Compass In The News

Troy Times (MI)

For women only: Life coaching workshop aims to help women connect to success

TERRY OPARKA C & G Staff Writer

Published: May 15, 2008

Time was, life coaching was only available to the rich and famous. Life coach Kimberly Fulcher aims to change that.

You would think that Fulcher is the last person in need of a life coach. Married with children, she founded a human resources computer software company, Skills Village, that sold for more than $40 million.

But she was unhappy." I was running around on a treadmill," she said. In her quest for answers in her own life, she employed a life coach to help her through.

She enjoyed the process so much that she decided to make it her vocation and embarked on training. Life coaching services, she discovered, were expensive." I used to charge $ 1,000 per client," she said. During her training process, Fulcher wrote a book, "Remodel Your Life," which is designed to help folks do just that.

As she traveled the country to promote the book, she met a number of women facing dilemmas similar to hers." What I found out in talking with women is that we put ourselves last and lose the connection of who we want to be as women," she said.

So Fulcher decided to make life coaching available to everyday women.

And MyLifeCompass.com was born. Fulcher and local My Life Compass life coach Rachel Bellack, who lives in Royal Oak, will host a free workshop titled "Remodel Your Reality" at the Detroit Marriot Troy on May 21.

"We're for women, by women," said Fulcher.

"Coaching is about moving forward," said Bellack, who worked in corporate management and training before she began a career as a life coach. Coaching, said Bellack, is really just about asking the right questions. Bellack earned her certification in life coaching through the International Coach Federation. "We learn to listen, especially to what's not being said, and help them to see a new perspective on an old situation," she explained. "It's all about empowering the client."

The average age of My Life Compass clients ranges from 35 to 65, but Bellack said she's helped one client, age 78, to embark on a new career, and has had one 22-year-old client. "Through life-coaching, women realize they can jump off the treadmill at any time," she said. My Life Compass life coaches aim to help women get back in touch with their passion and discover" what is my purpose," Bellack said. She explained that discovering a life purpose may involve changing what you're doing, or discovering ways to enjoy what you are currently doing.

Fulcher spoke of a client who was angry and burnt out, then got clear about what she was contributing to her family and set some boundaries to gain time for herself, which led her to become aware of her own sense of value.

"She got how important she was in people's lives," Fulcher said. "Life purpose is not your job, it's about how to live every day and put yourself back on your own list." My Life Compass offers life coaching on four levels: a free level available online that features basic life coaching, a more structured program for $19 a month that includes a self-directed" compass map" each month, life coaching via the telephone for $39 a month, and a $59 program that also includes an inperson consultation with a life coach each month.

There are no contracts to sign, and the women may stop the program at any time, Fulcher said.

"Remodel Your Reality" will be held 7-8:30 p.m. May 21 at the Detroit Marriot Troy, 200 W. Big Beaver. For information on My Life Compass, or to register for the event, visit www.mylifecompass.com. You can reach Staff Writer Terry Oparka at toparka@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1054.

Copyright, 2008, Troy Times (MI), All Rights Reserved.