My Story: Navigating through change
The moment that launched my offshore sailing adventure happened during a walk through the dense, lush forest on Vancouver Island. Out of the blue I asked my husband a classic coaching question, “What would you love to do if we chucked all our retirement plans out of the window?” With no hesitation he said “I want to go sailing for 2 years and then figure it out from there.” With the same lack of hesitation I responded, “I would love that.”
I had been working as a freelance and internal Organizational Consultant and Coach for over 30 year. It was time for a change.
We both knew at that moment that everything had changed. It was a fit, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Everything else was just details… Lots of details! Selling our house and contents, buying a boat and making her seaworthy, to name just a few. As the security of our old life receded into the distance, there were many second-guesses. In those moments I took the opportunity to feel into the uncertainty and fear and choose to move forward anyway, one step at a time.
The strength I drew on to navigate this change has not always been present in my life. My adventure began well before we lost sight of shore and I am proud of our accomplishment. We arrived in New Zealand in 2019 and returned home to Vancouver four years later. Our successful voyage helped me lean into my courage and my relationship. It forced me to see where I was strong and where I needed support. I returned to Canada knowing the importance of persistence, gratitude, and awareness. I now use what I have learned on this voyage in combination with thirty plus years of leadership development and coaching experience to help others walk through their fear and become conscious of the emotions and thinking that gets in their way so they can navigate their own turbulent waters.