Hi, I’m Mary.
I spent much of my life in pursuit of perfection, thinking that someday I'd have it all figured out and would no longer worry that I'd be found out for the fraud that I felt I was. In pursuit of this perfection, I completed a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology, on some level believing that achieving this would catapult me into a realm of freedom from worry about imperfection. Ironically, completion of that degree resulted in even stronger feelings of incompetency, because now I thought people would REALLY expect me to know everything (a sneaky form of perfection). WHEW! I lived with a lot of anxiety and endured many mini (and some not-so-mini) breakdowns before really grasping that, no matter how much I tried, I would never be perfect – as being human is literally incompatible with being perfect.
As Tara Brach says in her book Radical Acceptance, “There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life. With even a glimmer of that possibility, joy rushes in.”
And, really, who doesn’t want more joy?
Doing this work myself has helped me to realize just how passionate I am about working with others to flesh out the ways in which that anxiety about imperfection is showing up for them and really blocking access to the life they truly want to live. I’m passionate about supporting people in navigating that tenuous terrain between self-acceptance and self-improvement, so that they may say yes to their “entire imperfect and messy life” while living into who they are – the beauty, radiance, and magnificence that already exists in them.
As a Professional Certified Coach, I love doing this work – incorporating the research-based tools of mindfulness, self-compassion, and intentional cultivation of a values-aligned life to support your growth so that you may live more joyfully, authentically, and confidently.
If you feel called to explore this work for yourself, simply click the button below to schedule a complimentary Discovery Session with me.
What’s the best that could happen?
“Mitch Albom had ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’; I had ‘Mornings with Mary’. And as ‘Tuesdays…’ has a 5-star rating on Amazon, I too had a 5-star experience in my coaching with Mary.
I’d have my sessions with Mary doing my morning walks and though we were a hundred miles apart, Mary was with me every step of the way. Mary beautifully held space with and for me, while holding me accountable and challenging me in new and dynamic ways. I can be stubborn beyond measure; Mary met me where I was, gently pulled back the layers that allowed me to open up to her and to myself; to confront some limiting beliefs and take on new, empowering beliefs. I consider the work done with Mary and her patient and ‘pleasantly persistent’ spirit (☺) to be some of the key foundational work that has allowed me to experience an amazing amount of self-awareness that has fostered a unbelievable amount of personal and professional growth and success.
Make the necessary and the deserved investment in YOU; partner with (Dr.) Mary now to give yourself, and those you want to impact the most, the best version of you.
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“Mary is genuinely compassionate and comforting without being over the top or too much. Real, just a real human that is completely relatable and approachable…I finally feel less stuck!
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“Mary is a natural life coach. My coaching experience with Mary exceeded my expectations. I love the variety and appropriateness of the various resources she has provided, as well as the way each session I had with her yielded a significant insight or step forward.”
“Working with Mary has given me more than I could have ever asked for. I think of the Rolling Stones song, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, because working with Mary is helping me become the person that can bring my vision to life. She sees sides of me that I often want to hide from myself and sure the hell don’t want others to know. She makes shit human, she makes it safe. Our work has shown me a new way to live. ”
“In working with Mary I was reminded of what is important to me as an individual and uncovered areas of struggle I still need to work on in order to cast off ways of thinking that no longer help me thrive”
“I came to coaching with Mary because I was really struggling with leadership skills and felt like I was failing as a leader. I also know I am a perfectionist. In doing this work, I learned some things about what really drives my perfection and fear of failure - and even though I sometimes really wanted her to give me answers, I really liked how she asked me questions and helped me find answers within. She has this really terrific ability to take my stream of consciousness ramblings and turn them into an articulate sentence!
Coaching with Mary accomplished everything I wanted, as well as some other things I didn’t realize I wanted - I am not so stressed. I give myself more space and forgiveness. I have tools for when the “gremlins” show up. I learned some things about what really drives my perfection and fear of failure.
Mary is 5 kinds of excellent and I highly recommend coaching with her! My hope would be for everyone to live into who they are meant to be.”
“Being a coach myself, I fully believe in the power of coaching! The line on your website that says “step off the hamster wheel of perpetual self-improvement” is that one that made me come to YOU! Coaching with Mary helped me gently and purposefully self reflect in how I was getting in my own way. The most important thing for me, I think, was feeling safe in this space and not judged as I come down hard on myself when I do feel that and it ends up being more destructive than useful. I would describe Mary as - Gentle. Steadily holding up a mirror. And very encouraging.”
“Mary is knowledgeable, supportive and a deep listener. She was very gentle with me in order for me to lead myself to better choices of behavior. I trust her and respect her expertise. Her coaching presence is therapeutic. ”
“Mary is brilliant, thoughtful, and always working on developing herself to provide the best possible experience and space for learning/exploring for and with her clients. In our work together, I learned that courage can look very different than my original idea of it. As a result, I look for opportunities to be courageous, in great and small ways, everyday - which allows me to build the life I want to live.”
“What I learned about myself ultimately was less about uncovering new things, and more about going at old patterns during a particularly difficult time. It was very helpful for me to have a relationship I could be vulnerable in and feel safe. It also helped to peel back more layers than had I been working alone. ”
“What’s different about my day to day life now? I know that I can feel things and despite the feelings feeling yucky and/or uncomfortable, I can work through them, by not denying or trying to fix them. I am more confident, although I still get a bit squirrely every now and then. I’m just happier — Mary, you asked me in a recent text: How can you draw on what matters to you to keep being your best you, even in the face of this pain? That’s a question I can ask myself constantly.
Mary is someone who has gone and continues to go through life searching unreservedly for living life with integrity and joy. Total honesty and unreserved compassion. Additionally, she is a great guide. I came to answers and feelings myself, but her guidance was always perfect.”
“...What makes me most proud of our work together is the flexibility and openness with which we approach our sessions. At the beginning of the program, I thought that I was only focused on the professional side, not on the personal.
Working with Mary made me realize that I am a human being, not a perfect machine. I will never forget those times when Mary created a safe space for me to FEEL emotions nonjudgmentally but curiously. That is the tool I use most often, and it has had a positive impact on my life ever since.
Forever grateful.”