Mary

Your Invitation to a One-Hour Vacation!

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Usually, I host The Growing Edge teleclass on the second Thursday of the month. In July, I will be away on vacation so I won’t be hosting a teleclass.

Instead…

 

How would you like to join me for SUMMER VACATION?

Since there isn’t room in my minivan for all of you to ride along with me and my family to Michigan, it will have to be a virtual vacation.

Here’s how it will work:

Sign up for a one hour vacation WITH YOURSELF on July 14 at 10:30 AM CT. That’s right – take a one hour break in the middle of the day. Step out of your usual routine and do something special that YOU will really enjoy.

  • Spend time sitting in the sunshine in your favorite park.
  • Visit that museum you have been meaning to get to.
  • Treat yourself to a meal with someone you haven’t seen in a long time. Go for a bike ride.
  • Take a historic walking tour.
  • Read a cheesy novel.
  • Rent a Segway or Vespa and toodle around town.
  • Sun bathe (with sunscreen of course!)
  • Take a nap in the hammock.
  • Drive the scenic route on the way home.
  • Play backyard baseball or a pickup game of basketball.
  • See a movie….

So, will you do it? Will you join me and take a mini-vacation on July 14? If your answer is YES, I WILL, register below for YOUR VERY OWN ONE-HOUR VACATION!

If your answer is YES, then Register for One-Hour Vacation in This event is a teleclass. on Eventbrite for YOUR TICKET TO YOUR VERY OWN ONE-HOUR VACATION!

Happy Mid-Year!

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Yes, you read it right! I am celebrating the middle part of my year. I know most people are busy setting New Year’s resolutions.  For me, this is the best time to evaluate the plans I made way back in September.

Whatever your preference, this is a great time to stop and check in on where you are.

TRY THIS: Set a 30 minute appointment with yourself in the next week.  Hold your meeting in a quiet, distraction free space.  Bring blank paper and your favorite writing/drawing tools.  Start by closing your eyes and simply focusing on your breath.  When you are ready, ask yourself a few of these questions:

  • What is important to me in this moment of my life?
  • What is humming along quite nicely?
  • What needs fine-tuning?
  • What would I love to DUMP?
  • What are the challenges and obstacles I am facing?
  • What are my goals or aspirations for the next year?
  • Who is on my success team?
  • When will I hire Mary? ;D

Write down or draw your answers.  Remember, the most valuable answers come from your heart!

I’d love to hear what you discover.  Use the comment section below or send me an email: Mary@coacholk.com

Hello Darkness

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“Hello Darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again…”
P. Simon 1964 “The Sound of Silence”

I love the quiet darkness of winter. It brings a peaceful calm to my heart and mind. In the midst of a frenetic time of year, the darkness invites me to sit down, to slow down, to just be in this moment. When I embrace the quiet darkness, I am treated to wonderful surprises – the sharp contrasts of the shadows cast by a full moon, the fiery brilliant colors of the sunrise, a wonderful sensation of being connected to everything and everyone! My heart tingles with aliveness! I am grateful for the invitation to slow down and come home to me.

Thank you Winter Solstice!

What surprising invitation do you find in the quiet darkness?
Leave a comment and let me know!

Gratitude: It Takes Practice

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“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.”
~Melodie Beattie

What are you grateful for today?

Sometimes it is as simple as that – taking a moment to notice. I have a gratitude journal that sits by my bed collecting dust most days because I forget that gratitude takes practice.

When I take the time to simply notice what I am grateful for and write it down, I become aware of the fullness of life. My attitude shifts. I am able to let go of the thoughts and habits that artificially stir up trouble. I feel more centered, more grounded which means when I bump into a real problem, I am able to respond with more grace and a sense of humor.

Today I renewed my commitment to a simple practice of gratitude. I started the day by writing down 3 things for which I am grateful and I am committed to do this simple practice for 40 days. Hopefully by then it will become a daily habit!

What simple practice of gratitude will you do?

Mary

Navigating Transitions with Grace

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“Life is one transition after another” according to one of my wise friends who attended my free teleclass earlier this month. It is true. Some transitions we navigate are BIG – getting a new job or losing a job, becoming a parent or losing a parent, getting married or getting divorced!

When challenged by transitions, our natural human tendency is to RESIST change. We automatically tighten our grip on what is familiar when we face something new and unknown even when that unknown is something positive.

When we are unaware of this reaction, we struggle and make the transition even more challenging.

What helps everyone in any transition is to become aware –

How am I reacting to this change?

What are my options?

What do I want to retain?

What do I want to let go of?

What are my obstacles or challenges?

What obstacles am I creating?

How do I want to be in the midst of this change?

These are the kinds of questions that help my coaching clients successfully and powerfully navigate transitions. If you want more grace and less strain in your transitions, call me (952-939-0277). Let’s see if coaching is right for you.

Mary

Navigating Transitions – Free Teleclass

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TRANSITIONS: Successfully Navigating the Moments In-between
Thursday, October 14 at 10:30 AM CT

It’s Fall in the heartland. The trees are changing from vibrant green to shades of red and gold. The days are shorter; the air is crisp. We are slowly and surely moving from the heat of summer to the chill of winter. FALL is a season of TRANSITION.

This month The Growing Edge Teleclass will explore TRANSITION. Sometimes they are challenging, sometimes they are graceful. They are inevitably part of the natural rhythm of life.

Join me on October 14 as we tap our collective wisdom and knowledge about navigating transitions.

• Why are some transitions smooth and easy?
• How come some are rough and require lots of effort?
• What makes a transition exciting?
• What has you dreading a transition?
• What resources do you count on when you are in the midst of a transition?

I will share some strategies for staying sure-footed as you dance with the rhythms of life’s transitions.

I promise that you will leave our conversation inspired and ready for any transition that comes your way (or is already underway!)

I am looking forward to growing with you this month!

Click Here To REGISTER

Goals That Get You Grooving – Free Teleclass

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know it isn’t January but this is the time of year I stop and take stock of my life and my business. One of the things I do is set my goals and objectives for the next year.

This month in the Growing Edge Teleclass my friend and colleague, Jim Earley [Trailblazer Coaching] will join me for a lively conversation about creating goals that engage and inspire.

Be sure to bring your goals to the conversation – especially if they are dragging you down. We guarantee that you will leave the conversation with a point of view that will inspire your success!

Join us for Goals that Get You Grooving and Moving!

Thursday, September 9 at 10:30 a.m. CT

Register for Goals That Get You Grooving in This event is a teleclass. on Eventbrite

You Can’t Say Yes To Everything!

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Five Practical Strategies for Getting Stuff Done

Stressed BusinesswomanSo you find yourself in a whirlwind – so many things to do and it doesn’t seem as though you are getting anything done! That’s when I get cranky, irritable, and out of sorts.  This is not me!  What happened and how did I get here?  Does this sound familiar?

In the Growing Edge Teleclass last month we spent time exploring some practical, effective strategies for finding the way out of the whirlwind and back to sanity.  Here are the top 5 strategies from our conversation:

1. Remember — Saying YES means that you are saying NO. Before you say YES, take time to examine the ripple effects.  What you are saying NO to when you say yes?

2. Chunk it down!
a.    Instead of a project list, make a list of tasks and start with the easiest tasks to complete.
b.    Set a time focus:  What do I need to do this week? Or this month?  Only work on the tasks/projects that need to be completed in that time frame.

3. Do only one thing at a time.  STOP MULTITASKING!

4.    Daily Commitment list. Each day choose a few items from your “TO DO” list that you are 100% committed to completing today.

5.    Buddy up. Partner with a compassionate, non-judgmental friend/co-worker who will help you be accountable.

What strategy will you experiment this month? Let me know your results!

Compassionately yours,
Mary

The End of Summer

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Despite what the calendar says, summer is officially over next week at our house when school starts again.  We are making the most of the last few days of our relaxed routine with extra trips to the beach, staying up late reading or roasting marshmallows at a backyard bonfire, long walks around the neighborhood, and savoring the casual conversations with friends and neighbors.

We have plans for a fun-filled escapade to the Mall of America, a few last play dates, a camping expedition and a hiking adventure in the woods surrounding our neighborhood.

This week is a celebration of all things SUMMER – fun, spontaneity, adventure, connection, recreation!

How will you be celebrating summer?

Sunny summer regards,

Mary

My Mom, My First Life Coach

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Happy Mother’s Day Everyone! (one day late). I hope that you are taking some time to celebrate the wonderful women in your life. This week I was thinking about my Mom and appreciating the gifts she has given me over my lifetime, and then it hit me …

My Mom was my first life coach!

She was the first person who created a safe space for me to be all of me. She showed me that life was full of learning and that learning could be FUN! She saw my greatness when all I could see were my limitations. She nudged me out of my comfort zone, giving me opportunities to try things she had a hunch I would love. Most of all she loved me with out reservation or conditions.

Thanks Mom for giving me the best foundation for my life and my career!

Who was your first life coach?
What would a partnership with a coach give you today?

Call me and let’s get to work!

Challenging. Empathetic. Creative.

My time with Mary has been invaluable.

I began working with Mary at a time when I was approaching a major life change:  I wanted to change my career and re-balance my life. Mary was an incredible accountability partner in helping me navigate, plan, and adapt during this transition, and — most significantly — she helped me get in tune with what I truly want in this next chapter of my life.

Her direct, no-bullshit, empathetic coaching style and her ability to push me beyond my surface responses were critical to helping me take real ownership of my life, career, and relationships. Furthermore, her coaching – especially with the PQ program – has been transformative and has given me the tools to continue growing on my own which is a true treasure.  I am grateful to be in a new place, with new insight and compassion for myself and others.  It’s been an amazing journey–and Mary is an amazing coach!

Jeanne F Testimonial

Three Words: Energetic. Challenging. Creative.

Mary is a true “coach’s coach”. I learned so much from her as my supervisor during the coach certification process that I hired her to coach me again…and again…and again. Mary was so effective that I engaged her at several key moments in my career. Our work together was always up-lifting, insightful and action-oriented, and I am grateful for both the wisdom and the kindness she shared with me. Thank you Mary!

Laura Weiss Testimonial

For sales people in general a great coach is an asset because we are forced to deal with negative emotions every day – there is a lot of rejection and fear. The resilience needed to withstand that is greater when you have an asset like Mary.

She helps me think through what is going on. If there is conflict with my values, she helps me articulate what is going on. From that we trade action steps to progress through a challenge, or take on an opportunity. She takes what is within me and helps me make sense of it and create actionable steps.

Mary does not bring a one-size-fits-all approach – this is a customized approach we have worked on over the past four years.

Gabriel-Harren

THREE WORDS: Professional, Humor, Authentic

Mary’s sense of humor, coupled with her raw authenticity, gave me a huge play ground to be myself and to experiment with letting go of concepts about myself that no longer served me.  Our work was, and continues to be, life-changing.

I send my closest friends and family to Mary when someone needs a coach.  Enough said.  I know you’ll get nothing but excellence when you work with her.

I’ve pretty much doubled business over the course of working with her. I know it is tough to attribute it to one single thing, but I know with certainty that she is a part of what has allowed me to do that. And, working with Mary has helped me have much more authentic conversations with people in my life, whether those are people I’m dating, or my relatives, friends or colleagues. She’s helped me get a clear sense of my voice in all those types of relationship.

She has helped me get out of my own way on the goals that really, really matter to me.

Annemarie-Estess

I am somebody who needs homework. I need someone to say ‘Do X Y and Z and get back in touch,’ instead of ‘Think about this and we will talk.’ Mary structured things for me in that manner. Otherwise it is easy for me to put things on back burner.

There were two big main issues that Mary and I worked with: I had too much on my plate, and my marriage was blowing up. So we worked on both.

I gained a good sense of not only who I was but trusting that I had the answers, which is really where you want to get to: That you can trust yourself with the way you are feeling and that the decisions you are making are right for you.

Dayle-Quigley

My coaching journey with Mary has been wonderful. She was a sounding board to test ideas, conversations, and dreams about what I want in my career and my personal life. Coaching with her helped me grow into a stronger leader and find my voice to speak up for myself. Coach Mary helped me gain the confidence and skills to self-advocate and ask for what I deserve from my superiors. This was the catalyst for opening doors to a new career role that is a wonderful fit for me, a role that I didn’t even know was an option when I began.

Leslie S - Testimonial for Mary Olk

There is no colleague I respect more than Mary Olk. She has an unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth for her clients and herself. She is a truly gifted inner guide—extraordinarily insightful, self aware, highly skilled, and wise. I am especially proud she has chosen to integrate the Gremlin-Taming® method into her own naturally potent style of facilitating others to tap into and channel their potential.  Her clients are beyond fortunate to have her in their lives.