Success Stories
In April of 2015 I was on the east coast and I saw Chantal’s flyer. I immediately got a resounding YES from my inner knowing and decided I needed to find out who this person is.
I was seeking a coach that could go beyond setting goals. The last few years I have been immersed in care giving for an aging parent, raising teenagers, and working both a full time and part time job yet, still trying to move forward with my entrepreneurial dreams.
I have worked with other coaches but they were unable to go into the places that truly allow a client to make lasting change.
Since working with Chantal I have moved from living my life from my intellect to resting in my heart center. I am celebrating each day! I am pursuing a dream of study in authentic dance, I received a raise from my full time job and my voice is now being heard and driving change in the organization, and my relationship with my husband has blossomed once again as we approach our 22nd wedding anniversary! I can’t imagine what will happen as I continue to work with Chantal!
My 3 more significant improvements are that I have come home to my heart, I am consciously taking care of myself which is igniting the fire within my soul, I am more confident in myself and I am celebrating each day!
If anyone would like to know more about how this has worked for me, feel free to contact me..
Lisa Aguilar, LMT, CWP
Spa Adventures
laguilar14@comcast.net
I had an idea for a new business that I wanted to pursue but I was completely blocked from getting started.
Chantal gave me real, very specific and manageable tools and exercises that helped me identify what the issues were that prevented me from proceeding forward and then worked together with me to face those head-on, and step-by-step address the obstacles, unblock the areas within me and find ways to see myself in a different light.
I had several amazing breakthroughs during our six months together. Chantal knew how to get to the heart of the issue. She helped me to discover things that were very well buried inside me that I didn’t even know were blocking me from moving forward with my plans. I saw positive results from the start and slowly but surely I began to understand myself better.
Chantal’s techniques are based on solid experience and skill. She asks purpose-driven questions and then provides exercises and tools that are customized to the individual needs of her clients. She also has excellent business sense helping me to make the first steps in getting my business started on the right foot.
I now have a concrete business plan and a path forward that is both manageable and successful. I always knew that this was the business I wanted to do, but I did not always truly understand why. Now I know that it is because I am passionate about helping clients succeed in fulfilling their mission and vision by ensuring that their systems are running at peak efficiency. It’s not so much about fixing databases as it is about the personal feeling of fulfillment that I get when I help a client succeed.
The coaching sessions have made a huge difference in my life. I have come to understand that I had so much to offer and that my purpose is to use my skills to help others. Through the tools and exercises that Chantal has given me, I am more focused, more centered and more able to stay on target.
I would say to anyone considering Chantal’s coaching services that this is an investment in improving your business, your life and everyone you come in contact with. It is something you cannot afford to pass up. It has paid for itself in the benefits I have received and personal success I have achieved.
anything else?
Chantal’s style is calm, non-confrontational, non-threatening, non-blaming. Yet, she is strong and positive and firm. She listens carefully and responds thoughtfully to what she hears. She knows the best approach for the client and is flexible about changing gears when needed. She is a guide but her guidance is borne out of what the client has said and what the client needs and not just idle advice. She is also a role model. Chantal practices what she preaches and really cares for her clients.
Amy Chin
Berkshire Net Results
amy.chin@berkshirenetresults.com
www.berkshirenetresults.com
In working with Chantal I gained much greater clarity on what I want to do in my life and business, including the specific population I want to work with -my ‘type A’ clients-, what services I want to offer and in what way exactly, my programs and packages and the way to present and market them.As a results, I attracted and started working with many more clients that actually fit into my ‘type A’ client category which then significantly increased in my income, combined with greater satisfaction from my work and greater confidence in offering my services.
Before working with Chantal I wanted to work with a coach because I knew I was ready for a change in my career and I also had a relatively clear idea about what I wanted to do, but I was feeling very confused and quite lost in terms of the exact steps I needed, in order to bring my business idea into reality. The whole project felt quite daunting –there was so much to be done, but I had no idea where to start and how to progress.
Working with Chantal gave me the opportunity to get very clear and specific about what exactly I wanted to offer, to whom and in what way. With Chantal’s help, I was able to create my signature program, in an accessible and comprehensive format, and, with her guidance, I was able to price it and present it with confidence and efficiency, in a way that both valued my offering and made it relevant and attractive to my ideal clients.
The biggest challenge I had to overcome, both while I was working with Chantal, and generally in my life, has always been my fear of criticism and exposure, and, of course, the traps that my own ‘inner critic’, or ‘victimizer’ would set up for me. Chantal’s help with that was invaluable. She was able to meet me exactly where I was, really understand what I was experiencing and offer me such skillful and compassionate support in acknowledging and overcoming my inner blocks –some of which were life-long and very persistent patterns. This was one of the most important and deeply healing parts of the process, as I felt that I was seen and ‘held’ not only as a business coaching client, but as a whole person.
My most three significant improvements in my business at the end were an increase in income, as a result of shifts in mindset and pricing, an expansion of services in new areas and more varied offerings and a clear, comprehensive signature program and specific service packages that greatly help with marketing, positioning and client attraction.
Chantal’ program supported me on two levels: the external and the internal, or the practical and the psychological/mindset/emotional level.
On the practical level, I received great, professional support around clarifying, fine-tuning and presenting my message to the world, while on the more internal level, I was wonderfully supported and guided in compassionately dealing with my insecurities, fears and doubts, and integrating myself, my needs and my self-care in my business plans and ventures.
Stella Stahi, MA, MBACP, Psychotherapist
www.eatingdisordersspecialist.co.uk
stellastathi@hotmail.com
Since working together, I’ve felt encouraged to trust and lead with my heart, listen to my soul, find and own my ground and connect more deeply with the Divine.
Before working with Chantal I felt that I had lots of ideas in my head about how I wanted to live, how much I should work, and what would make me happy. I had been seeking external validation through my workload. I sought more balance in my psychotherapy practice to incorporate more self-care (me time, family time & friend time).
In working with Chantal, I have been able to find a way to work fewer hours while still maintaining a financially strong practice, which allowed for more time for my well-being (exercise, prayer/meditation) so that I can feel energized and empowered, rather than depleted. I’ve also felt a shift internally in that my inner voice is changing– I’m more supportive of myself: I validate me, I get to be big, I get to follow my heart, I can… I will… I am… It’s as if I’ve internalized Chantal’s voice and guidance to allow myself to have a full and big life connected to my heart.
My 3 most significant improvements are that I Trust my heart and follow it with regard to my business (and my life!); I make time for self-care; and allow myself to feel power.
Additionally, Chantal is a gifted healer and it’s a privilege to work with her. She’s highly intuitive and has served as a spiritual mentor and role model for me. Her insight, levity and wisdom has lifts me on difficult days and I appreciate how she allows for the full range of my human experience– sadness, anger, joy, laughter, power, love…
If anyone would like to know more about how this has worked for me, feel free to contact me!
Becky S, LMSW, The Hudson Practice
hudsonpractice@gmail.com
Through working with Chantal, I have gained confidence in myself and my decisions regarding my business. I am more comfortable in the role of business owner.
When I heard about Chantal, I was in the process of purchasing my practice. Although I had been in practice for more than ten years, I had been an employee. I had no experience in the business aspect of running the practice. I was scared and nervous and Chantal helped me to BREATHE, calm down and face the tasks that daunted me with confidence. The compassion that she gave me, and taught me to give myself, was both reassuring and empowering..
Three significant improvements I have gained from working with Chantal are: seeing clearly the mental/psychological habits that are unhealthy and lead to a unsustainable lifestyle (one that cannot be sustained without breakdown/illness), confidence to trust myself and my intuition as I navigate decisions, and that concrete information and a plan allay fears rather than allowing them to fester in the dim light of not-knowing.
I welcome inquires about how this coaching worked for me at healingbyhand@hotmail.com.
Lori J. Sayers, DC
Berkshire Family Chiropractic
healingbyhand@hotmail.com.
The truth is I didn’t know ‘anything’ was getting in my way. I didn’t reach out to get help getting things out of my way. I reached out because I wanted help with some projects that were sitting on the sidelines and not getting done. I also wanted to feel less stress. Chantal helped me (in a very compassionate way) become aware of and let go of some ‘old’ and well practiced patterns that were adding stress to my day, ‘getting in my way’, and actually inhibiting joy. After working with Chantal, I am truly feeling less stress which has resulted in energy being freed up and I am ‘feeling good’ more often…love it!
I am getting those projects done with a new and different kind of energy. Chantal is quite good at what she does.
Trisha Patricia J. Jenkyns PT, DPT, WCS, BCB-PMD
Since working with Chantal I have gained me. Previously I had been in the habit of making sure everyone else was taken care of and that all the to do’s were getting done regardless of how I felt. I have learned what I help others to understand; I matter. What I want matters and I am the only one who is standing in my way. I’ve learned to talk nicely with myself and allow all parts to have a voice. I also learned to slllloooowwwww down. Chantal had to remind me often when I was doing several conversations at once and heading in as many directions. That help has given me focus, time to myself and a feeling of “I’ve got this.”.
Before working with Chantal I used my coaching practice to convince myself I was coaching me as well. You know that expression that physician heal thyself, well intuitive know thyself applies here too, except when you know there is just something missing. I knew I needed a guide and not just any guide, a person who was going to hold me accountable to myself and who, with her wit and intelligence, was going to be able to follow my bouncy logic and energy and redirect me back to myself. I decided to work with Chantal because of her intuitive abilities as well. She scared me in that I knew she could see through my just get it done energy and see the vulnerable me inside. That fear was one of excitement as well for I needed someone willing to go into the trenches with me; and she does. Chantal creates an environment that is safe, fun and exploratory all at the same time. It is like an amusement park ride, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you may just want to pee your pants, but you know the safety harness is there to provide support for the big dips and the amazing climb!
I have learned through our coaching together that my story is just that, my story and it is more than ok to look at it. I was willing to leave what was behind me in the past and only take the good but that doesn’t always work because some of our most challenging lessons and conditioning hold the maps to moving forward. Chantal has a way of including all of a person and validating the experiences for what they were and empowering where a person is today, all in one session. It is quite the process where I learned to really trust me and to acknowledge that hurting is ok and dimming my light is not going to help anyone, least of all myself. So shine on I will for that honors the process we walked together and I am forever grateful.
My most significant improvements are the following; I ask myself first what I want and if I don’t want to do something, I don’t; I Keep in mind there is no time limit on when I accomplish something and as long as I have awareness, it is fine to take a breather once in awhile, even encouraged. I am able to truly appreciate the path that got me to where I am and where I will go that appreciation is the foundation of my strength and finally I am able to see that my desire for exercise is taking care of me and have committed to a 5k in the summer!
After speaking with Chantal for only an hour, I was shocked at how well she drew out the issues I’ve been struggling with for years. Her skill has to be a combination of her many years of experience as a coach and as an intuitive person. I gained amazing clarity within such a short period of time including remembering to create boundaries with others in an effort to honor myself. I tend to automatically put others’ needs before my own without even thinking about it. However, with Chantal’s gentle urging, she helped me to realize that I need to not be so automatic – I need to take a breath and remember to consider my needs as important as well. If anyone would like to know more about how Chantal has helped me, feel free contact me at Vicki@vickibaird.com
Vicki Baird, Intuitive Advisor Baird Enterprises, Inc
413.329.5788
I hadn’t the slightest idea what a business coach or mentor was for, why I would need one, and what I would do once I had started to work with one. This is how Chantal opened my eyes.
First of all, I need to take a few minutes and breathe, focus on me and center myself. These are some of the first lessons Chantal offered and they remain some of my favorite tools for both action and inaction. They help me ground myself in preparation for any task.
In an effort to not “story tell”, another lesson, or talk around an issue Chantal would simply hold up a mirror to me so I could discover how I’ve handled many aspects of my business and life relationships. She often helps me “get to the point” and to cut out my propensity at BS with my stories.
Prior to working with Chantal I had run my business from the “seat of my pants. I bounced from crisis to crisis managing rather ineffectively. I was the good guy and a poor boss. I found solace and safety in the clinical aspects of my practice and avoided the administrative duties of the company. This had the effect of having one foot securely anchored while the other went around in circles. I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know.
Since starting work with Chantal she has helped me see myself through a clearer lens and has guided me through the filed of avoidance I’ve become too familiar with during my career. She has helped me make better choices and fewer decisions. She has helped me establish mutually agreed upon goals and how to set out to accomplish them. My initial fears of what was always to come next are consistently quieted each time she skillfully guides me through self reflection and integration of pertinent information. When I get blocked, as I often do at this stage, Chantal patiently offers problem solving strategies so I can learn to be more self sufficient and productive when I’m on my own. These strategies are effective with complex personal growth issues to even getting out of a bit of depression.
Notable improvements from our work together have been my recognition of getting off point and how to get back on, how to quiet my iner critic, and how to recognize when I’m processing from my head instead of my heart. Chantal has helped me embrace my gifts as a healer, that I have much to offer my clientele including those I haven’t met yet and that my path and purpose lie in teaching, healing and making a difference. AND we’re just getting started…
It is with great pleasure and honor that I offer an unequivocal recommendation for Chantal’s skills, knowledge, caring, support and sincerity with her work.
If I can help anyone further understand more about Chantal’s gifts and talent or my personal ongoing experiences feel free to contact me @ jaykain@jaykainhealthcare.com.
Thank you again Chantal!
Jay Kain, PhD, ATC, IMTC
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I began working with Chantal because I I wanted to work with a coach. I felt like I needed to work with someone who would keep me accountable to myself and my values.
I wanted someone to push me when I was slacking off. I wanted someone who has made the career change from working in the corporate environment to starting their own coaching business.
I needed a coach to become certified as a coach myself and I believed that if I was going to work with clients and tell them about the importance of working with a coach I should also walk my talk so to speak and have a coach of my own.
Since I started working with her are I have learned a few tricks that make me more effective. I have learned to identify that my inner critic was getting in the way of my being effective. I have become more aware of how it impacts my actions and learned ways to better deal with it. I have learned not be so hard on myself when I do not accomplish the things I say I want to do. I have learned to go with the flow more when it comes to things related to my health and that I should just let it go and it will eventually happen when it is time. I since then have lost 76 lbs.
I have gained more than I expected by working with Chantal. I started out wanting to work with her on starting and building my coaching business and we ended up working more on me and the challenges I was facing and struggling with. She made me realize that I had to face some things that I have not dealt with throughout my life and that if I worked on myself, the clients would come when I’m ready. She encouraged me to go deeper and seek out counseling to deal more effectively with my inner critic. I no longer fear it and have learned to be more effective as a results. The more I continue to deepen my inner work, the more people will be attracted to me and my business.
If anyone would like to know more about how this has worked for me, feel free to contact me.
Stephen Kincaid, SG Kincaid Coaching & Consulting
I was first drawn to Chantal’s services by a monthly newsletter she had written with regards to New Years Resolutions. In that article she asked whether or not we had made any and if not, was it perhaps because we were afraid of failing. Then it struck me that that was me! For the first time in many years I had not made any New Years resolution. I realized that I was really stuck in my life, had no idea where to go and too afraid to take any steps. So I immediately contacted Chantal and felt an instant connection with her. There was no pretense about her whatsoever and I felt immediately at home.
Once I had clarity things moved very quickly, it was that profound and powerful. I’m ever so grateful for her gentle way of keeping me true to myself and helping me fulfill my dreams in living a more fulfilling, satisfying life. If it wasn’t for her, I’m sure I’d still be running in circles!
Dea Bozzo, Hamilton, Ontario Sweet Yoga
Chantal showed up exactly when I needed her, without even quite knowing that I did. She started by putting a name to what I’d been going through; I felt immediately seen and understood, which opened up room to explore with curiosity and emotional clarity an intense experience that had been weighing on me for months.
Her capacity to hold the past and allow for the future while staying firmly rooted in the present created the possibility for me to be in the present as well.
my “story” by continually – as many times as I needed it, and always with firm compassion – bringing me back to who I am right now, the truth of me.
Being with feelings without diverging into their background helped me experience them in a saner, quieter, calmer way, reminding me that those qualities are always in me.
My sessions with Chantal were an amazing gift. She saw me in a way I hadn’t been able to see myself, and helped turn my mind and heart to a wider perspective. I am breathing better and feeling my feet underneath me which gives me a clear and renewed sense of direction.
Jenny Chapin
Initially I chose to join this program to lose weight. In addition, I improved strength, both emotionally by eating to really feed myself and physically I became very strong -exercising weekly and building muscle and stamina.
One of the changes made that that helped me, was taking the time weekly to schedule in exercise and eating (especially lunch during the work day). I grew very surprised that once I began to give myself the “gift of feeding myself” all foods and not denying myself anything, my cravings have gone away.
As a result of having been part of this program, I feel good about myself, my body, my ability to be physically and emotionally strong.
I highly recommend this program to anyone who has been struggling with their weight and unable to get the weight off. This program really works, not only do you lose some weight but what you gain is confidence in yourself that you can take your body back. I never looked at myself in the mirror because I was always disappointed and now I look at myself all the time.
Serene A. Mastrianni, Co-Founder Co-host Radio2Women
I came to Chantal early in 2012 looking for help in carving out time in my busy life to prioritize my spiritual, mental and physical health. Like most women in their 40’s and 50’s, I have children and a full-time job and have let my own needs fall by the wayside as I take care of other important priorities. I needed help to create new habits and to also figure out what will really nurture me, both in terms of food and exercise choices as well as my career path.
Chantal offers both individual and group work as well as really fun exercise classes at Rhythms. The combination of these different activities has worked really well for me. The key is Chantal’s leadership, which starts from a genuine stance of non-judgment. There are no “shoulds” and no shame in bringing any choices or challenges to the table. This loving gaze has helped me to see how much judgement I am putting on myself, which has been very eye opening!
In just a couple months, I have reconnected to my love of exercise and have started to be honest (for the first time in my life) with my fellow group members about all my anger and shame around dieting. It hasn’t been easy but it sure is liberating to find an environment where you feel safe to explore your inner world. And this process has been so much fun…I love coming to our get togethers and seeing new friends for workouts. I love the intimacy in both the group and individual coaching sessions.
If you are on the fence, then I would ask yourself what prompted you to reach out to Chantal? I found that I needed help in taking my life to the next level and, at least for me, it is so much more joyful (and productive) to do this with other women. And having a coach to help you sift through the myriad of longings and possibilities that we are presented with in middle-age is a great way to ensure that the changes we want (or don’t even know that we want yet) become our reality.
Deborah Rimmler
A little over a year ago, I turned 48 and was in a very dark, depressed personal place. I knew I did not want to seek medical treatment through anti-depressants, I felt that it was something I could overcome with a more wholistic approach of self-examination and coaching. I felt I had no direction for my life. I had reached 48, still overweight, married and divorced, a failed domestic partner relationship, single parenting two children, working full-time, maintaining a home and my head spinning trying to keep everything balanced. I felt I needed to find a way to slow down, breathe and reassess myself.
Since working with Chantal, I have discovered that the thing I had focused on for years (my weight) was really a large smoke-screen for not looking at deeper issues I needed to work with. I have learned to realize that when I go for food, I am usually avoiding having to deal with an emotional issue – but now I know that the food does not provide the comfort or answer I am seeking. Actually, it usually does the opposite and makes me feel worse. I have changed my relationship to food in a major way, I am more conscious of focusing on whole, fresh foods, trying to avoid processed foods and sweeteners. When slowing down enough to listen to my body, I realized the yummy baked goods/breads that I loved were really draining my energy. So now I am conscious of what I eat and how my body reacts, not focusing on the scale.
I have developed a daily meditation practice of 10 minutes in the morning to take for me, to clear my mind of the chatter (used to be mostly negative self talk) and focus on a positive thought for the day (such as, I will practice loving words and deep listening toward myself and others). This practice has helped me to be more conscious of how I approach my day. The negative self talk still shows up, but not as loud and constant as it used to be. I can catch myself beginning a tail-spin of feeling overwhelmed by “should” and “shouldn’t”, and talk myself around it sooner than I used to.
I have gained self-respect for my beliefs. I have given myself permission to discover what my beliefs are and become comfortable with them.
I am grateful I had the courage to start this process with Chantal and to gain the tools that will help me through each day. Life is constantly changing and I have finally begun to feel and follow the rhythm in my own life.
Jo Brown
I chose to join this program with a desire to connect with other women about their relationships to their bodies and food, and to feel supported in a group setting around this issue. I was feeling insecure in my own body and my own relationship to food, and I was yearning to hear from others who felt similarly.
While in the program, I have gained an ability to become more physically grounded and reconnected to my body and my breath. More specifically, I have learned how to explore and express my emotions through my body instead of verbally through thought and speech. I have found that returning to this body connection has enabled me to lose the chatter of my mind and return to the gut feeling that is resonant in my body, in my pace of breath. I have been able to carry insights from these classes into daily life because of the body-centered exercises done in class that serve as concrete reminders moments of stress or tension around food, relationship with others, or with myself.
I am an incredible verbal person and most comfortable process in my mind, so I was blown away by how effective and simple it has been to connect with my body and gain deeper, fuller, more resonant insights about myself.
I am walking away with more inner peace and a greater sense of confidence in myself and what I want and need. I also am leaving with a more diverse set of tools for how to help myself become more grounded and realigned in moments of stress.
I would absolutely recommend this to other women. Chantal is an incredible role model and mentor, and her caring, lighthearted, peaceful demeanor made me feel comfortable at once and also made the discussions enjoyable and meaningful. The insights and tools Chantal provides as support have been monumental to me in my process, and I know that others will benefit from this too!
Davida, Great Barrington, MA
I chose to start life coaching because I felt I was not completely intune with myself. There was something missing in my life and I did not feel truly fulfilled. I had health issues, due to stress and I was not getting healthy alternatives from my traditional doctor, so I opted for wellness and life coaching.
I have always been able to do anything and everything for everyone else, but once it came to focusing on myself, I was not able to prioritize taking the time nor the focus!!! After successfully raising 2 children and purchasing my own business, I had fulfilled my life dreams and I still felt incomplete within myself. I finally realized that I needed to start making myself happy.
I have gained a sense of realizing that it is OK to take care of myself, from the simplest task of embarking on a yoga class once a week, (which I was mortified to try, because I am not very agile or was never great at being part of an exercise class).
To my great surprise, I NOW LOVE YOGA!!!! It is the first time I am able to feel good and have a feeling of inner peace within myself. I have realized that not feeling overwhelmed all the time, makes me a more well-rounded person, that my family enjoys including I, enjoy myself more. I have gained a sense of time management that is beneficial to me and everything is still getting done!!!
After coaching with Chantal, I am able to enjoy life in a clearer way, once I learned how.
I whole-heartedly recommend Mind Body Breakthrough Coaching to anyone that wants a better understanding themselves without thinking they need to go through traditional therapy (which I have done several times in my life and never gotten the results I have with Chantal). This experience is so much more. A feeling of being complete and a much needed healthier life.
Ann LaBier, Owner of Your Color Connection, Lenox, MA.