Emily Downward

Emily Downward, Life Coach (Photo by the supremely talented Mollie Burpo, www.bloomaustin.com)

I’m a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach, trained by the incomparable Martha Beck, who USA Today called “the best-known life coach in America.”

I work with people who are unhappy in their careers and looking for a change. I help them enjoy their current job more while moving toward a job that makes their heart sing.

I also work with people who have recently experienced a divorce or major break-up and help them reconnect with themselves to enjoy life and dream again.

“I bought 10 weeks’ worth of sessions with Emily to help me get out of a really bad place in my career, and within 5 sessions I couldn’t believe the changes that happened at my job. She guided me through the process of learning to challenge my own beliefs and assumptions, opening my eyes to possibilities I hadn’t ever thought of. Even more magical to me is that she helped me free myself from the limiting fears I had been living under. Having stabilized what had been an unbearable situation at work, I was able to use the remaining 5 sessions to dream big about what was next for me…with Emily guiding me along each step of the way. She was caring, real, and knew just how to push me when I needed it. And just as a good coach would, she celebrated each step of progress with me. Emily has been arguably more valuable than my MBA in helping me grow in my career – I can’t recommend her highly enough as a life coach!” - Michele, Maryland

My Story

After 17 years of succeeding but not feeling like I fit into other careers, I found and began following my passion for coaching. Life coaching has helped me feel more connected to myself, to my soul, and has helped me heal the wounded parts. It’s also helped me dream bigger dreams and take steps to making those come true. Now, I get the privilege of using what I’ve learned to guide others along their own best paths.

At university, I chose to study community health education. I loved it for its versatility. I realized even then that I get bored easily and love to learn, so the ever-changing field of health and all the different permutations that my degree could be used for appealed to me. I also believe that “health” is more than the absence of disease and enjoy learning how to maximize wellness and live to our full potential, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

With my degree, I worked for several years at a prominent non-profit cancer organization. The survivors I met and had the honor of working with taught me so much about the value of life, courage, perseverance and dedication. My last job at the non-profit included creating their first website, and I was blown away by the potential of the Internet. I could see it would be a fantastic tool for educating people, as well as another field that would continue to adapt. I moved to an agency and worked my way up through the ranks, from developing digital content and leading creative strategy to managing teams. I worked with some fantastic people with incredible talent. I learned so much, from leadership and team-building to managing and selling, as well as learning more about the possibilities of what we could create online.

The combination of my skills and experience caught the attention of other companies, and I got recruited a couple times to different agencies. It’s flattering to get recruited, and I was hoping to find in each new place what I felt was missing…but it eluded me. (Along with this career path, I also got married and divorced twice, gained and lost a significant amount of weight, completely ruined my finances and built my credit rating back up to a respectable number, and became a triathlete.)

While I was good at my J.O.B., I wasn’t passionate about it. Colleagues of mine were, and I envied them for finding their “it.” I knew I should be doing something else, but I wasn’t sure what. I didn’t realize that I had coaching in me all along. I was often the person people would talk to, even if I wasn’t in a position to alleviate their concerns. I have always had a strong empathy and a desire to help others.

Our intuition speaks in whispers, especially when we aren’t used to listening to it. I first saw Martha Beck speak in San Francisco in 2008 at an O You! Conference. I was blown away by her humor, wit, intelligence and truth. I bought her book, Steering by Starlight, and began reading more and more of her writing.

I am honored and grateful for her teaching — from her books, her articles in O Magazine, and most recently, as one of her students in her life coach training program. Her tools are proven and powerful and together with my personal experiences and victories over challenges, they form the backbone of my coaching style.

I believe every soul has value, and I believe we have the answers we seek within us. As a coach, it’s not for me to tell you what to do. Rather, I can help you tune into your own wisdom and intuition, so that you can find your joy, your passion, and live the life you were meant to live.

Want to work with me? Email me to set up a free initial 30 minute phone consultation for both of us to evaluate if it’s the right fit.