She needed a bridge between grief and growth.

I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with another one of our graduates last week, Mary.

Honestly, I am deeply humbled and excited to have these deeper conversations with our alumni. It is such a gift to see where this work actually goes in the real world.

Mary’s story is particularly fascinating because she didn't start out in the wellness space. She came from a successful 35-year career in high-tech program management. She was used to planning, strategy, and execution at a very high level.

But then, life led her down a different path.

Through her own life experiences, she found herself pivoting to support others who were navigating deep grief and major life transitions. And in doing this work to support herself first, she discovered a critical gap.

She knew how to hold space for the pain (grief support), and her corporate background meant she knew how to plan for the future (strategy) but she struggled to find the bridge between the two.

As she told me: "You don't take someone who is in deep grief and put an action plan together for them."

She found that bridge in the Certified Resilience Coach Program.

Mary realized that resilience isn’t about forcing a "bounce back." It is about building the capacity to move again.

I’ll let Mary explain the powerful metaphor that changed everything for her practice:

Here is what shifted for Mary when she applied this framework:

• She found the "Language of Resilience": The program gave her the vocabulary to explain the biology of stress to her clients, normalizing their experience so they could take the tiniest step forward.
• She healed her "All-or-Nothing" mindset: A self-described "black and white thinker," Mary learned that resilience is built in the grey areas through micro-practices, not massive overhauls.
• She prioritized her physical foundation: After years of ignoring sleep issues (treating late-night TV as a safety blanket), she used the breathing techniques from the course to regulate her nervous system and finally get the rest she needed.

Her biggest takeaway? "It’s common sense, but it’s not common practice."

Today, Mary runs Life Pivot Healing, where she uses the resilience framework to help clients navigate major life changes with grace. She doesn’t just give them a plan; she helps them build the nervous system capacity to execute their plan.

If you are a coach who works with clients facing big transitions, burnout, or loss you need a bridge, too.

You need a science-backed framework that supports the whole person, so they aren't just surviving the storm, but learning how to swim.

The next cohort of the Certified Resilience Coach Program begins May 2, 2026

Click here to learn more.

P.S. Mary loved the program so much that after graduating from Cohort 19, she actually enrolled again in Cohort 20 to deepen her mastery. That is the depth of this community. We would love to welcome you in.