Is Your Brain Running You, Or Are You Running Your Brain?

About 20 years ago, I had three experiences that literally changed – and maybe saved — my life.

If you have seen my TEDx talk “From Raging Bitch to Engaging Coach”, you hear the story of how I learned to assume positive intent, and the ways that practice shifted my perspective. What I didn’t share in that talk were the three experiences that opened my mind up enough to let the light in – or how much the feeling of powerlessness fueled the way I approached my relationships in life and work.

People who know me today, who didn’t know me then, can’t picture the intense, bitchy woman who stomped through the halls of Corporate America and secretly worried about what a horrible mother she (I) was. They see the Lynn of today, who carries a very full load of coaching clients, while at the same time making the time to water ski, do art projects and walk the land at Mystic Waters. They see me as the grateful mother of my daughter AND co-worker Jen, who has become a magnificent coach in her own right. (it’s time for more people to experience her ability to bring out your best – more on that later.)

The three experiences that “let the light in” all shared one common theme: Three different coaches in three different ways helped me see that I had WAY more power to shape my life than I was owning at the time. There was a common thread in those three experiences that can be summarized like this:  “I have the power to change my thinking – and when I change my thinking, I create new decisions, actions and results.”
In a way, my three experiences were serendipitous – and somewhat haphazard. It was YEARS before I put the insights together in a way that made real change happen for me. When I did, it set me on the path to leave the corporate world and become a coach.

As an executive coach, I’ve helped hundreds of clients uncover insights that create breakthrough results in their lives and careers. Many of my clients have gone on to be CEO or run their divisions. Just as many have left Corporate America to joyfully start their own businesses. ALL of my clients learn the keys to changing their thinking – which leads to them running their brain instead of their brain running them.

Are you running your brain?