“Ever since I was three years old, my life has revolved around basketball. Unfortunately, due to a recent injury, I’ve had to discontinue playing the sport that became a part of who I am. As you can imagine, this huge life change has caused extreme stress in my daily life activities. This stress began changing me as a person. I could feel myself beginning to change as I was turning into a person that I wasn’t comfortable being.
My meetings with Jill consisted of identifying feelings associated with a certain experience, and then learning to be comfortable with those feelings. Personally, I have applied this technique to my daily life and I find myself using a specific breathing technique that she taught me during one of our sessions. It was amazing to see immediate results simply by breathing a certain way. When I say immediate, I mean IMMEDIATE sense of re-focus and calmness. Not only can Jill’s techniques and advice be applied to life, but it can be especially helpful with sports. From my two years of collegiate level basketball, I can recall specific experiences on the court where her breathing technique could prove to be very helpful. Also, during post-game, personal reflection would help an athlete not dwell on the mistakes he/she made during the game, and instead establish a sense of centeredness and acceptance –ready to improve and be ready for the next game.
One of the biggest, most influential things I’ve learned from Jill is discovering what “type” I am; I was shocked at how accurate the “type” described me. Finding out my type allowed me to re-identify with myself, which helped me get back to the confident and happy person I used to be. Not only do I feel like myself again, but my time with Jill has provided important structure in my life. I can honestly say that without Jill, I would have broken under the amount of stress in my life, and I wouldn’t have a stable grip on my life.”
– Reece W. | Former Men's College Basketball Player
“As head coach for the men’s basketball team at Holy Names University, the 2018/19 season marked the first time that my team had finished at .500 in conference play, plus made it to the conference post-season tournament. There were many contributing factors that brought us here, but I can’t help but think that the work that Jill performed last season with many of our returning players took hold and produced some results as they settled into this season as a more cohesive team. I was a little skeptical at first when Jill explained her coaching work, as she does not have a background in basketball, but I soon came to realize that it was actually more helpful that she didn’t have that background. She approached her work unbiased about the actual physical performance of my team, but rather focused on their mental and emotional disposition. She helped them realize that if all three were in sync then their performance could reach heights that they didn’t even realize, both on and off the court. I would recommend Jill for any athletic team, as her style is down to earth, adaptable and most importantly, effective. The team responded well and by the end of our season, they all wanted more of her coaching.”
– Omar S. | Men's College Basketball Head Coach
"I had the opportunity to be one of Jill’s first coaching clients as she was finishing up her Deep Coaching program. When she told me about the program, I was so intrigued that I asked her if she would coach me. We met virtually each week for 12 weeks. We talked about what I would like to do if I could do anything and using the Enneagram, talked through strategies aligned with my world view. Jill has a way of listening intently, compassionately, and non judgmentally. She helped me to begin to get out of my head and to explore what was happening in my body and to learn to trust what it had to teach me. The work that we began has opened a new world of possibilities for me and I’m hoping we can reconnect periodically to deepen the that learning as we both grow and develop. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with her. Based on my experience with her first as a manager at Chevron and then as a coach, I believe she has found her true calling with her Deep Coaching practice."
– Trina W. | Corporate Client
"I have worked in process industry my whole life and have been lucky to get roles of continuous increased responsibility. I’d never had any formal leadership training, but had gained whatever knowledge I had through books and by listening to and observing people. That is, until my employer at the time gave me the opportunity to join a leadership class with amongst others Jill as a tutor and mentor.
The class was nothing like I had expected, and I will admit I was at first somewhat hesitant to this “touchy-feely” approach of diving into our personalities and “finding ourselves”. Gradually I found myself understanding more and more how important it is to know who you are and how your personality makes you react (or not react) in given situations, and the coaching sessions with Jill were particularly helpful to gain this insight.
I had for awhile had a strained relationship with my manager and the leadership style he and his peers had. The coaching sessions with Jill made me realize that I was facing a dilemma: Just suck it up and continue working for the company and this management, or admit that I cannot disregard my principles and values and leave the company.
I chose the latter, which was the hardest decision I’ve ever made and was filled with mixed emotions. I was devastated to leave the plant and the people that had meant so much to me for so many years. But I was also relieved and proud to have acknowledged my true self and what I expect and need from my surroundings. Today I still work in process industry but for a different company with a different leadership philosophy. I have been able to find my values and my principles in the philosophy of this company. Here I know I will continue to develop and grow as a leader. Without fully understanding my personality and without Jill’s coaching I may never have made this transition, and for that I am forever grateful."