Hey, there, and welcome! I'm Francey: a Christian Lifeskills coach with a background in trauma coaching and pastoral counseling. Like so many of my clients (and maybe, like you), I spent years trying to fit my personal struggles into neat categories. Into tidy little boxes. 

It didn't work. Because life doesn't work in tidy little boxes.

Life is Messy

Life is messy. Recovery is messy. Healing is messy. People-ing is messy. Even the good stuff is messy (lookin' at you, birthday party for a five-year-old!) 

But I kept trying to keep it all tidy: taking my trauma issues to a therapist (or two), facing career challenges with the help of a mentor, following the finance influencers online, and eyeballing Christians I looked up to, hoping to catch their secrets to a godly life.

It worked, for the most part. But I always thought, and when I began helping others, I saw, that while it could work, it could be inefficient. Healing isn't like steps in a staircase, where you fix the trauma first, then you concentrate on your career, after which you can focus on your spiritual life, and finally sort out your financial or relationship concerns. Step, step, step, one, two, three. Life just doesn't work like that.

Life's all over the place, heading in five (or fifty) directions at once.

Everything's Interconnected

In real life, everything's interconnected -- yes, trauma can tarnish every corner of your life, but even someone who has no history of trauma deals with the twists and turns of being human. Our fears of taking that leadership position are connected somehow to our money anxiety, which affects our calling, which might impact our boundaries, and so forth. A history of trauma can complicate it, but we all deal with it.

The more I worked with women who had experienced childhood trauma, done the work to heal, and wanted to step into whatever was next for them . . . the more I saw the interconnectedness. We never just talked about the trauma. We talked about doubt. Fear. Stinkin' thinkin'. Feeling like a fake. Those nasty voices from the inner critic. Whether this opportunity would be a good fit, and how on earth to get along with others. 

I became the "expert" who met them like a friend. 

Don't Dump Your Therapist

I'm not suggesting, at all, that you dump your therapist. I'm not saying you don't need a mentor, or that you shouldn't follow smart people online or seek out the influence of godly believers. I'm not saying any of that.

I've had all of them (for the most part, I still do) and I value their insights and expertise tremendously.

I'm simply explaining why, in this era of hyper-specialization (especially in the helping fields), I'm taking the road less traveled. 

I'm taking my multiple specialties and offering the solutions the way we live the problems. I think it's a lot more true to real life approach. Because . . . those boxes!

Biblical and Trauma-related Coaching

I mentioned being an "expert." I don't feel like one, but technically, I qualify. Let's talk about that for a minute.

My education in pastoral ministry gives me a broad spectrum approach to many life issues, filtered (of course) through the lens of Scripture. My graduate degree in trauma counseling and crisis response allows me a deep understanding of how those ingrained trauma responses and limiting beliefs can pop out of the dark corners of our minds at the oddest moments.  

Also, I'm a certified Master Christian Life Coach, meaning lots of hours learning about and doing life coaching. As I've mentioned before, I've been doing this around 20 years. 

My practical experience has led me to help in the addiction and recovery fields, to work with women who have experienced childhood trauma and sexual abuse, to speak and teach on related subjects, including complex trauma, sexual violence, and Military Sexual Trauma, and to serve as a mental health coach for a non-profit organization.

Business and Leadership Coaching

I waited a long time to go to college, and before that, I was a working girl out in the big, wide world. That means I've spent more than half my lifetime acquiring business experience and leadership skills and sharing them with others. I don't claim to be a business coach, but I can help you discover your gifts, define your dreams, hone your skills, and encourage you to take that next step.

Also, my coaching credentials include leadership coaching -- which is to say, Christian leadership coaching. I have opinions about that. It's different. It's not about bossing people around; it's not about scaling; it's not about the bottom line. It's about who you are.

I believe that Christian leadership is all about character and conduct. The Bible tells us what that means, and I have a unique combination of education, skills, and calling to help you discover where Biblical character meets up with your service to others. 

I Can Help You

Here's what all that means to you:

I've probably been where you are, and I can understand and envision where you want to go. And I can help you get there. So here's the bottom line: whether you're ready to step into leadership or some other new season, change old patterns, renew your thinking, or start helping others, I'd love to come alongside you. 

Life doesn't fit in tidy little boxes - and neither does the journey forward. In my world, that path was less rocky, the burdens felt lighter, when I could unpack and explore my experiences with a trustworthy companion, letting the conversation go where it would and moving ever closer to solutions.

Since we're probably not that different, you and I, I suspect that might appeal to you, too.

Work with Me

If any of this resonates with you, join me! Check out the options for working with me and make sure you jump into my email community. Keep scrolling just a bit further to learn more about it and sign up (don't worry; I won't email you 3x daily or anything).

Oh, and btw -- If you want to learn more about my story (I mean really learn more), I've tucked some personal experiences into each of the relevant category sections of this website.

Hey, thanks for chatting with me! Let's stay in touch!  

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