Testimonials

I felt so, so lost when I started working with Victoria.

I’d been trying (rather half-heartedly) to build my photography business for two years with very limited success, and I realized I wasn’t on the right path.

I was worried that nobody would be able to help me, that my life was OVER and I’d NEVER figure out what I’m good at (a touch dramatic, yes, but that’s how I felt!). The financial commitment was a concern as well, since it was a significant amount of money for me. (Spoiler alert: It was absolutely worth it!!)

Right from our very first session, Victoria was so easy to talk to. She was supportive but not a pushover. She asked GREAT questions and was always looking at things from different perspectives, not just my limited one.

I think the biggest shift for me was the belief that it’s okay for me to be a coach because I actually have a LOT to offer people. I was convinced I had nothing to offer, I was too young, I had “failed” at business before, so why would anyone ever hire me? She helped me to see that that’s completely untrue – I bring a lot to the table and I wasn’t acknowledging that before. Now I’m in the middle of a coach training program and I LOVE it!

The other big shift for me was time management. When we started working together I wasn’t making good use of my time and I was really hard on myself because of it. Victoria helped me understand that not only is it okay to take time for myself, it’s essential. I’ve continued to put time in my calendar for writing, for my coach training program, and for fun, just-because-I-feel-like-it activities and it feels SO MUCH BETTER than all the guilt I had before.

Now I have a direction as well as the tools to help me get there. Victoria has been so amazing to work with, I can’t even thank her enough!

– Alexis Helmrath
alexishelmrath.com

You, m’dear, are a born teacher!!

One of the teacher things that you do so well is combining theory and specifics. And giving concrete examples. Love, love, loved that you shared your own experiences with using the class material. Seeing how you used the tools in real life will make it so much easier for us to use them on our own.

Smiling and waving over here & very excited about the way that you help people!!!!!

So grateful to be part of this,
Karen

– Karen Caterson
squarepegpeople.typepad.com

Victoria, I want to express how much you’ve helped me. It’s not just that you helped me to be able to move forward. I think, when I first decided to work with you, I just kind of…didn’t know that certain things were even possible.

You led me to this way of seeing possibility, and then…to navigating from a place of grounding and connection with myself.

I am grateful for the support and clarity that have helped me begin making strong choices for myself and my work, and asserting/discerning my boundaries.

During our last call, I had another one of those moments of “Really? That’s an option?” when you suggested I could let go of the day job thing much sooner than I was thinking.

As it turns out, that’s what is happening. About a month ago, I cut back significantly on my hours at the research lab. And now I’m deciding whether to stop all the madness entirely right now, rather than waiting two more months.

Most of all, I’m so excited to be focusing more on my art, which is what I wanted all along but didn’t quite realize until working with you.

– Julie

I was trying to shift my business model to cater to individuals in academia rather than universities, but was having trouble unraveling how I could keep the parts of my business I like while getting rid of the parts I don’t.

By starting with seemingly vague Qualities, Victoria guided me toward a very specific understanding of what kinds of activities and projects I need to be happy in my business.

She really helped me clarify what I’m passionate about, and how that fits with who I want to serve and the needs those people have.

Within a few days of my second session with her, I had over 15 pages of notes for different products and classes I could create, and I’d contacted someone I wanted to collaborate with.

I’ve since launched a free ecourse and a paid course as joint ventures. What’s really exciting is that I feel like this has come out of knowing more about myself and what I have to offer, rather than a sense of “should” around producing a product.

– Jo VanEvery
www.jovanevery.ca

I had been on the fence for the last few months about my plans for the next few months. Driving. Myself. Crazy.

I knew you could help me sort out a clear plan in a jiffy, because you have the right mix of practicality and compassion.

During our session, I felt very comfortable. I felt it was ok to ramble on and on, that you would listen but not become overwhelmed by it. I felt that you were interested and focused precisely on helping me get what I wanted.

Our session is still having a big influence on me, unfolding over time. We created a plan for scheduling jobs and free time that I still mentally refer to when a client calls. I haven’t used it perfectly, of course, but there’s no doubt it has reduced my sense of overwhelm and helped me enjoy work more (and find out what I enjoy when I’m not overwhelmed!).

Your suggestion that I write out my intentions for my new service also really struck me, and led me to a great insight about how I need to approach this thing to bring it much closer to my heart. I’m so excited about this!

You are just great to talk to. Sensible and sweet and frank and reliable. I don’t get ideology or motivational hot air, but I do get a concrete plan I believe in, and room to be myself.

– Anna Barnett, Editor

When I contacted Victoria for help finishing my ebook, I wasn’t sure how she’d be able to help. Every time I looked at the files on my computer, I would get incredibly anxious, as though my business would totally collapse if I didn’t have a product ready for sale on my site YESTERDAY.

The minute we got on the phone together, Victoria calmed me down. She had a way of clearing away the junk so I didn’t keep getting worked up into a panic. I came away from our sessions with a clear path to what I wanted to create. Instead of avoidance and procrastination, I had an action plan.

Victoria was like a friend who wouldn’t let me backslide. I knew in our next sessions she would want to know what I had accomplished. That accountability was huge for me. Two weeks after our third session together, I released my ebook.

I would absolutely recommend working with Victoria. If you’re stuck, it’s a small price to pay to get over a major hurdle.

– David Billings, Illustrator
www.sparkyfirepants.com

When I was really frustrated with my website, I asked some Twitter friends for advice. People began offering solutions, but I realized that wasn’t the feedback I was looking for.

I have no idea how Victoria did it, but by asking a couple clarifying questions, she helped me see that the site layout wasn’t the problem. The real issue was clarity on the underlying theme of all my posts.

Rather than telling me what to do, Victoria helped me clearly see the best solution. As a result, I avoided a costly redesign. And my business has since grown because I’m so clear on my message that I can’t resist marketing myself.

Her ability to hone in on the crux of the problem so quickly really blew me away!

–Bridget Pilloud
www.bridgetpilloud.com

I heart Victoria.

And I am so happy she’s officially started her coaching practice. Consider this a clear “yes, I recommend her highly” statement.

What I love about Victoria is that wonderfully steady, thoughtful, insightful way of hers. Also that she’s a total goofball. Super smart, very fun and extremely good at what she does.

– Havi Brooks
fluentself.com

Dear Victoria,

Remember how scared I was when I began working with you? Remember how slow my business was and how I was not even making my rent? Remember how I cried and told you my scary fear of pushing my belongings around in a shopping cart? Remember how the economy sucked and I was in that icky part-time job that had me crying every week? Oh my. I felt so paralyzed and at a loss about how to move forward.

You helped me so much! We set a goal & you helped me come up with practical and implementable steps to meet it. During our weekly meetings your approach was always a wonderful blend of ideal and practical, soft and hard, compassion and pragmatism, hilarity (oh the puns!) and seriousness. (And I quit the god-awful job!)

Most of all I am grateful to you for standing right alongside me while I took all those itty-bitty-baby-steps. I could sense you cheering me on, even outside of our weekly meeting times.

I love how approachable, funny, down-to-earth, sensitive and sensible you were in your work with me.

Can I tell you that July was my best business month all year? There you go: it was! In fact, week before last I surpassed my clients/week goal by 2 people. How fantastic is that. Thank YOU! A million times thank you!

– Heidi Fischbach
www.heidistable.com

When Victoria and I started working together, I was overwhelmed about all the different options for starting an online business–something I’ll be doing in 2010. Should I use my current blog? Start a new one? And what, specifically, will I be offering?

Victoria met me exactly where I was and responded to the way my mind was bouncing all over the place. She definitely didn’t use a cookie-cutter approach to our work, which really helped me feel heard and understood.

She has a way of listening deeply and asking very insightful questions, and this really helped to channel my thought process. By reflecting things back at me, she enabled me to look at different options in new ways. She also did a great job of getting me back on track if I started rambling about something off-topic.

By the end of our sessions together, I had pages and pages of notes, including some very workable ideas for income generation. All those ideas are like seeds that have been planted, and I plan to go back through my notes to do additional brainstorming.

Victoria helped me see that I really can use my blog as a launching point for my business. Based on what we accomplished together, I’m excited to get to work on my business in the new year!

– Michelle Russell
PracticeMakesImperfect.com

Victoria’s advice and guidance gave me the confidence to act on a photo book project I had been contemplating and agonizing over for more than a year. She helped me define specific tasks and set achievable and measurable goals, which made all the difference in helping me get unstuck.

When you hire Victoria, you are choosing someone who is smart, sensitive to your needs, and supportive in every way. As a result of our work together, I completed my photo book project and submitted it for publishing just a few days after the original deadline I set for myself.

In just one session, not only did Victoria help create a plan for me to follow, she also told me to take notes on what parts of the project I liked and disliked. By doing that, I now have more detailed ideas about a potential future ittybiz!

I’ll definitely be doing more projects by adapting the road map she created for me.

My deepest, sincerest thanks to you, Victoria!

– Claire Tom

I was blown away. I was completely awed and overjoyed by Victoria’s insight, authenticity, kindness, and amazing helpfulness.

For example, I’ve been working on this one thing for what, like six years? (It’s complicated, but it has to do with getting my head and my heart to work together instead of against each other.) Victoria and I totally solved it during our second session. How ’bout that? I expected that with a mere three sessions we’d make some progress, maybe make a dent in it, but no. TOTALLY SOLVED in two.

Which meant that in session #3, she got to help me out with a totally unrelated question, wherein she helped me untangle a sticky communication problem. In case you don’t understand why this is both awesome and hilarious, I’m a communication coach (among other things) and Victoria is a life coach. And SHE was the one giving ME the communication advice. And it was very good communication advice, I must say.

Victoria has a true gift, the kind of special talent you only see once in a blue moon. The world is a better place with her as a life coach.

– Pace Smith
freakrevolution.com

I started working with Victoria when I was being pulled in many different directions in my business.

Victoria helped me to identify what I wanted to accomplish, based on my own vision for an ideal work day. I decided that writing an e-book would be the next step in getting to where I want to be. After only two sessions with Victoria, I was well into the first draft of the book, and am already revising it.

I would absolutely recommend Victoria, especially to small business owners. She can help you define what it is you really want to do, and show you how to make that happen.

– Maryann Devine
www.smartsandculture.com

I first began working with Victoria because I had been trying to create an ebook based on the content of my blog and I was stuck and frustrated.

Victoria set me at ease right away. I felt as though I’d known her for years. She always seemed to know the right questions to ask, and she helped me see that the reason I was having trouble finishing the ebook was because I really wanted to move my business in a new direction.

That’s exactly what I needed to understand. I stopped feeling frustrated, and gave myself permission to get on with the stuff I was jazzed about.

The coolest part is that our work together helped me realize it was okay to get help with that ebook. And I’ve already found the right person to help me. So not only will I be able to finish my ebook after all, I’ll be doing it in a way that makes me feels excited to work on it.

Victoria knows her stuff. She’s easy to talk to. She’s fun and an all around cool chick.

Hurry and book a package of sessions with her before she’s all famous-like and raises those rates!

– Karen J Lloyd
karenjlloyd.com