About me
Hi, I'm Colleen! WELCOME...
Beside me is my loyal companion, Captain, and catalyst of my wake-up call. Welcome to our story...
50 YEARS OF AGE & I WAS TASKED WITH REINVENTING MY LIFE AS I KNEW IT.
After over 30 years of marriage to a boy I met at ten years of age, I found myself divorcing, alone in a home that historically was the gathering place for many, my hormones were a wreck, and I was physically broken and utterly overwhelmed.
MY AMYGDALA (the primary part of the brain) WAS ON HYPERDRIVE!
In my psyche, nowhere felt safe; there were figurative tigers in bushes everywhere! For months I could not eat, sleep, or function. I have never been so broken. I lost over 45 pounds, and my hair fell out. I had mono, crushed my elbow, and had a debilitating skiing accident that resulted in a ruptured ACL and broken ankle and leg; four surgeries later and more time in doctors' offices than ever before, my life felt out of control.
That's F-Ing ENOUGH!
A once fearless woman, I was now afraid of EVERYTHING! I was terrified of losing my business; I was, after all, a marriage therapist with an out-of-control life. Who in their right mind would choose that? Rejected, physically broken, and alone, I felt ashamed, and my life spiraled. My injuries prohibited me from what I have learned is my drug of choice, exercise! Finally, one morning as I was sobbing, my dog Captain was laying his head on my stomach, and he, too, was whimpering. That was the moment I chose to start living again. I had to find a way out of my suffering. It was time.
IF IT'S TO BE, IT'S UP TO ME!
I found a therapist and holistic doctor and began to break out of my cocoon. I was slowly able to exercise. I walked Captain, lifted weights, did yoga, cycled, and started water and snow skiing again. I scheduled activities on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I would do my hair and get dressed for myself, even if I knew I wouldn't leave the house for the day. Climbing out of my proverbial cocoon, I discovered unbeknownst to me, I had grown wings!
LIFE RESTART VERSION 2.0
It was the beginning of my LIFE RESTART Version 2.0. The start of a life where the only option is my highest good! Moving forward, I had permission to be messy and as important as everyone else. Permission for boundaries that both keep things out and keep things in. There is space for grace and self-compassion. There is a commitment to live heart wide open with LOVE as the Captain of life.
TIME TO SOAR!
I've learned that most humans need enough suffering to stop doing things "the same old way." We are all alone at some point. When isolated and afraid, we need one another. We need support. With the help, we can learn how to create RADICAL SELF-CARE. Tether ourselves with our kindness, grace, and compassion, and nurture ourselves by falling in love with ourselves, just as we are. Then, we can find our way home to our hearts and soul. This 2.0 version of Colleen embraces gratitude for the classroom my suffering offered. With my new wings, I have committed to SOAR! My shattered life has made me a better therapist. Angst became my life restart button! Like Kintsugi pottery, broken and mended with gold, my suffering makes me more beautiful and grateful for the privilege of life! Life 2.0 embraces my unique gifts, strengths, blessings, and life. And has LIT ME UP!!!
LOVE ALWAYS WINS!
We can learn to live for gratitude, love, and joy. And then, we can spread the love by paying it forward with the juicy nuggets we discover in our journey. Life's suffering has a purpose. You have to keep choosing love and hope again and again. Love always wins! Life's purpose is to live our purpose. My purpose is to assist others in igniting their inner pilot light with all their unique superpowers to live a vital life with purpose, presence, and power. I want to be a conduit to FLOOD this Universe ONE PERSON at a time with VITALITY, JOY, ABUNDANCE, and LOVE! So let's light this place on fire with love, vitality, and joy!
These are the lyrics for a perfect juicy rock song!
