Clients come to me with concerns or questions for which they are seeking help. They have the belief that coaching from me will help them with solutions. That puts them halfway there.

I refer to myself as an “Orangutan Coach” not because I coach orangutans (that would be interesting!) or only coach people who want to work with orangutans (that WOULD be interesting!). But because orangutans are one of my passions and throughout my life, that passion has driven me forward – to be the best that I can be. It (and they) have inspired me, connected me, and created opportunities for me – that have brought me happiness and joy. Which has eventually led me to coaching.

Coaching is an interesting profession. There is a lot of talking and a lot of listening involved. I do a lot of listening. I listen because I find people’s stories very interesting. Each client or person has lived a different story – which is different than mine. There is learning to be done from all stories.

In some circles or “climates”, my own story may be considered a little outside of the “norm”. For me, however, it is very normal. I sometimes describe my story as growing up in a white, picket fence, middle class America. I am from Oklahoma – basically in the middle of the United States. For the most part I grew up on a farm. With pigs, cattle, at least one sheep as I remember (or maybe it was a goat?), maybe a few chickens at one time, lots of dogs and cats and my special cow, Molly. I had a good start to loving and caring for animals in my story but as we all know, animals don’t live forever and for most, their life expectancy is shorter than ours as humans. Thus – pain points are a given.

Listening to the stories of others as well as sharing my story when appropriate is a way of learning more about ourselves and each other on the way toward solving whatever challenges we face today. Talking our stories out loud allows us to deal with the inside story and get it to the outside. Along that path, growth and transformation often occur to reveal directions previously unseen and solutions unknown and ready for development.

My writing is my story one word at a time – one page at a time. I often think that the only reason I can write is because I have lived so many stories. I have experienced so many pain points and moved through them, past them and kept going…one step at a time…one day at a time.

I cannot help everyone with my coaching. I can help the ones who can sense my story without hearing my story and without even knowing my story. They must not only feel it, but they must also somehow have the confidence and trust that me living my story means I will understand theirs and be able to help them. There is a resonance of understanding that I will have some sort of guidance to provide that will assist them in going forward.

Going forward means they will initiate their own action to create that forward movement. Using their own energy allows ownership of those actions which in turn creates additional movements towards their ultimate destination.

Everyone’s story takes a turn now and then. Some turns are off track. Some turns may be an about face and head backwards. Everyone oversees their own story – even when they think that may not be the case. There are times when we would rather not acknowledge we had control of something that did not turn out the way we expected. Taking responsibility for those times – can be pain points.

Trekking through the rain forest looking for orangutans, I remember coming across other animals and plants of which I really wanted to stop and know more. The rain forests are so vast, and my little path seemed so insignificant at the time. I asked questions, My Guides answered. We kept going.

Along the way, I discovered differences among species within the rain forest. I saw similarities and how they connected and made a difference in their own environment – in their habitat or home. I saw their pain points, as the rain forest can be a rather hostile environment when a balance is disrupted. When an animal’s needs are not met, when an accident happens, when a predator takes a prey that is a favorite of others (and in my case – that I had grown fond of observing) – ouch! That is a pain point for many. Some pain points are predictable. They are even expected. Others are a total surprise. All animals process that in their own way – both humans and non-humans. Intervention may be needed for both.

My goal is to inspire you, connect you and help you to create your own best life so that you can live happily ever after working through your pain points. In the rain forest, one is never quite sure what may be around the next tree, under the thick foliage or watching you from the canopy above. Whether they are sudden distractions, fears of the unknown. or exciting new interests – all can be opportunities for you to learn more about YOU. To help you get started in your journey, you can download the ACTION BRAINSTORMING WORKSHEET by clicking on the following link: *Orangutan Coach* Landing Page – Becky Keller . Brainstorming is just one way to grow some new ideas.

And Molly, my special cow…well she made the ultimate sacrifice so that I could afford to attend college. I have mixed feelings about that sacrifice. Molly allowed me to sit on her back and for “just a few minutes” when she stood up, I was allowed to ride her. That connection – although brief – was exhilarating! I was “one with the cow” and it was all encompassing. I miss Molly. I have fond memories. She inspired me.