"I can't fix your head"

That’s what my surgeon told me when I met with him regarding LapBand surgery.  I wholeheartedly agreed and told him I’d already been working on my head for a year prior to deciding that LapBand is a good option for me.

You see, every single person I knew to that point that had undergone weight loss surgery had gained their weight back and then some.  Out of their experiences, I came to believe that living permanently at a healthy weight is 95% mental and 5% physical.  When we don’t win the mental battle, we lose the physical one.  Being overweight covers up other issues for people and as we lose weight we must make a mindshift to be OK as a trimmer, healthier person.

As I embarked on my weight loss surgery journey, it became clear to me that a huge gap exists in the marketplace to help people successfully shift their minds - that is coaching people through their transformations.

Counseling is encouraged which is good because it can help people be at rest with deep issues such as having suffered abuse as a child.  Support groups are also highly touted; it’s really easy to get lost in them though because the support is at a group level and may not address where you’re at.

Coaching takes it further.  Galileo Gallilei said it perfectly when he said, "Coaching is about improving the individual's capacity to focus, learn, and innovate....You cannot teach a person anything; you can only help him find it within himself."  We all have it within ourselves to achieve what we want in life and a coach can guide us, push us and even give us a kick in the butt when we need it.

That idea of coaching being the missing element is what sparked the company Tracy Jo and I started called EmberBrite and ultimately led to my leaving a long-time corporate career to become an entrepreneur full-time.

What Is Your Fearless

I was recently asked that by Mary Ann Halpin internationally acclaimed author and photographer at the eWomen Network Conference in Dallas, TX when I showed up for my Fearless Women photograph above.

At first I was uncertain about my answer and then it came to me.  In May of 2010 I walked away from a 19 year career and a six figure income at a large financial institution as an Information Technology Project Manager to start my own business.  Bigger than that, I walked away without a replacement salary in place.  With my husband’s work being a stay-at-home-dad the stakes are unbelievably high and yet I believe it was the right thing to do and gratefully I had my husband’s support to resign.  I still strongly believe that was the right move for me and am loving my life as an entrepreneur.

At first the picture above didn’t strike me as “the one” because I wanted what I perceived to be a more powerful stance such as sword drawn or powerfully placed in front of me.  In the end, this is the picture that brought heartfelt tears to my eyes because it represents the amazing transformation my life is going through and the vulnerability required of me to complete that transformation.  Mary Ann’s picture captured me perfectly at this moment in time!  And, I must add that Nicole Bolin did a fantastic job on my hair and makeup.

Now it’s your turn, what is your Fearless?