My Journey to Life Coaching

Going into life coaching, I thought that I would be able to fix things for people. I felt that life coaching would allow me to give my clients solutions to their problems. Shortly after starting the certification program, I realized that coaching is not about what I can do for someone. Coaching is about being there for support, giving someone the space to help themselves. The hardest thing about getting my certification was talking about myself. I discovered that I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't getting enough sleep; I wasn't paying attention to my needs and I didn't know who Sheryl truly was. 

Coaching taught me that I had an insecurity with life; I felt responsible for keeping everything together. I never wanted to get to a point where I couldn't take care of something or someone. I put a net over my life so that nothing would fall through. I had to keep everyone afloat until there was time for me. I told myself that I could come later. I was the wife; I was the mother, I was the realtor, I was the nurse, I was everything to everyone else but myself. Life coaching taught me that it was okay to think about me. It was okay for me to pull that net and have things fall through because it doesn't define who I am. I am still a wife; I am still a mother, I am still a realtor, I am still a nurse, but I am also Sheryl Smikle-Russell. Life coaching gave me support and space to discover myself. That is what I hope to bring to my clients.