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Meet Kath Schnorr of Living from Essence in Colorado Springs

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kath Schnorr.

Kath, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My priorities and what was important to me began to shift after the birth of my second child, who was born with Down syndrome. My passion for my 20-year career as a Software Engineering Program Manager started to change.

I hired a Life Coach to decide what I wanted to do. I had the good fortune of being coached by Thomas J. Leonard, who was a major contributor in the development of personal coaching. Thomas and I talked about my career and what I wanted to do. At the end of our coaching session my homework was to say, “No.” For one year, I was to say no to any management opportunity that became available.

And that is exactly what I did. I was working as a consultant and my manager wanted me on his management team. He would approach me every time a management position was available. Logically, it made sense and seemed like the right thing to do but everything in my body said no. It was a feeling deep within that I could not ignore. It was an internal battle that I had to reconcile because my value and self-worth were defined by my job title and paycheck.

I started to redefine my value and self-worth based on my strengths and talents. My focus and identity turned inward as oppose to defining myself, my success, and my happiness based upon external situations. I longed to share my gifts and what I was good at with others. I wanted to do work that was meaningful, made a difference, and that had an impact on others.

Within two years, I attended coach training and received my Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) designation from The Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). Because I turned down opportunities to pursue a management position, eventually, I was laid off during a downsize. This was the perfect time to start my coaching business, Core Communications, and stay at home with my kids.

The truth is I’ve always been a life coach. As a manager, it was my technical and soft skills that advanced my career and helped me communicate with executive management and all levels of engineers.

Initially, my clients were successful, professional women in corporate who wanted to leave their careers and create business opportunities of their own. There is so much more to a period of transition besides changes in external circumstances. Internal shifts must be made. It is an opportunity to redefine one’s value, self-worth, and definition of success.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Hell no. Life happens. In 2013 we lost everything in the Black Forest fire. Thanks to everything I learned from raising a child with special needs, I knew that I would survive this also.

I took time off from my coaching business to focus on my family. It took several years to rebuild our house since we did it ourselves on the weekends. I knew that while I had lost my house, I had not lost my home. I still had everything that mattered to me…my family and love. I learned that things are nice to have but that they DO NOT define who I am. It is the moments, memories, connections, and relationships we have that matter. It is not how my life LOOKS but how I FEEL.

I now know unexpected and unplanned paths lead to amazing new beginnings. I found an unwavering inner strength and peace that keeps me grounded, connected, and focused on what’s important.

After the fire, I held onto what was for too long. I wanted something to be familiar because everything was gone… all our belongings, the house, my routine, schedule, everything. That sense of ‘holding’ on and wanting things to be the way they were is familiar and I see it happening now with my friends and the world due to the corona-virus COVID19. We want our lives to go back to ‘normal,’ and the truth is, life will not be the same. We’ve been changed because of this experience. Letting go helps us to move forward and see what wants to be created now; something new and hopefully something better…if we allow it.

Hindsight is 2020 and because of my life experiences – I know we don’t see it now because we are still ‘in it’. We are understanding and learning about the virus. Yet, I know GOOD can come from all of this.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
After 13 years of coaching and stepping away for a few years, I’ve recently rebranded and relaunched my coaching business, which is now – Living from Essence…come home to your soul. My website is being updated.

It is because of my life experiences and the profound impact that they have had in my life, that I am now on a mission to help other women struggling with fear, self-doubt and lack of confidence to accept and value themselves and their gifts so they THRIVE in their personal and professional lives. I coach women through transition and adversity to own their value and earn their worth.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My intuition and ability to listen deeply creates space for clients to be seen, heard, and valued. I see the connection and integration of their values, strengths, and life experiences. This provides clarity and understanding for them on how everything in their life is related and has a purpose. And my ability to see what they do not see in themselves…yet.

Pricing:

  • Values Clarification – Get to the heart of what matters = $300

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Amanda Sharp Archibald owner/photographer at Sharp Designs, Inc – Photography and Graphics

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