About Us
You have everything you need within you to get where you want to go, do what you want to do, and be who you want to be.
Most people have a hard time believing this is true. With all the pressures of modern life, it’s easy to become stressed out, anxious, and stuck in old stories about who we are and what is possible. Whether in our careers or in our lives, even the best of us can fall into unconscious patterns that prevent us from moving powerfully forward and connecting with what would bring us true fulfillment and aliveness.
With over 20 years of experience in coaching and organizational and leadership development, I have an abundance of tools to help you get out of your own way and create a life or career that is a reflection of your truest self and deepest desires. I work with individuals, groups/teams and organizations, helping you unlock your fullest potential.
My methodology is intuitive and experiential. We’ll embark on a process of discovery together, using everything from the latest mindfulness practices to embodied exercises to Equus Coaching™. I hold the container so you can go deep and discover what is possible for your life, career or organization.
Offerings include:
Executive/Leadership Coaching
Leadership Development
Team Dynamics Work
Equus Coaching (working with horses from the ground for greater self-awareness, leadership skills, team effectiveness and interpersonal connection)
Life Coaching
Contact me for more information. I’d love to work with you or your organization to design the perfect program for your needs.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (5)
"Sheppard pays attention to everything you say and she has a true desire to help"
"Haven’t visited Sheppard at her business but just meeting her, you will see she knows her stuff."
Recommendations Given (6)
"Debbie is a gifted healer and animal communicator. I would call her a metaphysician in that she..."
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"Debbie is a gifted healer and animal communicator. I would call her a metaphysician in that she has access to many metaphysical abilities. One of the most beautiful characteristics of Debbie is they way she shares information with grace and humility. "
"Diana is an amazing reflexologist! She is constantly taking additional workshops to stay on top..."
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"Diana is an amazing reflexologist! She is constantly taking additional workshops to stay on top of the latest findings so that she can incorporate them in her work. "
Recent Activity
The leader will make or break a team. If you aren’t including leadership as an ingredient, I would say trust is the most important ingredient. People have to feel they can trust each other, their leader and the organization. Without trust as the basis, very little gets accomplished.
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The leader will make or break a team. If you aren’t including leadership as an ingredient, I would say trust is the most important ingredient. People have to feel they can trust each other, their leader and the organization. Without trust as the basis, very little gets accomplished.
Coralee is correct- this is the language of codependency. I can’t imagine the pain you are going through having to deal with this betrayal. It’s understandable that you want to support your friend. And, she is displaying all the behaviors of an addict.
Professionally, I would speak with a...
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Coralee is correct- this is the language of codependency. I can’t imagine the pain you are going through having to deal with this betrayal. It’s understandable that you want to support your friend. And, she is displaying all the behaviors of an addict.
Professionally, I would speak with a lawyer to learn how to terminate the business partnership. I would accumulate the evidence needed to ensure an ironclad case so she couldn’t dispute it. I would be as transparent as legally allowed and offer to help her get help.
Personally, I would get support for myself, whether that was a good coach or therapist. I would look at the limiting beliefs that brought me to this place and work towards forgiveness (forgiving myself and my friend).
I have a colleague who is both a coach and a therapist. She is truly amazing and has a beautiful way about her. If you would like her name and contact info, please let me know. You can email me at sheppard@sheppardlake.com.
I’m so sorry you are going through this.
Before I answer your question, there are a couple of things I think are important to note. As coaches, if we are getting triggered or impatient, that's on us. That is an opportunity for us to look in the mirror to identify what is going on within ourselves and do some self-coaching (or get help...
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Before I answer your question, there are a couple of things I think are important to note. As coaches, if we are getting triggered or impatient, that's on us. That is an opportunity for us to look in the mirror to identify what is going on within ourselves and do some self-coaching (or get help from our coach). In a coaching skills class that I facilitate, we talk about the fact that their are no bad "coachees" - only limitations in the coach's ability. I don't say that to suggest that anyone is not effective as a coach. We all have our limitations as well as who we work with best. Sometimes the issue is just poor fit. Now you do mention "inconsiderate" in your question. If someone treats me poorly, I am going to discuss that with them in a professional manner. It's up to me what I allow. We teach people how to treat us by how we respond. I'll also say that no one can use up too much of anyone's unpaid time without permission. If I am spending unpaid time supporting a client, again, that's on me. That's a choice I make. I can't blame my client for making requests. If I start to feel resentful, then I get to see how I have crossed my own boundaries. All of this is managed in upfront conversations regarding our coaching engagement. (I can speak more about this if that would be helpful.) So, that brings us to the final part of your question: how to tactfully let them go. Without knowing more than this, my approach would be to have a candid conversation with the client. Unless I was absolutely sure that I could not be an effective coach for this person, I would try to discuss what was going on. I'd start by asking how they feel the coaching is going. Do they feel like they are getting what they need? How do they feel at the end of our coaching sessions? This tells me if they feel the disconnect too. I would own my role in that disconnect and renegotiate terms. (e.g., your fees include a one-hour session plus one email response per week - or whatever. Anything beyond that will be charged per hour, removed from your retainer, etc.). That being said, if I was convinced I could not work with this person, I would be honest and say that I didn't feel like I was the best fit for the client, explaining my reasons. Then I would tell them I'm happy refer them to another coach if they are interested. Of course, I would refund any money for unused sessions. All of this assumes you have a mentally healthy client. Hope this helps. Let me know if you want to talk live about this.
In a situation like this, I would try to get the person on the phone and ask a few questions. I would want to understand what was going on - is it because they are having financial problems? Or are they feeling like they didn’t get what they paid for? Or maybe they never intended to pay. I don’t...
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In a situation like this, I would try to get the person on the phone and ask a few questions. I would want to understand what was going on - is it because they are having financial problems? Or are they feeling like they didn’t get what they paid for? Or maybe they never intended to pay. I don’t know that I’ll ever know the latter. And, as strange as it sounds, that’s none of my business. What is my business is how I want to handle it.
I always try to assume positive intent and leave the opportunity for them to want to pay open.
I also recognize that each challenging situation is a learning opportunity. (E.g., when a new client asked for a full refund before we even got our work started, I changed my contract to remove the refund clause. When I extended grace for a later payment that never happened, I made a decision to only extend that grace when the money made no difference to me, with a knowing that this was their karma, etc.).
Let us know what happens.
As a coach and consultant, some of the most powerful work I do is through Equus Coaching, which involves working with horses from the ground (no riding) to help people with self-awareness, leadership skills and team dynamics. This, in itself, is unique. I would love to spread the word about this...
(more)
As a coach and consultant, some of the most powerful work I do is through Equus Coaching, which involves working with horses from the ground (no riding) to help people with self-awareness, leadership skills and team dynamics. This, in itself, is unique. I would love to spread the word about this amazing work and increase its visibility. Once people have experienced this, their life and work changes.
I love Moo.com! I have been using them for business cards for about five years and plan to use them for other items in the future. The quality of the product is fabulous!! It's easy to order - you can choose from a variety of shapes and sizes as well as thickness of paper. You can design your own...
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I love Moo.com! I have been using them for business cards for about five years and plan to use them for other items in the future. The quality of the product is fabulous!! It's easy to order - you can choose from a variety of shapes and sizes as well as thickness of paper. You can design your own or enlist help from them.Every time I give out my card, I receive a compliment about its beauty and quality. (Psychologically that translates to how they see my business.)
The service there is phenomenal and I love how clever they are. (Place an order to see what I mean by that!)
Hi all,
A friend of mine uses this one: https://youcanbook.me/. It is fabulous for those of us with coaching practices. It has two-way communication with your calendar. In addition, if someone wants to cancel within 24 hours, it will pop up "Are you sure you want to cancel? Doing so will result...
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Hi all,
A friend of mine uses this one: https://youcanbook.me/. It is fabulous for those of us with coaching practices. It has two-way communication with your calendar. In addition, if someone wants to cancel within 24 hours, it will pop up "Are you sure you want to cancel? Doing so will result in a forfeited session." This is great for those of us who have cancellation policies. I'm going to check it out now. Let me know if you choose it and what you think!All my best,Sheppard
