With over 24 years of experience as a certified and sought after teacher of movement (Pilates and Open Floor movement/dance), Somatic and Mindfulness Life Coach, small business owner, meditator, volunteer and human. Christina has a unique perspective to offer women seeking guidance and support through life’s twists and turns. Her curious inquisitive nature, passion for wellness, self-discovery and generous spirit offers individuals and groups who seek clarity, comfort and wholeness a steadfast, enlightening and inspiring opportunity to discover their strengths and innate wisdom.

Each of us carries a wealth of insight within. From complicated work scenarios that confront aligning with your truth, to sticky relationship situations with partners or family members, to juggling responsibilities as a creative leader while married and being mother to 4 small children, to life threatening illness or managing anxiety and depression …. No matter how big or small, with steady honest support the challenges we face can be overcome and ultimately transformed. I offer this with love. I help you ‘see the forest through the trees.’

The journey toward transformation is not necessarily linear but there are sure signposts that offer guidance to each of us. While encouraging overall health and well-being, she leans into mindfulness based conscious practices to help women find what they need to thrive. She works side by side with her clients to discover true alignment that is both integrated and transformative.

I know from my own personal experience, from research, and from my experience as a change agent seeing people achieve their dreams, what sets that person apart from all others is their ability to use their mind to their advantage.

My life’s passion is to provide growth opportunities for people who know they’re capable of more and haven’t quite been able to figure out how to get there.
You see, I was once there myself. I was a multi-sport athlete starting in middle school, post Title IX.

I went from an awkward middle school girl just being introduced to this thing called sport, and after a lot of extremely hard work, to eventually earning an athletic scholarship to the University of Washington.
The first year, I participated in both Women’s basketball and Track & Field. By the end of the first year because of my continued progress and potential, my T&F coach offered me a full ride to focus on preparing for the 1980 Olympics. I set and still hold a freshman record in the High Jump at the UW.

Long story short, the US boycotted the 1980 Olympics. I didn’t have the support that I needed at the time and retired prematurely from sport before I reached my full potential.
I later returned, at age 31 with three sons, to complete my bachelor’s degree and finish out NCAA basketball eligibility at a Division II school, University of Alaska Anchorage.
I truly understand the meaning of PERSERVERANCE!

I was introduced to Sport Psychology at an Olympic Training Camp where I first learned about managing arousal level and using imagery – a powerful combination.

My experience as a competitive athlete sparked a passion in me that has become my life work; why I genuinely believe I am on this earth – my mission is to help athletes become fully aware of how to thrive within the present moment so they can face any challenge, lean into process over outcome and reach new heights of achievement and satisfaction, living their life value-filled with no regret.

Along the way, I was fortunate to discover for myself the power of a therapy technique called Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). I was so amazed by this powerful technique that it became the focus of my graduate project – around the use of EMDR for performance. I eventually became a Certified EMDR practitioner. With a firm understanding of how our nervous system works, I have added other body-based therapeutic techniques, including Brainspotting and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy to my bag of tools.

Most recently realizing the importance and even power of building mindfulness awareness I have connected with the Mindfulness Coaching School. Since 2008, I have practiced successfully as a licensed psychotherapist specializing in trauma within the athlete population. I became interested in performance coaching principles and fundamentals because I recognized the limitations therapy inherently instills coming from a clinical, something is wrong with you place. I came to realize the power of facilitating personal development that is possible through the coaching relationship. In 2018 I started my coach training and certification journey. I am now a Certified member of the International Coaching Federation and also an instructor with the Mindfulness Coaching School.

As a result of both my personal and professional journey at the core of my coaching mission, my vision is to set the standard of excellence for athlete support providing them with the cutting edge interventions and technologies which serve to empower athletes with the highest achievements and values-driven life satisfaction possible.

My passion has led me to excel in the field of Professional Performance Counseling, Coaching and Consultation.

If this resonates with you – reach out! I can’t wait to hear from you!!

Coaching helps clients cut through the whirling chaos of life to find clarity and action. The best coaching recognizes the client as creative, resourceful, and whole.

The coach brings
an open-minded, compassionate, and empathetic mind
a presence that is alive to each word and every nuance
broad knowledge of best practices in the service of the client

Coaching means being there for my clients, no matter what. I listen to my clients with unconditional positive regard, whole-heartedness, and deep attention, holding the space for them to bring their wisdom to bear.

I’ve been a practicing coach for over two decades, working at York School, a coed independent high school in Monterey, California. In that time, I’ve partnered with adolescents on everything from the challenging (like resolving a dispute with a friend, managing a healthy breakup, or choosing the right college) to the overwhelming (like grieving a death, recovering from an assault, or coordinating the steps of transitioning)…and many shades of experience in between.

At the same time, I’ve worked with parents on a similar range of experiences. As a parent myself, I know the value of being able to check in with someone who is knowledgeable, trained, and well-versed in the art of raising an adolescent, and who can understand the needs and feelings of parents while at the same time understanding and empathizing with the needs and feelings of teens.

Since going into private practice, I’ve committed hundreds of hours to coaching adults on many topics, including making a career change, caring for their aging parents, strengthening their intimate relationships, developing their creativity, and so much more. Over the years, I’ve taken extensive coursework in psychology, and I’ve completed the comprehensive training needed to become a certified professional coach through the International Coaching Federation, the gold standard in coaching certification.

These inspiring classes have not only added to my knowledge and expertise but reinforced my belief that my clients are creative, resourceful, and whole.

Before I became a coach, I was a professional actor. My training in this profession enables me to quickly engage with others in an authentic and heart-connected way. My experiences in accessing and expressing emotion, and in analyzing and evoking characters give me a unique ability to see situations from others’ perspectives while maintaining objectivity and clarity. I am comfortable with others’ emotions.

As director of theatre at a high school for gifted adolescents, I worked with hundreds of teenagers, helping them to see the world and other humans from different perspectives; to get in touch with, name, and manage their own emotions; and to identify the values they were proud of and wanted to live by.

My current private practice is the true realization of my vision: to be a partner in supporting my clients in developing a sense of agency, capability, and autonomy; building life skills, including resilience, self-compassion, and self-advocacy; and finding purpose and meaning in their lives so they may become their authentic best selves.

It’s as though all of my experiences were leading me to this calling. The truth is, I am passionate about being an advocate for my clients; I want to be there for them in their dark hours.

I engage my clients with these values in mind:
forward motion
authenticity
unconditional positive regard
serious playfulness

My purpose is to help others realize the exquisite force of their true Nature, just as the waves crashing on the North Shore of Lake Superior reveal power, beauty, and profound interconnection.

After a 20-year career in mission-driven organizations, I realized my inner life and external life were significantly out of alignment. This led to a period of challenging and transformative life reinvention. I was required to navigate profound uncertainty and discomfort while taking risks in service to my life purpose. I became passionate about transforming self-limiting patterns. I learned to return to myself.

These experiences and my training at MCS have given me a compassionate, direct, and insightful coaching approach. I believe all people have the innate capacity to be calm, clear, creative and courageous, even in the most challenging of circumstances. I help you access these traits through practical, in-the-moment mindfulness techniques. Meanwhile, I support you as you discern key choices and take steps to create a life you genuinely love, both personally and professionally.

Coaching style: My coaching style is filled with deep listening, powerful questions, a love of metaphor, and warm humor. I help you listen to your heart, tap your intuition, and connect with the somatic intelligence of your body. I am action-oriented: success is when you take forward steps that previously seemed unclear or out of reach.

Odd but true: I worked for Warren Buffett’s daughter for seven years, supporting the wellbeing and effectiveness of community and organizational leaders as a coach, facilitator, and program Director.

I am most grateful for my three teenager daughters, my ability to directly connect with open, clear, spacious awareness, and the opportunity to create a life I genuinely love.

I am the author of Mindfulness Activities for Adults: 50 Simple Exercises to Relax, Stay Present and Find Peace.

“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.”
Ann-Marie lives and breathes her quote. As a result, she leads a rich and colorful life pursuing her interests and passions in her coaching practice and as Founder and Director of the Mindfulness Coaching School in Santa Fe, New Mexico

In the mid-seventies Ann-Marie traveled nationally with Ken Keyes facilitating consciousness growth workshops called “The Science of Happiness” based on his book Handbook to Higher Consciousness. When not traveling, she lived as a resident trainer in Ken’s educational communities of Berkeley, California and St. Mary, Kentucky. It was at this time that Ann-Marie mindfully began her journey of contributing to the lives of others and to the planet.

Taking a sabbatical from “the real world” in the early 1980’s, Ann-Marie retreated alone to India. There she lived and studied various philosophies and religions – particularly Buddhism, a tradition she has been intimately involved with ever since.

As an international coach and teacher, psychotherapist and Buddhist Chaplain, she is known for her 12-Step Wisdom, Jungian flavor, and Buddhist perspectives. While coaching, Ann-Marie utilizes Positive Psychology and Contemplative NeuroScience applications, cognitive modalities such as EMDR (for peak performance), Nonviolent Communication (for needs assessment and communication), as well as art, humor, nature, and her client’s creative transformative juices.

Ann-Marie is the Founder and Director of Mindfulness Coaching School. She coaches, students, and clinicians worldwide through webinars and individual sessions.