Atlas Coaching: Compass Coach, Counselor, Entre...

Introduction: ABOUT BIO Due to unforeseen tragedy in my own life and my triumph over these events, I have learned some of the most valuable, yet difficult lessons this world has to offer. And I have found my purpose in life. We each have one. What is yours? SERVICES I chose relationship counseling as one of the specialties in my studies to become a life coach in order to satisfy my desire to help all couples who have the courage to seek counseling, improve their relationships and marriages, turning back the hands of time to a place when they experienced and felt the unconditional love of a beautiful and successful marriage and life. My own life has been bettered and my life blessed because of the love, commitment and belief in me from the two most amazing men I've ever known. Although my late husband and second husband differ greatly in personality, it is the way they have expressed their love for me that is important. I only wish everyone could experience the beauty and passion of this type of undying, unconditional love, a love that continues even after death. It is because of this love that I have such a passion for continuing marriage and couples' counseling as one of the main specialties in my career as a life coach. Bringing back the passion and communication in relationships and helping those couples who are experiencing difficulties with trust, infidelity, intimacy, communication, anger management, family planning, financial unrest and conflict resolution by moving forward and through it until they reach a place of love and forgiveness brings me more happiness than words can describe. Life coaches choose this profession in order to satisfy their desire to help any and all people wanting to make life better for themselves, as well as making the world a better place. As your compass coach, it's my job to get your life pointed in the right direction, help you move forward towards that end and continue working with you until you achieve all of the goals you have worked so hard to discover during our sessions. I work with those who are looking to improve their life, their family, go back to school or change careers and begin loving what they do, reduce stress through mindfulness and meditation, establish better relationships, and simply live a better, happier, more fufilled, meaningful life. My clients want to make a difference and work hard to accomplish their goals. Everyone has a purpose. What's yours? Let me help you find it. While relationship and career counseling are key parts of my work, crisis counseling and grief education also play a large role in my life and career. I work with the terminal, the seriously ill, both pre and post transplant patients, their families and caregivers, helping them find the strength to fight and the knowledge to plan. My reason for choosing these difficult specialty areas in my coaching, as well as my speaking out about the importance of organ donation, is that I am able to speak with personal experience regarding all of them. I lost my husband and became a very young, newly pregnant, grieving widow at the age of 24, and the knowledge that my late husband helped save the lives of 22 people, both children and adults, was the only solace I had that his death was not in vain; 3 years later, without warning, I fell ill, was given 2 weeks to live, and thought I would never watch my daughters grow up. After 23 surgeries, 4 of them transplants, and 14 flatlines, I may still be terminal, (aren't we all?), that is not what counts. What counts is that I'm still here, still fighting, and because of that, have been able to watch my children grow up. I've been able to be the most important thing anyone could be --Mommy. I will never give up that fight, and I will never give up helping others fight as well. At this point in my life, working as a life coach, relationship counselor, writer, motivational speaker and owner and editor-in-chief of a few small businesses that I started with my husband, I do feel proud and thankful that my career is in a good place. But something was missing. After college, my first real job was as an English teacher. The joy I felt in my heart when standing before my students as they left my class was immense and the pride I felt for being their teacher and instilling in their hearts a desire to learn and to make this world a better place was bubbling over. As an experienced, former English teacher, tutor and home schooler, I have developed a passion and personal commitment to helping all students succeed. I felt that my background as an educator was a perfect match for a position as a tutor (although part-time) for students in need of assistance. The work I presently do as a tutor brings great satisfaction to both my students and their parents, as well as to myself. Although it has been quite some time since I taught in the classroom, as I have been working as a life coach, entrepreneur and editor-in-chief of several small businesses that I own with my husband for the past 19 years, my love of learning and teaching has continued to be close at heart. I do work in collaboration with schools and teachers who are looking for an expert in certain classroom exercises, such as creative writing, story telling, or relating different classes to the same time period. For example, while a history teacher may be teaching about WW2, I show the English teacher working with the same students how to tie the two together by teaching the "Diary of Ann Frank" and have them write a first hand account of themselves in Auschwitz. These are only a couple examples, but you can see how easily subjects such as geography and science would fit into the same category using creative lesson plans. During my most recent teaching position in Peachtree City, I developed highly effective lesson plans, motivational exercises, and performance assessments. I've helped improve test scores and have received positive feedback from parents and educators alike for my abilities in the classroom. My teaching style demonstrates dedication to fostering a positive learning environment for all students and maximizing individual student performance. The accomplishment I'm most proud of in my life as an educator is the growth and love of learning and reading that I am able to pass on to my students, as well as my own children, whom I homeschooled while they were in elementary school. It is my because of my love of children and education that I continue to work with youths. I am confident that my background and relevant experience is a valuable asset to any family struggling with their children's grades and ability to focus and I look forward to each opportunity that I have to be of help. Children today, from elementary school through college, face a multitude of challenges. Social anxiety, depression, drugs, sexual orientation and preparedness for college overwhelm the daily lives our children. They need your help to learn to be strong. But you must be strong first. Set the example. One of the most difficult challenges kids face in school today is being accepted for living their life honestly. While more accepted today than 30 years ago, sexual preference still causes a great deal of pain to many in the LGBT community. I'm available to speak at schools about establishing zero-tolerance policies for bullying as well as speaking about the the rights of LGBT students in schools today. If I was to give anyone in search of a life coach one piece of advise before they hire a coach it would be this: Be certain that whatever life coach you hire is a licensed certified professional coach and not only has a license but has taken continuing ed classes in several areas of specialty. Unfortunately, the laws for life coach certification have not yet caught up with this much needed profession. Those of us who take this job seriously and truly desire to help people change their lives are fighting for certification laws. I expect there to be certification requirements within 2 years, but in the meantime please check a coach's credentials before hiring. An untrained coach could easily hurt a client or give advice that is not sound. Again, please do your research before you make a commitment with your time and money. Working with a Certified Professional Life Coach will provide you with extremely beneficial results, and the money you spend should bring results. As for my work with private companies, I provide motivational speaking on location as well as on company and employee retreats, training seminars, and conferences, igniting a spark under employees, establishing incentives for sales' teams, and thereby increasing their bottomline and AR. My clients entrust me to keep their confidence and not discuss our coaching or even the training/speaking that I do within their organization. Privacy issues are a must in this field in order to help the most people, whether it's learning to cope with what we are dealt or a child asking for help who has been the victim of bullying. Mostly, I want people to find happiness and fulfillment in their lives, both professionally and personally, but on occasion, the issues I see are life and death. My clients need to be able to trust me with their thoughts and dreams as well as their grief. I only wish to bring those people some peace and comfort and hope -- things they may have lost during this journey we call life. BUSINESS INFO Atlas Holdings: Life Coach, Counselor & Motivational Speaker, Writer, Editor-in-Chief, Tutor, Entrepreneur CREDENTIALS Silver profile What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work? Currently I try to take a continuing ed course in different areas of specialty every 3 months in order to stay up on recent trends, new developments and fresh ideas. I believe strongly that we can learn something new everyday. When I was a full time British and American lit teacher, I found that I was not the only teacher in my classroom. I learned something new from my students everyday. As I continue to do each day now with my teenage daughters. What types of customers have you worked with? My clients come to me from all backgrounds and each has their own goals and dreams they wish to accomplish. In addition to being a certified professional life coach, I also take ongoing classes to add specialties to my business in areas I'm particularly interested in or have been in myself. Some of the areas of specialty in which I am trained are crisis counseling (one of my largest areas of specialty), grief counseling, working with the terminally ill and their families, anger management, better communication with significant others and children, parenting and discipline, teen problems such as anorexia, bulimia, cutting, drug and alcohol abuse, bullying and the devastating consequences that accompany it, learning to appreciate each day and find joy in all things, career changes, going back to school, stress management (meditation), becoming more health conscious, diet and exercise for weight loss, bringing the shy out of their shell, gaining confidence to speak to an audience or to meet new people, and discovering your purpose in this world through guided sessions with a life coach. I could not ask for a better, more rewarding job. Describe a recent project you are fond of. How long did it take? Recently I've been a guest speaker addressing current and vital topics such as bullying in our schools, LGBTQ civil rights, working in health classes with girls about weight and body image, self confidence and self love and the dangers of anorexia and bulimia, conflict resolution and goal setting, among many other issues. Sincerely, Lori Rettig, CPC Atlas Coaching: Compass Coach Relationship Counselor Motivational Speaker Tutor Homeschooler Writer Editor-in-Chief Proofreader Entrepreneur