Spotlight: Courtney Butler – Her Client is Learning How to Love Herself and Excavate Answers That’s Inside of Her
Life Coach Success Story
M. had signed up for my teacher training program last year and resigned due to struggles with self esteem and frustration with her weight. She had seen some hard times and overcome some deep struggles from a divorce and early retirement from the military. Her mother has cancer and while taking care of her mother and getting herself back together after the divorce she had gained over one hundred pounds.
Nearly a year later I got a phone call that she would like to book a session with me for coaching and yoga therapy. During our first conversation she used the words “self loathing” and “control” quite a bit. I noticed right away that she had a tendency towards an all of nothing kind of attitude. She wanted control over her life, however she tended to only focus on what she wasn’t doing. She would go for weeks doing really well and then life would happen and she would not follow her diet or exercise plan and then beat herself up.
Through active listening and mirroring she started to recognize some of her self defeating behaviors. I used the miracle question with her and she effectively came up with a plan that would feed her success. She set some clear and simple goals and with affirmations and visualization in hand set out the first week. The first week she completed her goals. The second week mom got sick and she did only half of her goal. I worked with her to focus on what was right, what had gotten better and then we dealt with what she would do when faced with the obstacles. She made a plan and by the third session she said to me “I am being kinder to myself”, I see that little changes can make a difference and she is excepting that she is smart, strong, and a kind person. She said during the week our conversations come to her and she gets her notes out and does her homework (affirmations & visualizations).
I am so proud of her, It’s not the weight loss that I was worried about for her, it was the self loathing. I’m certain with success with her emotional issues the weight will come off. I’ve always believed and am even more certain now that success breeds success and deflation and defeat breed failure. I’m glad to help people discover how to care and love themselves and excavate the answers that are inside them. What a blessing.
Website: http://balanceyogaandwellness.com/
Niche: Solution Focused Coaching and Yoga Therapy
Biography: Courtney is the Director/Owner of Balance Yoga and Wellness Registered Yoga School.
She is co-owner of Balance Barre. Certified Solution Focused Coach.
Courtney was introduced to yoga as a young girl with Lilias Folan on P.B.S. in the 1970’s. She started meditation when she was a teenager to cope with debilitating anxiety, and then found yoga as a personal practice at the age of 18 while working with Aveda Corporation as part of their training program. She has had a personal practice for over twenty five years, taught for fourteen years and has over 7000 hours in the classroom teaching classes and instructing yoga teacher training’s and workshops. Courtney’s greatest influences and her style comes from her teachers Robin Johnson & Elana Johnson whom trained her through Turquoise Tree Yoga of Little Rock, Ar. She has done studies through workshops with Lilias Folan, Rolf Gates, Suzanne Sterling, Judith Lasiter, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sean Tebor, and many other teachers. She teaches many types of classes and subjects in workshops and with the school. Courtney’s passion and the vision of her school is to teach yoga with compassion, integrity and authenticity. She is known for her “Therapeutic Yoga Classes” and her lighthearted and fun workshops. She is most proud of her ability to bring yoga to those who see themselves as limited by some physical or emotional challenge. She developed a system and approach to yoga based on years of teaching to the classroom so that every single person can benefit from the practice of yoga.
* Courtney serves on the Yoga Alliance Advisory Committee for Standards, she holds every possible certification that is available with Yoga Alliance and is in the top 2% of experienced teachers in the nation in years of teaching and credentials. She co-owns Balance Barre with Rena Wren, a certification program pending trademark) utilizing yoga, Pilates, and the ballet barre. Balance Barre is offered currently in Arkansas, Misssissippi, California, and Texas. Courtney is very proud of this company and her and Rena’s approach to holistic exercise.
Courtney lives in Hot Springs with her four kids and four furry babies.