life coach / writer / subtle hippy
I am a life coach and a graduate of Martha Beck’s life coach training program. (She’s Oprah’s life coach. nbd) I’ve always been a self-help junkie. I became a member of The Dead Moms Club at 7 years old when my mom died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. That experience helped shape who I am and what I believe. (Tomorrow is never guaranteed. If you want something to change, do something about it.)
I’ve done a lot of my own inner work. I spent five years with an exceptional therapist who helped me reconnect with Little Mandy (my inner child), I’ve hired life coaches, and I’ve practiced gobs of self-reflection. What I’ve learned is that there is no magic moment where you are “fixed.” I continue to grow and break and love and heal in new ways every day.
As you might guess by the fact that I was disconnected from my inner child, I am a formerly-repressed creative. I crochet and weave and craft, but my true love is writing prose. I’m working on my first book – a memoir about my healing.
I adore animals. You might find me laying on the ground greeting a dog I’ve just met. I’ve been a vegetarian since 2013 and a vegan since August 2016 when I visited Animal Place. I get more than enough protein, and while we’re asking each other personal questions… Are you getting enough fiber?
I love to run, especially outside. Most especially in nature. I’ll always remember my very first race – a 5K in Brownville, Nebraska on July 4, 2013 – because my brother Aaron died in a motorcycle crash 3 days prior. Running continues to be a gift when I need to grieve or feel anger.
I consider myself retired from a successful software career. I can talk to you about product roadmaps and code maintainability, but I’d honestly rather not. I worked in the tech industry for 12 years, starting as software engineer at Boeing (where I was the only one not giddy about F/A-18s). My last gig was as a department head at the phenomenal software startup Flywheel, where I spent my days laughing with delightfully kind and creative people. I have a BS from the Raikes School at UNL and an MBA from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.
I live in Omaha, Nebraska, with my gorgeous husband Bob and our boxer-coonhound Keira.
Photo of Bob + Mandy taken by a friendly stranger
I pledge to sell ethically to help us break the cycle of consumerism. Learn more at theethicalmove.org.