On the first day of English class with my new high school students in a small rural town in Missouri, I would always say, “You can call me Miss Clifton, Miss C, or COACH,”  but this was five years before I ever heard of the idea called “life coaching.”  I just knew that what was happening in my classroom was special and different and very similar to setting the kind of goals that athletes and other competitors would discuss.Several years later, I moved to Indianapolis and a book fell in my lap called “Coach Yourself to Success,” by Talane Miedaner, and it changed my life.  For one thing, I followed through on each of Talane’s suggestions, but for another–I discovered that what I had been doing as a teacher and with my friends and even strangers was actually a professional career!  A whole new world of possibility opened in my mind, and  I knew then that someday I would become a certified Life Coach….That day happened several years later, after I moved to NYC.  I had followed my heart on a new journey and thought that I would become involved in not-for-profit enterprises, but the post-9/11 economy was tough in the Big Apple.  I found myself back in teaching….but because rent is so expensive, I became involved in tutoring students in families’ homes each night to help make ends meet–and I discovered that I loved it!

At the same time, I began courses at ICA to complete my ICF certification as a PCC.    I had no idea that the two years that I spent immersed in ICA classes would change me from the inside, out….but that’s exactly what happened.

My coach literally transformed my mind, my heart, and my soul–and I found myself developing the kind of confidence and perspective that I had always dreamed about but had never before truly felt.

During classes at ICA when students would discuss our niche markets, however, I felt lost–my background was education and I just didn’t know how all of my preparation would apply to the “real world,” but I didn’t let that stop me.

As the new year of 2006 started, I found myself writing an email that said, “I am opening a tutoring and coaching center for 5th-12th graders and would appreciate your prayers.”  That small but powerful intention launched the Clifton Corner, which has been in business for four years now and is the juxtaposition of my background in education as a teacher, my childhood as a minister’s daughter, and my love of a nurturing home environment–all combined together.

I love building my coaching business, which empowers young people to recognize their strengths and develop confidence both academically and individually.

I have now hired a team of ten tutors and am working almost exclusively as a Head Coach for each of the children who seek instruction.  I guide students in the areas of motivation, organization, focus, and inspiration and love empowering young people to achieve new goals at school and break through former barriers!

In addition to creating the Clifton Corner, I have also become part of a unique team at Yale University as a Program Coach for Emotional Literacy.  Through my work at New Haven, Connecticut, I have become certified in the RULER Curriculum to empower educators to use tools in their classrooms to foster better social and emotional intelligence, which reduces bullying, drug abuse, and teen suicide, and improves test scores, self-esteem, and rapport between teachers and students.

I also lead motivational workshops for schools and it is so incredible to be following a dream of supporting educators as their coach!

My life is a like a storybook that unfolds with adventure every day–because I followed my heart and listened to that wisdom that said, “You’re a coach first and always…”  Without ICA, I would still be spinning my wheels in the same place, wondering how I could ever change my life, feeling frustrated that I couldn’t use my truest gifts of leadership, innovation, and vision–but because of the fundamental and fabulous tools that I learned through the experience of becoming a coach, I am now truly living the life of my dreams….each chapter just keeps getting better and brighter!