I’m Michelle, a Chicago-based professional coach. I’m also the parent of a trans son. My pronouns are she/her/hers.

I remember hearing years ago that people have roughly 10 truly defining moments in their lifetime. Or, perhaps what I heard was just a call to remember 10 defining moments. No matter.

What does matter is how we come to recognize and acknowledge these moments.

When thinking about how I came to coaching, two of my own come to mind:

• The moment I lost the person I loved most in this world

• Parenting my trans child

Both of these experiences were foundational to my understanding of my own self. Both forced me off autopilot and required I do the work of knowing myself—really knowing myself.

I write some about my journey with loss and quite a bit about parenting.

What’s true about both the loss and the parenting, despite the many very real differences between the two, is that by allowing myself to be vulnerable, to quiet my defenses and listen to what these experiences were telling me about the world, my community (both local and global), and myself, I gained clarity.

That clarity continues to remind me who I am and who I want to be in this world—and gives me a way to grow.

And here’s the beautiful thing about coaching: The moments that give you a clearer picture of yourself don’t have to be huge.

Personal growth doesn’t need to be done by miles. You can gain ground in inches, too.

No matter where you are now, I am sure you have places in your life where you’d like to go farther, push deeper.

I’d love to be a part of that journey with you.