Get to know Barbara

My purpose is to inspire people to reach for their full potential and give their gifts to the world. I believe life is a journey not a destination and I am passionate about partnering with people on their adventure.

I am a seasoned and experienced transformational coach and educator.  I have been a coach, my fourth professional career, since 1998. Through these transitions I have been through some of the lowest points in my life and some of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had.  I know the frustration and angst of having conflicts in important personal relationships.  I’ve felt the despair of starting over after the “great recession”.  In 2016 I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that calls for a ‘new normal’ on a daily basis.

Like so many others, I find courage and strength to say Yes to my ‘new normal’ by applying the work of transformational coaching to my own life. More often than not, it’s my disempowering, unexamined thinking, my stories about myself and what’s possible along, with the accompanying mood and body posture, that limits or stops me. I’ve experienced what happens when I believe those thoughts!  On the other hand, and most importantly, I have experienced how powerful it is to expand my story and my way of being, finding courage and vulnerability to say Yes! to the next dream.

It’s always an honor to work with people who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and create a life that brings the experience of happiness and a life well lived. If you would like to find out more, I’d love to hear from you.

Barbara Eisele

My approach

“We think we live in the world.

We think we live in a set of circumstances, but we don’t.

We live in our conversation about the world.

 We live in our conversations about our circumstances.”

-Lynne Twist, The Soul of Money

Twenty plus years ago I began the adventure as a transformational coach. I have studied and have extensive training in Ontological Coaching.  On Wikipedia you will see ontology defined as the study of being.  Our Way of Being is made up of our language, including our internal dialogue, our body (“posture”) and emotions. It’s a wholistic approach to understanding what it is to be a human being and how to create sustainable change .

From an ontological perspective, our Way of Being, our language, body and emotion, predisposes us to certain behavior and actions, including our way of communicating. It is also one source of our attitudes and perceptions. We are often unaware of Our Way of Being. About 95% of our thoughts are unconscious, leaving about 5% available to our conscious awareness.

As an ontological coach, I am your partner, I don’t criticize, advise or direct. Together we distinguish the breakdown you are experiencing and your concern and/or commitment.  For example, are you working really hard but not getting the results you want? Are there relationships, personal or professional, that aren’t working.  Do you have a dream or a longing and don’t know how to fulfill it? Are you experiencing a difficult change: death of a loved one, divorce, serious illness, financial crisis, or other situation that you could use help navigating?

We will explore what you want to create or achieve and why that is important to you. We then begin to ‘peel the layers of the onion’ to explore and discover your current beliefs and perspective and what might be stopping you. It’s often something you don’t currently see and when you do, it opens up whole new possibilities.  We can then look at what Way of Being supports the goal and start practicing the body, language and emotions so the actions consistent with your goal flow and the results are achieved.

In addition to ontological coach training, I have studied the neuroscience of behavior change extensively and incorporate it my work.  I have also done advanced study in somatics, using the body to support change, as well as emotions and their effect on behavior. My goal is always to find ways that most effectively support my clients in achieving what it is they want in their life.

Curious to learn more? Please feel free to contact me at barbara@BarbaraJEisele.com.

How I became a coach

“Now I become myself.

It’s taken time, many years and places;.

I have been dissolved and shaken – worn other people’s faces.

 My work, my love, my time, my face now gathered into one song…”

-May Sarton

My professional life and personal life have been an evolving path with ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns.  More than ever, I am aware that we may not choose the events in our life, but we have a choice as to how we respond to them.

I grew up in rural Upper Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. I soon got married and worked in labor and delivery for a couple of years. When our two children were born, I was fortunate enough to stay at home and care for them. When I resumed my professional career, it evolved from nursing into being a health educator and starting the health education program in an insurance company in Tucson.  Looking for a better way to help people with health behavior change, I earned my master’s degree in counseling.

In 1995, during a very difficult time in my life, I was introduced to ontological learning through Landmark Education and the Landmark Forum. I had the opportunity to experience my life story as just that, a story that I created.  Without realizing it, I had become the producer, director and lead character of my life.  The events of my life didn’t change in that moment, but my interpretation of them did and with that new possibilities emerged.  I knew I had found what I was looking for, a powerful way to create my life and work with others to create theirs.

Soon after the Landmark Forum I left the world of counseling and became a business and personal coach. In 2003 I graduated from the Newfield Network Coach Training Program and went on to be certified as a Professional Certified Coach, PCC, by the International Coach Federation, ICF.  As a lifelong learner my formal learning continues. I have earned an advanced certification from Newfield Network, Newfield Certified Ontological Coach, and most recently graduated from The Coach Partnership’s Health Coaching Program in Singapore.  In the spring of 2020, I will take the national board exam for Health and Wellness Coaching and be certified as a Health and Wellness Coach.

Life’s lessons have taught me as much as my formal education. The difficult times have showed me my resourcefulness and resiliency.  The mountain top moments have given me time to exhale and take in the beauty of life.  Along the way I have learned valuable lessons that inform my life and my coaching. I am a life-long learner and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Educational background

My formal education and certifications include:

  • University of Michigan, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
  • University of Phoenix, Master of Counseling
  • Newfield Network Certified Coach, NCC A premier coach training organization. I also serve as a mentor coach to student studying in this program.
  • International Coach Federation, PCC Certified by the ICF, the largest coach certifying body in the world, as a Professional Certified Coach.

“Everything in our life is an opportunity, a stepping stone or sometimes a cliff, from which to launch our future.” – Author unknown

Client Ovations

When I originally started working with Barb, almost every aspect of my life was in an upheaval. I half-heartedly pursued my freelance marketing business but was often overwhelmed with my home/family responsibilities. I lacked direction, motivation, energy and had hit a “black hole” in my creative writing, design and photography. I had difficulty making wise business decisions, particularly when involved in developing partnerships. I found it almost impossible to set healthy boundaries for myself. I was lost, confused and in turmoil.

Now, when I review where I was before working with Barb, the transition to a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life and lifestyle has been phenomenal.Through her expert coaching, I have been able to discover, pinpoint and clarify problematical elements in both my personal and professional life more quickly and with greater accuracy With my growth in self-knowledge, acceptance and a newly acquired ability to see my world and its challenges differently, I am once again able to put my dreams into action in a relaxed, joyful way. Because my perspective has changed, all of my relationships hold greater integrity, clarity and satisfaction. By doing so, I have gained a renewed strength of purpose, independence and what I consider “soul” freedom to be the best I can be.

My coaching with Barb has provided me with connection and trust in myself and in what’s possible for me. I saw that I could generate choices for myself that would have my work fit me better. As a result I took a sabbatical when re-organization had my job eliminated. During that time I reflected on where I could best contribute to the organization and what kind of an environment did I need to perform to my highest potential. At the end of my sabbatical I was offered more than one position and was able to clearly choose the one that fit me the best. As a result of the revelations I had working with Barb I am now in a position that challenges me and allows me to contribute to the organization and myself in a very positive way.Thanks, Barb, for your straight forward, wise questions and making sure that I always put what I cared about first.

When I was in a huge transition in my life Barb Eisele helped me turn it all around. I can literally say “she changed my life.” I am the same person I always was but completely different in many ways. The personal growth I achieved is more than I ever expected. I thought Barb was going to coach me on how to run my business. Not so! She gave me tools that had me look at situations and life in a very different way. She reprogrammed me. She helped me to get out of my box, realize that my reality is not the only reality out there and to be more aware of other people’s intentions and that they have a different reality than I do.

No right or wrong, just different. I learned how to push through things that in the past were uncomfortable to me and to have faith and confidence in myself. She exposed me to so many ideas and programs that were life changing. She has warmth, sincerity, compassion and knowledge. If you are struggling in your life Barb will provide the tools necessary to get you through it.

What you have to offer is truly a gift, Barb. Thank you for your gentle guidance, helping me connect with my soul and root out the parts of myself that limit me and pull me down, and for helping me find my own enlightened wisdom.I am so thankful that I found my way to you and our group at this stage of transition in my life.

Barbara Eisele, Barbara Eisele Coaching LLC Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved.