( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Life Coach Gladys Simen Is Helping Moms Find Their Power
ENSPIRE Contributor: Rosemary Gonzalez
Life coach and founder of “My Life Couch,” Gladys Simen, is a strong, independent, boss-woman and super mom who does it all. She’s passionate about helping women “live big, beautiful, and fulfilling lives.” As a working mother, she is a life enthusiast who loves sharing her own stories about balancing home and work life and considers herself an advocate for the “working mama.”
After working in the corporate world where she had two different personalities — strict and serious at work, and free and happy at home — becoming a mother was a wake-up call. Simen advocated for what she believed in, looking for the best way to be an exceptional example for her children. Simen tried to fit in while working in a corporate-style job, but becoming a mother has helped her embrace her true self and express her authentic voice.
Simen was reserved at work, but she loved to connect on a deeper level outside of work, loved her hair wild and curly, and her clothes colorful. Living her truth allowed Simen to discover the power within herself, like staying in the present moment, being courageous, and advocating for herself and others. She now helps other women to do the same through her coaching business, “My Life Coach.” Simen provides a safe space for working mothers on her “couch” and helps them find their voice, self-reflect, and transform their lives.
ENSPIRE spoke with Simen about her coaching business “My Life Coach.”
Who was Gladys before you became a mother/life coach?
I feel I was always a life coach, providing safe spaces for strangers, friends, and family to unburden themselves or brainstorm before continuing their journey. I have no sense of before and after for that part of my life, it just is and always was.
Before I was a fabulous mama, I was focused on living multiple versions of me that weren’t truly mine, other people’s definitions of what success looked like for me. I was living a “templated” life, doing the “right things” ticking boxes that weren’t aligned to my core, and I was a quiet introvert blending into corporate style and not really knowing how to use my voice or trust my instincts.
How did your life change when you became a mother as compared to a life without children?
Motherhood gave me a purpose bigger than I ever had, focus, and superpowers! With parenthood, you become the de facto role model for your children and I take that seriously. I want my children to know that I always want to be part of the solution and that when there’s a necessity in planning, plans can change and we can adapt. I learned to use my voice and put it at the service of advocacy–for myself and other mamas–and to be finally true to myself. And oh yes, I am still an introvert, just less quiet!
How was the journey towards finding your own voice and purpose like and how did you find your voice?
It certainly wasn’t a straightforward journey, where you wake up one day and suddenly you know what you want to do! It was a series of trials, tribulations, and lessons learned along the way. It was not shying away from having hard conversations with myself, about the part I played in any situation, but mainly it was about self-love! Realizing that before I spent a considerable amount of time negotiating my self-worth and value to fit other people’s metrics, gave me the wake-up call I needed.
Motherhood gave me a purpose bigger than I ever had and unlocked my superpower of advocacy. I was driven by the desire to share my experience of being a working mom, to add my voice to the conversation, to create a community where we, working mothers could tell our own stories and be part of an overall solution that would impact all of us (parents, caretakers, parents to be, etc..).
Can you tell me about My Life Couch and the services you provide to your clients?
First, do you know that a couch is present in many households and is the witness of our moments involving emotions? You jump for joy on a couch; you get a good cry on a couch, and you go cozy on it when you just want some good old comfort! “My Life Couch ” is just that; your perfect couch, perfect fabric, size, and color where you come to unpack and share your emotions.
What I provide is a personalized 6 weeks awareness journey program, 1:1 where we take time to uncover and rediscover … You. Your goals, values, vision, but also your known saboteurs, your accountability, support system, and well, your magic sauce. The aim is for you to know who you truly are (blessings and flaws), so no one could tell you who you are meant to be.
I also provide some self-help materials and my favorite one is the success journal available to download on www.mylifecouch.com, where journaling is used to uncover your patterns and therefore take a step on knowing yourself better, what fulfills you or what drains you over the course of a week/month/year.
What do you like about what you do and what is the most challenging thing about your job?
What do I like the most? People! I always get inspired by interacting with people from various walks of life and helping people live the version of themselves they are truly happy with! What is most challenging? The knowledge that I can’t help everyone, so I have to be selective. Also time management, but I have discovered recently that delegating tasks is fast becoming my new superpower!
How would you describe your clients? Is it just mothers?
I tend to cater mostly to mothers because as a mother myself, I can not only sympathize but also empathize more. However, I have had fathers or people that aren’t yet parents as clients. My clients are definitely curious, creative, and want to feel equipped to tackle anything that comes their way! They also realized that there’s more to life than living on autopilot!
You seem to do a lot aside from being a life coach. How do you maintain motivation?
I certainly have my hands full and I have some days when I have zero motivation! I may have superpowers, but I am not a superhuman! Three things I credit to my success :
A strong support system: I am surrounded by people that keep me grounded and give me the freedom to explore and wander every day! I see every day as a new blank page, forgetting what did not quite work well the day before!
Self-care: I religiously carve time to recharge every day. I stop being the mom, the sister, the spouse, the friend, etc.. and reconnect to me, as I am so I can go back and power up those other roles I play every day!
My purpose: I am determined to help as many individuals as possible to uncover their own superpowers and see them use them to transform their own lives. That’s always amazing for me when that special moment happens for my clients, friends, and family. I have been called the “Motivation Whisperer“ coach!
“Motivation comes from within and I’m here to help you activate it,” said Simen. If interested in unleashing your inner power towards living a more purposeful life, schedule a free “curiosity call” with Simen by clicking here. To stay updated with Simen follow her on social media @mylifecouch via Instagram and connect with her on LinkedIn at Gladys Simen.
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