About Sally

I believe there are always options available to us, and that our choices can dramatically affect the trajectory of our lives.  I have uprooted my life and reinvented my professional identity several times in my quest for a life rich in meaning, creative expression, connection, and self-awareness.

Background

I grew up in a small town in North Florida twenty-five miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  I received a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then an M.A. from Columbia University, Teachers College, in Special Education for the Emotionally Disturbed. I taught English, remedial subjects and creative writing to emotionally disturbed adolescents in New York City for nine years, after which I studied for and received an M.S. and Ph.D. from Indiana University in Instructional Systems Technology. I held faculty and administrative positions in higher education as an instructional designer and media producer in Georgia and Virginia.  I co-authored a popular English as a Second Language text published by Simon and Schuster/Pearson Education, “Personal Themes in Literature: The Multi-Cultural Experience.”

After being an educator for twenty-two years, I took a leap of faith and imagination and moved cross-country to the Central Coast of California in 1989 to pursue more personally meaningful and creative projects, the first of which was to take my long-time love of photography to a professional level. I added watercolor and later oil painting to my repertoire over eighteen years as a full-time artist.  An article featuring my watercolors was published in American Artist Magazine in 1995. I was also active in the art community of the beautiful and artistically fertile place that is Santa Cruz.

In 2007 I made another career shift — one that is a synthesis of much I have experienced and learned in my life. I trained and earned ACC certification to be a Life Coach with the Coach Training Alliance, an accredited institute through the International Coach Federation.

I have probably learned the most about myself from my relationships. I do not see any of my relationships as failures nor feel that longevity is a measure of their meaning and value to me. I believe people come into our lives for a reason, and each of my relationships has been right for me at the time and played out for as long as it was probably meant to.

One long-time partner whom I learned a lot from, not just with, was a legend in Santa Cruz for being a pioneering crusader for access and equal opportunity for the physically disabled, having been disabled himself for most of his life. He was also an artist and psychotherapist, and a bold and assertive man whose mantra was “ask for what you want, you may not get it all, but you are more likely to get more than if you don’t ask.” His directness and resourcefulness were inspiring in many ways, one of which was helping me deal with my own chronic physical issues.

The depth and variety of my experiences — and lifelong learning — related to career choices, relationships, and health and physical issues provide a strong foundation from which to coach others wanting to feel more creative, draw more deeply from their intuitive wells, push past their limitations, find love (if they are looking), engage in more honest and effective communication with their partners…and live a more conscious, connected and fulfilling life.