Sue Shapiro of Spirit Knows Life Coaching doesn’t have a “one size fits all” client, so it stands to reason that she would not have one tool for every coaching circumstance. Her client base is varied and includes individuals who have left abusive environments, who have gone through near-death experiences, or who are seeking spiritual deepening.
Like many coaches, Sue was led to pursue coaching in these three niches because of related events in her own life. Sue left an abusive environment many years ago, which created a unique set of challenges. "Over time, your capacity to hold onto some semblance of self-love and self-compassion erodes and you feel very broken," she explains. "The right life coaching tools have the ability to allow someone to see the opportunity to re-gift themselves with that love and compassion while accepting that they were always whole and complete instead of broken. It's like a re-birth of sorts."
Sue also has had two near-death experiences of her own, which she says has changed her on a deep level. "There is often a lot of confusion that surfaces and sometimes there is anger about the experience. NDEs are unique to each person who has had one. Being 'that life coach' who has experienced NDEs, I am able to fully understand the levels and layers of the experience; therefore; through empathy I am able to ask the direct type of questions a client needs to hear to help them move forward on their path."
“It’s said that your life experiences lead you into your gifts, and when the students are ready, they will find their guide," she explains. “Over time, my business has evolved into what it is now. I believe that Spirit was guiding and nudging me through the various events of my life.”
Regardless of the issues facing her clients, Sue is most moved by moving others! "My heart sings when my clients 'get it' and move forward designing their own blueprint for how to make 'it' work for them," she explains. "I appreciate that life coaching is not a 'one size fits all' process. I have noticed far too many coaches using what I refer to as a 'cookie cutter' approach (always the same coaching tool first, follow this program, etc.), and I feel that this is a disservice to clients. I love that I don't have to follow any kind of template!"
Sue's approach to life coaching is much more free-flowing. While she doesn’t necessarily have a favorite tool, she does value a system of her own devising, called the "Life Survival Kit," which helps clients and potential clients figure out which areas of their lives they want to transform.
In fact, creative achievements are not unusual for Sue and her clients. In fact, the client who had the greatest transformation so far came relatively early in Sue’s career. This client had been working in the medical field for nearly thirty years, yet had recently become less than enthralled with her career. After her second session, it was clear to Sue that the client was passionate about the arts. As a child, the client had enjoyed drawing and painting; she had even wanted to become an art teacher, yet was pressured by her family to pursue a medical education instead. With Sue's guidance, the client made the brave decision to retire, to move within walking distance of the ocean, and to begin a second career as an artist. She is now earning enough with her artwork to sustain her new lifestyle.
Sue herself has transformed by witnessing these changes in her clients, acknowledging the powerful synchronicity in the alignment of life coaching, hypnotherapy, and other healing arts. "These modalities, alone or combined, have the ability to assist people in making a connection or re-connection to their own life and discovering the true healing power we all hold within," Sue reflects. "I've gained as much inspiration from my clients as they gave from their sessions, and because of this, I have personally re-connected with my own love of sewing, writing, drawing, singing, and coloring outside the lines!"
