Personal Bio

My biggest frustration professionally was this annoying question: Why isn't it happening for me?

Picture this: after pursuing a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree in Computer Science I am finally building my career as a computer programmer in the corporate world, going from elevating a leading software company in Southern California to writing code for a major bank in the UK to optimize business performance, and serving several companies in between.

At the height of that career glory, I find myself typing into Google one night: "What is the meaning of life?" I had nowhere else to turn after hearing 'a voice' one day while cranking out computer code at my desk at work, prompting my fingers to freeze and hover above the keyboard: Is this it? Is this all I am ever going to do with my life?

My first reaction was, You've got to be joking! But after that persistent knock at my heart, I found my way to this thing called Life Coaching. And I remember thinking, What the hell is a life coach?

However, something about it grabbed me, prompting a big leap to training as a coach and walking away from my successful corporate career. And I remember thinking, How hard can it be? Banking on my intelligence and corporate experience I believed I had all the makings of an entrepreneur.

Wrong!!! On many levels!!! But the main issue? No one told me what was actually going on and how things worked! I knew that other people had made this type of career switch and yet I was struggling to make it happen for me. This sent me on a wild-goose chase for that one program that would fix all my problems and make me a successful entrepreneur in one go. But several programs (and a lot of time, money and effort) later I still didn't know how to actually get started.

Worse, my belief in having a new career as a professional coach and entrepreneur was shrinking. I felt small. So very small professionally. Everywhere I turned I was confronted with that dreaded question, "How's work going?" Or "Where do you find your clients?"

After an agonizing period of trying to make it happen I ran back to the corporate world. Ah, I thought. Back into the safe arms of familiarity. Of security. And of familial approval.

The only hitch is how life works. Once you've stepped away from something for just long enough you don't quite fit the same way you used to. And eight months later I left the corporate world--again.

Doubling up my efforts I felt a surge of confidence that this time it was going to happen for me. Surely life wouldn't be that cruel to me.

And I huffed and I puffed, taking this program and that course, even trying a few different industries. And inevitably, as if by design, I would hit a wall.

A wall I didn't understand and couldn't find a way to climb over. A wall that was built out of unrecognized beliefs, false expectations and misguided focus. No wonder I could never cross the finish line. "Trust the process" and "Just do what we tell you to do" never worked.

The only thing I was left thinking was, But how do you actually get started? I wanted to know how you go from going in circles (or standing completely still) to suddenly being in business with strategies to attract clients and earn income.

It turns out that it can be done, just not in one go. Success, it seems, is built one tiny step at a time. And falling in love is a must--with your clients and your new professional self.

Always a work in progress, I consider myself a guide to lead others and myself to be better each day. To dig deep internally and reach wide externally. I love 'struggling with the language', taking my knowledge and translating it into practical lessons and tools that can be applied immediately in everyday life. It's the only way I have experienced true growth in my own life, feeling enriched by setting in motion that law of life where giving and receiving are one. My current focus is on ex-corporate women who are sick of being in-between careers and want to step into certainty of direction, immediately regaining professional respect from themselves and those closest to them.

What do you want out of life? What is your vision? These are questions I used to have trouble answering. More accurately, I used to try and figure out what the right answers should be. In the various programs and courses I took, other women always seemed so sure of what it is they wanted. They dreamed big and made vision boards. They had direction and a sense of purpose. Naturally, goal-setting came next. And all my mind would give me was, I don't know how to dream!

So I am thrilled that the long path I have traveled has led me to where I am today. Because I have a vision! A big one! I WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE NO UNCERTAIN WOMEN!

"What is the meaning of life?" I Googled one night in search of answers.

Hey there, I'm Breese Stevens, Life Transition Coach. What, exactly, is that? Read my story below.