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My Background

Coach Linda Kolker with Vienna and Alice

My background is extremely diverse. I am a Certified Professional Coactive Coach (CPCC). I've completed nearly 300 hours of training with Coaches Training Institute, recognized by the International Coaches Federation. I am also a certified Samyama meditation facilitator. I have also:

• Completed many hours of training practice and working with clients as a Samyama practitioner. Samyama is a form of heart-centered meditation in which we go deeply into the body and the heart center to discover Self. Clients learn to integrate every facet of who they are. This practice allows clients to expand the capacity of the heart and experience acceptance, and to make friends with the Silence within, from which arises immense peace and power.
• Participated for several years in a community of women committed to investigating and experiencing the deep feminine energy. Our work is centered around archetypes of the Sacred Feminine: Mother, Amazon, Medicine Woman, and Lover. My discoveries and growth in this area allow me to help women work with, accept, and celebrate their own womanhood.
• Been trained in intuitive healing and working with the body's chakras--the energy centers of the body. Most clients report feeling calmer and more peaceful after our work together. A few have had dramatic experiences of relief from chronic pain, or intuitive, emotional or spiritual breakthrough. However, I make no claims in this regard.
• Trained as a volunteer for the Montgomery County, Maryland Crisis Hotline. The suicide-prevention training was a model followed by programs across the country. I volunteered there for two years.
• Been married to the same man for almost thirty years, and have learned a tremendous amount about being in a long-term relationship. It is a remarkable journey. Much of it has been stormy, and we have always found our way through the tough times. I am able to bring this perspective to my work with clients as relationship issues arise for them.
• Worked in marketing for many years, focusing on high-tech marketing and the internet, and also in publishing. I started my own business in 1980 and continue to do some work in this area. I now focus primarily on teaching others how to write marketing materials and prepare copy for web sites.

I am also a fine art photographer and artist. I am now working almost exclusively with digital imaging. Making art is a profound joy and source of discovery. I encourage my clients to be creative in whatever ways appeal to them.

Finally, I am also a major animal lover. Several years ago an astrologer told me that I'm happiest in a barnyard, and I've been busy surrounding myself with animals ever since. He was right--I currently have two dogs and a cat, and would have many more if I could keep up with the fur, the exercise and training, and the food and medical care.

The best way to learn whether coaching is right for you is to request an introductory session.