Greetings From Austin, TX
An Announcement

Hi everyone:

Well, we’ve been here for about 5 months now, and still are making adjustments to our new environment. As William Bridges refers to it in his book on “TRANSITIONS”, we are in the “NEUTRAL ZONE” – that period between the ending of one thing and the beginning of another (I referred to this in a past blog as a “begending”). So, you are not quite there yet – the past lurks in, and the future looms before you, offering you many opportunities and possibilities that empower you to make things happen.

We have moved many times – 15 – in fact. Each time, the key ingredient has been to embrace the new environment and to BE PRESENT there – with the people, with the circumstances and with the time and space that you are in. So often, we are resistant to that change at first, and then it turns out that many things unfold before you which are deeply filled with experiences that are unexpected, enlightening and enriching. We have been lucky to have lived in some great places, met interesting people, made some wonderful friends, and experienced many fulfilling and meaningful roles. And our children have benefited so much too!

I have sometimes envied people who are born and raised in a certain place and then have stayed there all their lives. They have developed roots and a personal culture that is very comforting. And yet, moving around the country so much has offered us such diversity of experience, fulfillment of relationships and personal growth. Besides, I really relate to those expressions that “home is where your heart is”, and from Jon Kabat Zinn; “wherever you go, there you are”…

In my Life Transitions coaching, it has been really helpful to have “been there, done that” in terms of this mobile background. Many of my clients were experiencing difficulties in navigating those transitions, and having that personal perspective helped me to help them. But now, I am having to make a shift from that practice, My Coaching Circle, to this new venture of a franchise in home care with a renowned national company, Home Helpers.

My husband and I are now fully engaged in developing and growing this franchise in the Austin area.  Our agency is called “Home Helpers of Greater Austin”, and we will be providing non-medical, personal assistant services to the elderly population, to persons recuperating from illness or accident, and persons with disabilities. The idea is to enable people to stay at home, instead of having to go to a facility or nursing home.  (Research is showing that over 90% of seniors interviewed about this say they want to “stay home” and “age in place”.)  Our services will also encompass the principles of Emotional Intelligence, in which I am certified and have been presenting a lot of webinars and workshops.   For more information about that, do check out my website (www.mycoachingcircle.com) and click on  Emotional Intelligence under the Services section. Using this expertise, I will be supporting especially caregivers – both professional and family members. So, my own coaching practice will be focusing on this population, and I will be customizing my presentations accordingly.

Much of my emphasis will be on developing self-compassion for the caregiver, and taking care of themselves, so that they can take better care of their loved ones and/or clients. The idea is that compassion for others does not mean self sacrifice, and that “compassion fatigue” is a real phenomena that can be dealt with in an effective and guilt-free way. I will also be working with various organizations which are involved with caregivers to teach them ways to keep their hardworking and compassionate caregivers. Research shows that it is much more expensive, both financially and in terms of human cost, to have to hire and train new caregivers than it is to support and nurture existing ones.

As a consequence, I am unable to continue to do much of what I was doing in my independent practice.  For instance, I was presenting a monthly telesummit featuring a woman who has had some significant challenges in her life, but managed to overcome them and achieve some pretty extraordinary insights and accomplishments despite those setbacks. One of the ideas that I was emphasizing with this series was that “it is never too late” to start something new, re-invent yourself or rise to new challenges. I will be unable to continue to host those, at least for the time being.  And actually, I am in that “reinventing stage” right now…

In addition, my blogs and newsletters (which have been scant, of late) will also not be posted on a regular basis. I will continue to post on my business pages on Facebook and LinkedIn from time to time, so I hope that you will stay connected with me in that way. There will also be a link established between the website for My Coaching Circle and the new one for our Home Helpers agency; www.austintexashomecare.com (This new website will be ready shortly). So, if you visit either website, you will be able to go back and forth between them. I will be posting blogs and articles on this new website from time to time, so do check it out.

And so, the “letting go” is unfolding and the “moving forward” is developing. I want to thank so many of you who have offered your support, encouragement and guidance over these last few years. That has been such a valuable component to my professional and personal growth and direction. You have my heartfelt appreciation!

Those Texas wildflowers “Bluebonnets” that are pictured above are a great example of renewal and “making a statement” – something we hope to do here in Austin, which by the way, is a great place!

I look forward to staying in touch and sharing lifes’ continual adventures with you…

Take care, Ingrid Sarrat
My Coaching Circle
Life Transitions and Caregiver Coach
800-267-0663
www.mycoachingcircle.com

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. ” Barack Obama