Catching The TradeWinds: A Journey of Becoming
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines! Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Sarah Frances Brown
I am taking the plunge! I’m catching the trade winds of my soul! I am exploring, dreaming, and discovering—becoming who I am meant to be, fully and completely.
And I am looking younger, Sara, right in the eye, noticing the side-eye, the eye rolls, and how much I used to judge and laugh at people who were coaches or who said they had coaches. The truth is, everything in my life has led me to this exact moment in time.
So here I am, in year 6 as an instructional coach and week 25 of coaching school. I’ve obtained my certification for the Art and Science of Coaching, and I’m halfway through the Advanced Certification. What’s that saying about eating your words? Well, I am eating them with a side of humble pie and some humor! I have seen and felt the magic that unfolds when a space of belonging, integrity, reflection, and agency is prepared explicitly for every unique being.
Coaching is the shit. Coaching is revolutionary. It’s the bee's knees. It’s all that and a bag of donuts AND... as if coaching wasn’t good enough on its own (it is), it sublimely melds into all the work Montessori asked us to do for ourselves and our learners. The years spent preparing ourselves, the immense internal investigation of our biases and beliefs, the time spent growing our understanding of the developmental planes, and the lifetimes spent studying every material and how it supports every learner’s journey—all of this couples beautifully with the core belief in the learners themselves: that they have all they need inside them. If they are in an environment specifically created for them, they will achieve autonomy, self-realization, and develop skills in ways that make sense to who they uniquely are. Coaching shares those same beliefs. My work partnering with Montessorians for the last six years has been a true gift; to witness the Blossoming into who each being is meant to be is an absolute gem.
And I am ready to pass this precious process on to you! I created Blossoming Beyond the Binary about ten years ago to support educational spaces grappling with how to become more inclusive and welcoming of LGBTQIA+ people. Today, Blossoming Beyond the Binary is having a rebirth as a dedicated coaching space for anyone striving to step into who they were always meant to be. I partner with people who are evolving into leadership, humans who are contemplating new careers, and folks who need a sacred space to gain perspective.
To support this journey, I offer two pathways:
The Affirming Axis: For LGBTQIA+ folx and allies seeking to align their entire lives with their truest selves.
The Grounded Path: For humans looking for stability, clarity, and deep reflection as they cross the threshold into their next professional or personal chapter.
Coaching is an opportunity to pause. It provides the space to shed what no longer serves you, embrace who you are, and pursue your future with an enlightened perspective.
As I continue this journey of supporting others in a capacity beyond education, I invite you to re-read that opening quote and see how it resonates with you today. If you find yourself reimagining your future, or reaching toward a new incarnation of yourself, I invite you to reach out. Let’s do some coaching.
A Moment to Pause
Before you move on with the rest of your day, I invite you to settle into this moment and take a conscious breath with me, anchored in the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh:
Inhaling, I know I am breathing in.
Exhaling, I know I am breathing out.
In.
Out.
Stay grounded in your becoming.