyed Michelle’s personality and enthusiasm in The Declaration of You, so I hired her to get a better handle on what I want to do career wise and narrow things down. As tough as they were sometimes, I really enjoyed the work sheets! They really help you dig deep inside yourself and that is exactly what I needed! I finally feel like I have a much better sense of where I want to go, how to start to get about getting there, and a big ol’ Nudge to get me goin’! For me, Michelle was the perfect coach!”
Sara Carbaugh, Ohio
“What do you say about the woman who has changed your life?! When I began life coaching with Michelle, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I definitely didn’t think I was going to change my attitudes and views about my life and my business so completely! Since I started working with Michelle, I have increased my self-confidence, improved my relationship with my clients and switched the focus of my virtual assistant business from working with anyone and everyone, to working with “my people”: Creatives! Michelle is an unbelievable help when I need to brainstorm or even when I need a kick in the butt to do the scary things in my business. Everyone should have someone like Michelle in their corner. Michelle brought out a whole other side of me that I never knew existed; the real me! I highly recommend Michelle to anyone who needs a change in their life because she will be there for you no matter what you want to do with your life!”
Sarah Ivie, Texas
“I wanted to work with Michelle because she focuses on creative types (and alliterates and rhymes). I expected coaching to be more practical than therapy – figuring stuff out, learning more about myself, but also DOING something. I got so much more than I expected. Michelle really helped me figure out practical ways to tackle my dreams! Her seemingly-simple exercises were really enlightening and she seemed to genuinely connect and empathize with every step of the journey. She is the perfect combination of supportive and nudging and excited about my success, even celebrating along with me! I ended every phone call feeling encouraged and I’ve never accomplished so much in so little time! I feel like I truly learned tools that I’ll use for a long while.”
Bryce Longton, New York
“Michelle proved to be the exact compass that I needed to navigate through the next steps in my entrepreneurial career. She is a fabulous sounding board in that she is able to quickly asses what works, what doesn’t, and how to help me move forward whenever I hit a roadblock. Her genius is in her ability to understand how creatives tick, and to provide real, concrete solutions that move projects forward. I started with a jumble of ideas and dreams and walked out 12 sessions later with two solid projects and roadmap to execute. The best part? It was so much fun along the way.”
Megan Collins, New York
“In the short time that I’ve been working with Michelle, I’ve seen my personal and professional life change and grow in both large and small ways. I decided to work with a career coach because I didn’t want to stay in a steady, safe job that I didn’t like, but I didn’t know how to disrupt the path I was on. I knew I’d like working with Michelle when I saw her logo image of a ballerina nurse and a guitar-strumming businessman. I loved doing my “homework” (personality tests, ‘dream job shopping,’ etc) prior to our phone conversations, and it felt like I was finally *doing* something. Michelle kept me on task, helping me make goals and then holding me accountable for them. I’m so happy knowing that I’m moving towards the goal of my dream job.”
Ruth, New York City
“I hired Michelle because I was feeling at a loss as to what to do with my life (or more accurately, I knew what I wanted to do, but was scared to admit it). I’d seen some very bad career counselors in the past, and she came highly recommended to me by a friend. My initial expectation was that I would be employed by the end of our 12 sessions, and that she would tell me what career I should do, and that it would be some kind of “big surprise” – of course, this isn’t what happened at all. What Michelle made me see is that I already know what I want to do with my life, and I’m already on that path (and that’s not a linear path). I liked having Michelle reflect back to me what I was saying – it was easier to hear what I was really trying to say. – and I enjoyed the fun and playfulness of many of the exercises (because I can get way too existential and serious sometimes about career!). So I guess this was better than my initial expectation. I realized that I actually know what I want to do; I’m not lost after all (pretty powerful stuff!)”
Catherine L., Pennsylvania
“I knew that my past and present jobs in corporate America were not for me, but I didn’t know how to figure out what to do next, or how to go about doing it. I knew that my own passions and skills were not being fulfilled. I needed someone to work with that was not my parents or my boyfriend, who while always supportive, didn’t really know what to tell me or how to help me. I needed someone to help me think outside the box. I had no idea what to expect when I decided to work with Michelle, as I had never worked with a coach before. Knowing she designed a career and a life around her passions after having survived crushing corporate jobs was enough to know she was the gal for me. I simply hoped that having someone to talk to and be completely honest with about my feelings would help me make some headway.
Michelle made me feel like less of a scatterbrained crazy. Even my rambling, probably incoherent homework assignments didn’t faze her. For someone who has suffered from a lack of direction, introspection can be tough business, but Michelle helps you remember that every baby step is still a step in the right direction. She asks the best questions, allowing me to look at things in ways that I might not have done myself and, as a result, I learned more about myself. I had little ‘aha’ moments along the way that reminded me I was doing something right for myself, and it came with the confidence that I really can do what I want. I don’t have to be a slave to the office if I don’t want to be. Michelle helped me realize that it’s OK not to fit into (or not want to fit into) the box that is built by school, parents and society’s expectations. I had so much ‘stuff’ inside that had been swirling around in my head for years, and Michelle was able to take it all and make sense of it, and somehow guide me to make my own sense of it as well, so that I could use it and move forward.
Being coached by Michelle is like talking to a friend who is able to give you completely honest, good advice. I couldn’t have asked to find a better fit, and I don’t think she could have coached me better.”
Darlene
“I was miserable at my job and wanting to figure out a way to move on and do something more creative that makes me happy, and was also hoping for validation that I wasn’t completely insane for wanting to quit my job in a bad economy to go run a crafty business! Since I’d been trying and failing at doing so on my own for years, I thought it was time to seek help. In our 12 sessions, I was able to get to a place where I felt that my own goals and happiness were more important than what other people thought of me. I felt comfortable to talk about whatever random thoughts or ideas popped into my head without fear of being told, “That’s stupid!” or “You’ll never make money doing that!” or “Get a REAL job!” Michelle gave me lots of homework and specific things to do or look into, which helped me move forward. I felt validated that what I want to do with my life, while scary and not without risk, isn’t stupid or irresponsible. Michelle listened well and cut through all of my long rambling blather to get at what I was really saying, and had an unrelentingly positive attitude even when I had bad news to report. From working with Michelle, I gained the confidence to finally quit my job! I don’t know that I’d ever have been able to do it without her help.”
Tania Lanin, Israel
Tania is so the sweetest, handwriting me a Thank You letter when our sessions were over and mailing it all the way from Israel! She then was even sweeter and gave me permission to put it up right here. I didn’t want to transcribe because I just love the sweetness of her handwriting, smiley faces and exclamation points. You can click here and read it for yourself. Now if I can just stop blushing….
Lauren C., New York
“Oh man, I gained so much working with Michelle! The ability to look beyond the traditional and go with what I really wanted to do. The notion that it’s a process and I may have to try a few things before I find the one I love. The comforting idea that you can be practical and patient in following your dreams. No need to spontaneously quit my job without a backup plan in order to devote myself to get to where I wanted to go. That I can be okay not having a career and work seasonally and get the skills that I really want to have (of the mountain climbing and backpacking kind) rather than the ones I think I need (of the stapling, collating, and hole punching kind). I REALLY noticed that my confidence skyrocketed and I had an awesome ability to just GO for things. Reaching out to Michelle and feeling so damn supported was awesome. I can say that I now have a thing that I can see evolving into many other things down the line.”
Kathy Stowell, British Columbia
Miyan L., New York
Erin Robinson, North Carolina
“Erin wrote a fantabulous blog post about how she found me, why she decided to work with me, and what the results have given her. You can join in the aw-fest right here.”
Suzanne McRae, Canada
“In working with Michelle I was able to re-awaken so many things in me that I had put on hold, lay dormant or even that I had forgotten about. I didn’t know if I was truly being realistic being that I’m in my early 50′s and wanted to find something for myself after being a stay-at-home Mom all these years to two children who are now young adults, one who was diagnosed with autism. I knew that I had to explore and see for myself what was deep within me that was trying to tell me something. As my sessions evolved, what I experienced from listening to my recordings was something profound, a vision of a wilted flower returning to life. That flower was a representation of me and how I felt, and it was beautiful to see and feel the coming back to life message. It became clearer to me after each session that I could have something for myself amidst taking care of my son’s needs. I had to make myself a priority again and the rest would be taken care of much better. I went into coaching not connecting at all to the words: career, work, job… little did I know that I could create the life I wanted the way I wanted it to look minus these words. I’m a Renaissance Soul, and a creative being with many interests, and one that refuses to be boxed in. I have gained confidence in the process, and I am more able to walk forward and do something with it.
Michelle’s listening skills were her strength that stood out most for me during my sessions with her, and I really felt understood. Every moment of my session time with her she was very present and attentive regardless of what was going on in her own life. Michelle was also very professional, funny, attentive, extremely resourceful, enthusiastic and quite serious about helping clients achieve the life/career they desire for themselves. Not knowing what I’d have to explore week after week and what would come from it was a scary and exciting time… the in-depth digging that I did was all worth it, and the treasures I found were plentiful. Having Michelle’s unconditional support and attention was of tremendous value to me during the months that we worked together. Even though I felt that my age and maybe even the ‘out there’ things that I believed in might be a bit too much for Michelle to relate to… I quickly realized that none of that mattered whatsoever. This allowed me to feel very comfortable and be open about everything with her which helped me discover who I truly was and what I can do regardless of anything I ever thought might interfere. I’m forever grateful to Michelle for the services she offered to me. She gives her clients all she’s got in every single session. Her coaching was exactly what I needed and then some.
I am now working with ideas that came out of my coaching sessions and am getting closer to turning it a reality. It feels like the first time in my life I have a sense of freedom to be who I truly was meant to become and to not limit myself and just go for it.”
Justin C., Washington D.C.
“I signed up for coaching with Michelle because I was frustrated with my job, and felt like I’d lost my direction, both professionally and creatively. I expected to have a series of easy conversations, and then somewhere around the middle of our session calendar, she would tell me what my Ideal Career was and I’d spend the remainder of our sessions figuring out how to get there. Although I don’t think that I found the clear-cut answer I thought I’d get at the end, I think I actually ended up with some more valuable outcomes. Michelle didn’t railroad me into a decision on what ‘my perfect job’ would be, or some other easy conclusion. She did a great job of making me balance multiple options and approach a problem or challenge from multiple angles, as well as hearing me out and giving me space to try to put answers together based on our weekly conversations. I really appreciated her ability to help me consider my options and then do the intermediate research and planning required to move towards a goal. I was able to prioritize many of my own interests and job criteria, and that gave me a much better sense than I’d had previously of what I was interested in doing with myself on a daily basis. I now have a small catalogue of career goals for 2012 that I know I can act on – pursuing freelance writing, settling on and planning for a advanced degree, and starting to take tentative steps towards the notion of starting my own business. I also have confidence that I could abandon a terrible job, and that I could consider career paths that didn’t involve the 9-5 routine that I’d become so accustomed to. A big part of the confidence I needed to be in that place of zen calm and assurance came from the saving and strategizing I was able to do during the last half of 2011, which was a direct result of Michelle’s advice and the planning tools she recommended. Finally, I gained some much needed perspective from outside my social setting – being able to talk honestly with someone who wasn’t part of my daily social or professional circle led to suggestions and advice that I don’t think my friends or family could have offered.”
Andi Sabean, Canada
“I had all these ideas for things I might want to do when I grow up but didn’t know which direction to take and felt like I was moving in circles instead of forward. I was stuck! So, I signed up for an Intensive day with Michelle, which I was hoping would be fun, but very productive. That it would bring some clarity to what I wanted to do next and help me find the focus I need. My expectations were beyond met! Michelle was sooo much fun to work with! I loved how much got accomplished right in that 6 hour time slot!! From our day together, I gained new goals for my life, a clear plan to reach them, tools and tricks to stay on task, a better understanding of what I really want to do with my time and talents, a realistic escape plan from my current career, and an extra boost of confidence (I feel like someone is cheering me on!)
Michelle has this wonderful ability to notice the patterns and passions that came out in the things that I have written and said, and to help me to weave those into a beautiful business plan. She also understands what it is like to be a multi-passionate renaissance soul and helped me design a life plan that would allow for new interests to blossom. Michelle also was great about asking important questions that I had never thought to ask myself – I feel like I have moved a great distance towards focus and clarity because of it! As someone who has spent years trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I feel like someone has finally handed me the torch and said Go! Run with it! This is your time! My training is over and my life has begun, and Michelle is that wonderful person on the sidelines who is cheering me on, but also the amazing coach who step by step is helping me to get to the finish line. I left our time together more confident, more energized, and ready for the work of making my new business a reality! I feel like I know where I am going and that I have a plan to get there, and it is super-motivating to have all of the ground work completed already! I can not effectively put into words the impact that working with Michelle has had on my life. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about our day together – one of the best days ever!! 
”
Andi wrote a post on her blog right after our Intensive day together, and it’s the sweetest! Read about why “Thursday was one of the best days of my life” right here. I didn’t offer her $20 to say that or anything!
Kelleigh Mullen, Herald, CA
“I didn’t have many expectations in working with Michelle except to STOP FLOUNDERING. There were a multitude of ah ha! moments gained from our sessions, and every time she uttured, “Hmmmmm….I wonder if…”, I knew there was going to be something else I was going to have to stop & blink, then answer, because I sure didn’t think of that. From working with Michelle, I gained some confidence in dreaming again, figuring out what the final dream is as well as some of the steps to get there, enthusiasm for creative stuff again, & a whole lot more amazeballs things (including the phrase)!”
Wanna work with me One-on-One? Click here for the skinny!
