Life-changing experience
LETHBRIDGE LIFE COACH NOMINATED FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
She’s only been helping to transform lives for the last eight months. But already, Lethbridge-based life coach Sarah Lajeunesse is making waves around the world.
Lajeunesse has been nominated for three international life coaching awards, which will be announced at an awards gala in Melbourne, Australia on March 17.
The awards she’s been nominated for include “Emerging Coach of the Year,” “Event of the Year” for her women’s empowerment events in Lethbridge, and the “CEO Shine Award.”
“It’s absolutely incredible,” said Lajeunesse, of being nominated. “I just want to help as many women, and really people, as possible. To be recognized in that field is such an incredible honour.”
The awards will be judged by members of the Beautiful You Coaching Academy staff, trainers and industry experts. Although she won’t be able to travel to Australia for the awards, Lajeunesse will be watching through social media.
Lajeunesse’s journey to become a life coach sprung from her own personal experience with one.
Born and raised in Lethbridge, Lajeunesse formerly worked in the corporate sports management industry. Her career took her places, working for the Calgary Stampeders, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a hectic and exciting lifestyle, but one which left her feeling drained and unfulfilled.
“I had anxiety attacks and just felt overwhelmed and overworked,” she said.
At the age of 25, she sought out the help of a life coach who helped her turn it all around. She soon realized that “burnt out” lifestyle had no age restrictions.
“For me, I found the success of my career, I directly associated it with my selfworth and my value,” she said. “I stopped making time for health and wellness, and nutrition, and working out and relationships.”
Lajeunesse knew if she didn’t change her life drastically, her future looked similarly stressful. Ultimately, she was more afraid of not living the life she wanted to live.
“And feeling like I’d really wasted the incredible gifts and opportunities we have,” she said.
Working with her life coach, Lajeunesse realized what was possible and got the encouragement and support she needed to pursue her goals. Later, during a yoga convention in Toronto, Lajeunesse happened upon a life-coaching vendor.
“My whole body lit up. This is exactly what I felt called to do,” she said. “In that moment, I realized the help and the support and encouragement I was getting to just realize my potential, that’s what I wanted to help other women do. Other women who felt lost, stuck, overwhelmed or, quite honestly, paralyzed with how to make positive change in their lives.”
While some may be afraid that working with a life coach means there’s something wrong with them, Lajeunesse says that’s not the case.
“It’s more to say ‘there’s more to life than what I’m currently experiencing and I know there’s something deep inside me capable of going after it, and I could just use a little support.’”
The past eight months have been a whirlwind of activity for Lajeunesse, who not only coaches local clients, but international as well.
“I work one-on-one with clients all over the world,” she said.
The positive feedback she’s received from clients led Lajeunesse to start holding women’s empowerment events in Lethbridge. The bi-monthly events help women focus on compassion and selfworth, and to overcome fears, insecurities and societal pressures.
She thought they would be small gatherings, but their popularity soon turned into sold-out occasions. It’s for these events that she was chosen as a finalist for one of the awards.
Lajeunesse was also asked to be a guest speaker on March 25 for Go Girl, an empowerment workshop at Lethbridge College for girls aged 8-12.
The greatest part about being a life coach is helping people pursue their passions and watching them transform, she explained.
“I think the most beautiful moment is when they realize that all their large-scale ideas they’ve been told are impossible suddenly become a reality in their minds. That simple shift of their mindset in knowing it’s possible and ‘every excuse or fear I’ve given myself is completely in my head,’” she said.
“You see a new excitement and a new passion and a completely different energetic shift ... when that confidence and self-belief starts to build momentum.”