You've just been given a diagnosis of cancer. Suddenly, on a dime, your
entire world—your hopes, dreams, and plans—have been sucked out from under
you as life demands that you radically shift your focus to address this
new event now happening in your body and mind. It isn't what you planned.
It isn't what you chose. You don't have time to deal with this now. Nor
do you ever want to.
But suddenly, you must. And how you attend to this new reality may make
an enormous difference in your life.
Cancer is an opportunity to live as boldly and authentically as you ever
have. Smacked in the face with the fact of your own mortality, you can
choose the ostrich approach, alternating running for your life with hiding
your head in the sand—or you can stop, turn, and face the teacher you
never wanted to meet.
Your life could end in a minute. Or an hour. Maybe you'll be granted
four years. Or forty. But these numbers are just as true for the
radiantly healthy among us as for the oncology patient. We never know for
how long we'll be graced with time on this planet.
Cancer just highlights
the imperative to dig in and live fully now the way another "day at the
office" never will.
Many regard cancer as something gone "wrong," a horrific disease stealing
time, joy and precious life. It is common to feel cheated, to ask what
went wrong and what did I do to deserve this. Our society's "war on
cancer" implies an enemy to be vanquished, a fight, a struggle, victims
and survivors. And at certain times in the healing journey, these
analogies can feel very true.
But what if we allow our war metaphors to subside and shift our primary
focus away from "what's wrong?" For there is an equally valid approach
to living life with cancer—and beyond it. Even though the disease may strip
our lives and bodies of once-cherished identities, what can arise from the
ashes of this crucible may be not only new and different, but truly
transformative. And all that takes is a shift in perspective.
We already know what's wrong with us. But how often do we ask ourselves:
What's right with me? What do I love? When am I most alive? What blocks
me from living in that fullness? What can I change or release to open
myself to new possibilities? Will I allow my most vibrant self to step
forward?
When we shift our focus from what's wrong to what's right and realign our
lives with this new trajectory, miraculous things begin to occur. Our
appetite for life blossoms, our vitality increases, we relax into creativity
and the perception of what's possible. We discover how to gear our
energies for wholeness and wellness, even while undergoing treatment for
illness. We look forward to the day, not with dread, but with the
anticipation of knowing that our lives are on track and actually
improving. And over time, as our passion for joyous living increases,
cancer becomes secondary in our minds, lagging behind our deeply rooted
reasons for being.
Living As If Our Lives Depend on It is a three-month group coaching
program designed for current and former oncology patients eager to realize
the fundamentals of living life with wellness, zest and meaning. With an
experienced coach as guide, you will explore what inspires your vitality
and how to re-create your life with deep satisfaction, connection and joy.
Together we will design individually meaningful goals and doable
strategies for attaining them. Joy and ease will be your barometers in
your plans for enrichment and regeneration. This program does not ask you
to "achieve more," but invites you to recognize, relax into, celebrate and
manifest who you are from deep within. Self-care is the highlight with
individually appropriate wellness goals emphasized throughout.
In our group coaching teleclasses, we will explore:
- What does it mean to be "well" with this diagnosis?
- What's right with me, even in this moment?
- Who and what nurtures my joy?
- When would be a good time to live a life I love?
(and, despite everything...)
- How can I do that now?
Working in a group brings the added support, experience and wisdom of all
the participants. And in addition to our weekly group teleclass sessions,
one-on-one coaching will be available as an option to further enhance
individual development.
When: There will be two class sessions (evening and daytime) offered
- beginning in February 2012. Each session will run for 12 weeks.
Session I:
(Evening)
Tuesdays from 7-8 pm (Central)
February 7th - April 24th, 2012
Session II:
(Daytime)
Thursdays from 11 am - 12 noon (Central)
February 9th - April 26th, 2012
Class Size: To maximize class participation and comfort within the group,
class size will be limited to 8 - 12 participants.
Cost: $297 for the 3-month program (paid in full, in advance, via check
or credit card). A payment plan is also available (three monthly
installments of $105 each). 3% of your tuition will go toward
a scholarship fund to make the program available for qualified recipients.
Individual coaching will also be available for an additional fee.
Upon paid registration, participants will receive the telephone number/PIN code for access to the
sessions. (Any long-distance charges accrued will be the responsibility of the participant.)
Facilitator: Susan Drouilhet, MS, LMT is a Wellness and Life Coach with
a background in Integral Health Care and Energy Medicine. In addition to
being a Certified Graduate of Coach University, she is a Massage
Therapist, Yoga Instructor and holds a Master's degree in Energy Medicine.
A member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), Susan offers
individual and group coaching to a national audience. She also performs
bodywork and teaches stress management and yoga classes locally. Starting
in 2012, Susan will begin leading international wellness retreats.
A published author, Susan is currently working on a book describing her own
healing-through-cancer journey: the gritty, the humorous, and the numinous.
Testimonials:
Susan reminds me of Yoda, the Jedi Master in the Star Wars Episodes. She
is wise and patient, brilliant and spiritual. Susan listens - truly
listens to me. She "hears" what I'm saying and what I'm not saying. She
hears the truth. She holds it gently and firmly until I'm ready to be open
to it. Then she shares it with no stake that I must accept it. Slowly she
builds trust and intimacy, making me feel safe and held in high regard. As
a three-time cancer survivor, I find that working with Susan helps me move
through the experience with grace, hope, and acceptance. When Susan
pauses, I know she is thinking with her whole self in order to ask the
deep question that will peak my curiosity and open a door that lets in the
sun and the air so I can breathe freely again. Susan models personal
development. She is always growing and learning. She's the genuine article
- a Masterful Coach.
- SK, Philadelphia
Susan knows from the inside out that we can get lost in the dark nights of
the diagnosis, treatment and recovery stages of the Big C. But she
doesn't leave us there for long. With a gentle and focused empathy, she
hears through anxieties, self-sabotage, timid longings and the unspoken
grief surrounding an interrupted life; then, compassionately she guides us
back toward the light of our own present and future.
In my case, Susan heard my yearnings for a creative life despite the
protestations of my rational mind as to the work I "should" do. She
simplifies the path and makes practical sense when I've forgotten how,
laughs happily when I report new insights and diplomatically guides me
toward where I now dare to go. In just a few weeks of coaching with her,
I have radically turned a corner which I never before permitted myself to
entertain. I am now actively living as I only dreamed of before. My
longed-for creative life has blossomed; I am now illustrating children's
books! And I am truly grateful and swimming in joy.
- PVD, Boston
When would be a good time for YOU to live the life you love?
Curious? Still wondering if this program might be right for you?
You can hear more about
Living As If Our Lives Depend on It,
ask your questions and meet Coach Susan
on our two upcoming free informational calls:
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
7 - 8 pm (Central Time)
and
Tuesday, January 10th, 2011
7 - 8 pm (Central Time)
To join our informational calls, please dial (218) 339-7777,
and when prompted, enter
PIN code: 3587040#.
You may also contact Susan directly at susan@newparadigmscoaching.com.
