My name is Colleen, and I’m the founder of Rowan Coaching.

I love my job, and I hope to have the opportunity work with you! My job feels like a *privilege.* I talk to fascinating people all day long, and help them make their dreams come true. Especially getting to work from home in gorgeous, green Seattle, where I live with my life/business partner (and founder of Knack Consulting) and our three dogs. 

I work mostly with creatives, freelancers, feminists, solopreneurs, and nonconformists of all stripes. You don’t have choose between passion and profit. Joy and safety aren’t mutually exclusive. You do have to learn how your brain works, so it stops f***ing with you. 

COACHING IS MY PASSION, AND A CAREER THAT LEAVES ME HAPPIER AND MORE INSPIRED AT THE END OF EACH DAY THAN AT THE BEGINNING.

I discovered coaching in 2014, while on sabbatical from my position as partner in a boutique branding agency in New York City, and I've been discovering, growing, and working in the field ever since.  My approach is a unique combination of who I am as an individual and the brain-based coaching method which I've studied through New York University and  the NeuroLeadership Institute.

My particular passion is supporting people who have made (or are ready to make)
the brave decision to define their own journeys - both as professionals, and
as humans in the world.  

Frequently, this means I'm working with creatives - designers, architects, and opera singers are all in my roster.  It always means I'm working with creative thinkers, to my great joy.

I work with creative thinkers like you for a reason - and it's not only because your minds and imaginations are the real magic that fuels me day by day.  I've also walked in your shoes.  As a classically trained opera singer who taught herself graphic design before joining the branding agency mentioned above, I understand the courage and stamina it takes to define your own journey.  

I also know why it's worth it.

Coaching is more than a career for me - it's a true vocation.  It's flexible, creative, challenging, inspiring, and allows me the freedom to work from home with my two french bulldogs, Ludwig & Violet.

 It even allows me to travel the world, one of my other great passions, while working.  It's my dream job because it fits so many of my core values (which is something we'll definitely explore if you decide to work with me).  

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME:

• Big love, massive support, and a no nonsense approach. Don't expect me to flatter you just because you're paying me.  Instead, know that I'll show up ready to help you discover your true strengths, and challenge you to show me evidence for any negativity you're directing at yourself.  There is incredible power in the story we tell ourselves, inside our minds, and I'm going to help you shape a narrative that will support you to become powerful, present, and effective.
• Conscious, growthful honesty to bring attention to areas of opportunity in your life, and help you strive towards your best self.
• Neuroscience-based tools to help you bend your brain to your will.  It's amazing what happens when you have a clearer sense of how your brain actually works, and how that affects us both physically and emotionally.  
• A focus on productivity, from a playful perspective.   I believe - and neuroscience supports - that "play" time is not only necessary, it is also highly productive.  I will help you discover new ways to harness your productivity and use it to fuel your big vision goals.
• Transparency.  This and authenticity are two of my fundamental values, so you can expect clarity, openness, and to have your expectations managed throughout the process.  You're also welcome to ask me anything!
• Fun and curiosity! I'm genuinely interested in who you are and who you want to become. So I'm going to show up to each and every session we have fully present and ready to listen, ask thoughtful and strategic questions, and lead you to unexpected insights. It's hard work, but so, so fun - and wickedly, wonderfully inspiring!

• I absolutely LOVE to read.  In fact, my intense love of the fantasy fiction genre is the initial inspiration for the name of my business, Rowan Coaching.  The very first book I read in this genre was call The Rowan, by Anne McCaffrey.  It's a story about a young woman who literally changes her life and her environment using the power of her mind, which is pretty powerful place to start!  (If you want to know more about the meaning behind the name, click here!)
• I'm going to be totally honest with you - I'm a bit of a weirdo, and I swear like a sailor.  I sh*t you not.
• I'm originally from the West Coast, and grew up primarily in Northern California and Oregon.
• After graduating high school in Oregon, I pursued (and earned) a Bachelors of Music from Indiana University, Bloomington, the Jacobs School of Music.  I also have a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a minor in Western European Studies. You can learn more about my education and professional background on LinkedIn.

• I live in Seattle with my business and life partner, Ariel Companioni, in a beautiful home with our three dogs. We run a meetup group called Cocktails & Coaching that meets once a month at Seattle's most fabulous craft cocktail bars and speakeasies to discuss topics related to brain-based life and career coaching. We'd love to see you there!

• I lived in New York City for over a decade, and loved every minute!  That city is the world entire, a cacophony of beautiful diversity, energy, creativity, businesses and ideas.  If you're passionate about something in New York, there is someone who wants to support you to accomplish it.  ANYTHING is possible here.
• I love road trips, new experiences, and learning about foreign cultures. In fact, I spent October-December 2017 traveling around South America with Remote Year, an amazing programs that connects remote professionals to the world!
• In fact, my passion - outside of coaching and learning - is TRAVELING.  So far, I've been to 20+ countries, and I can't wait to continue exploring!
• I have a minor obsession with cheese.

• My two french bulldogs, Ludwig and Violet are micro-celebrities on Instagram, with over  20,000 followers.  You can check out their smooshy little faces at instagram.com/turtlebatpig (@turtlebatpig).
• I also have a Saint Berdoodle (Saint Bernard + Standard Poodle)  name Merlin Hagrid Severus MacSmooch. As you can tell, I'm a nut for Harry Potter.
• One time someone called me a unicorn, and its stuck.