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The Journey to More Intentional Living
My Story, My Approach and My Philosophy Behind the Work
The philosophy behind Sechrist Consulting and The Self-Regulation Lab™ didn’t come solely from my two-and-a-half-decade career of helping individuals, groups, and organizations through a variety of individual and organizational development and improvement work. It also came from trying to understand myself better.
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by one question:
Why is it so hard for people to create the changes they genuinely want for themselves?
That curiosity started with my own life.
Like many people, I entered adulthood carrying beliefs, habits, coping strategies, emotional patterns, and stress responses that had been shaped long before I understood where they came from. Over time, I began noticing how much those patterns influenced my decisions, relationships, communication, confidence, stress levels, and overall wellbeing.
So I did what most of us do. I started with my mind. I went to therapy. I read books. I learned. I reflected. I gained insight. And I became very good at understanding why I felt the way I felt and why I did the things I did.
The problem was that understanding didn’t always create change. I could explain a pattern and still repeat it. I could know exactly what I wanted to do and still struggle to do it.
I could understand something intellectually while my body seemed to be operating from an entirely different set of instructions.
At times, it felt like my mind and body were having two completely different conversations.
The more my career grew and I was working directly with people, the more I realized I wasn't alone in that experience.
Most people know something they wish they were doing differently.
We know we need more rest but can’t seem to slow down. We want healthier boundaries but keep saying yes. We understand a relationship isn’t serving us but stay anyway. We know a habit is hurting us but continue repeating it. We know we want to be calm during situations but can’t seem to stop reacting.
The issue often isn't a lack of discipline, intelligence, or motivation.
Something deeper is happening.
That realization sent me on a much bigger journey.
Over the years I explored and studied not only psychology and human behavior but also neuroscience, stress physiology, somatic approaches, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, hypnosis, Reiki, many forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, tapping, energy psychology, and many other perspectives and techniques for how human beings function.
What I discovered was both humbling and freeing. Human beings are far more complex than I was taught in graduate school.
Our nervous system learns patterns.
Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions influence what we pay attention to, how we interpret the world and what we do- making this trio one of the essential triads to focus on but not in the way I was traditionally taught.
Our experiences shape expectations. Our bodies adapt to stress. Past experiences continue influencing present-day reactions. Everything is connected.
The brain, body, emotions, beliefs, relationships, environment, and life experiences are constantly interacting with one another.
No single piece tells the whole story. And no single approach works for everyone.
As I continued my personal growth journey alongside those I was working with professionally in my various roles, several things became clear to me:
Meaningful change requires more than insight. It requires learning how to work with ourselves as whole human beings. Not just our thoughts. Not just our emotions. Not just our behaviors. Not just our minds or bodies. The entire system.
People could teach me, guide me, support me, challenge me, and offer tools and perspectives but no one else could do my work for me. I was the only one that could determine what was right for me, what my system needed when, and who I was motivated to be.
The discomfort of changing can exist alongside of feeling good. I came to understand that growth and true self-care are intimately connected. As we become less overwhelmed by stressors, less driven by automatic reactions, and more aligned with our values and intentions, we create greater capacity for how we want to feel-calm, clarity, connected, happy, and fulfilled. We don’t need to simply reduce what isn't working. We can counter the discomfort of changing by enhancing our attention on experiences that create more of what helps us feel grounded, energized, supported, and fully engaged in our lives.
These realizations now sit at the center of everything I do today.
The goal isn't perfection. It’s learning how to work with ourselves more effectively.
I believe every person benefits from learning how to better understand the information available within them as well as about them.
Their thoughts. Their emotions. Their physical sensations (feelings). Their stress responses. Their behavioral patterns. Their values. Their strengths. Their challenges.
Not because every thought is true. Not because every feeling is an emotion or every emotion is fact. And not because every sensation in the body needs to be paid attention to. But because all of that information and those experiences contain clues to what is or isn’t working for us.
And when we learn how to work with that information more skillfully, something important happens:
We gain choice.
We become less reactive and more intentional.
We stop being driven entirely by old patterns, emotional overwhelm, chronic stress, or learned habits.
We become more active participants in our own lives, creating more of the life we want.
We become more of the person we want to be, inviting more experiences we are happy and grateful to have.
Professional Credentials
Why This Approach Works
It Recognizes That People Are Complex
Lasting change rarely comes from focusing on just one part of ourselves. Our thoughts, emotions, physical experiences, relationships, environments, and habits are constantly influencing one another. This approach helps people better understand the whole picture so change feels more natural, sustainable, and aligned with real life.
It Combines Understanding With Practical Action
Insight matters, but insight alone rarely creates change. People learn practical tools they can apply in everyday life to improve awareness, strengthen emotional intelligence, navigate stress, communicate more effectively, and respond with greater intention.
It Creates Space to Slow Down, Reflect, and Reset
Many people spend their lives moving from one responsibility to the next without taking time to reconnect with themselves. Whether through coaching, consulting, or experiential learning, this work creates intentional space to pause, reflect, restore, and gain clarity about what matters most.
It Supports Both Wellbeing and Performance
Feeling better and functioning better are not separate goals. When people better understand themselves, manage stress more effectively, and respond with greater awareness, they often experience healthier relationships, improved communication, stronger leadership, and more sustainable ways of living and working.
It Blends Research, Experience, and Real-Life Application
This work draws from decades of experience across mental health, leadership, organizational systems, coaching, facilitation, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and nervous system-informed practices. The focus is always on practical application rather than theory alone.
It Builds Independence, Not Dependence
The goal is not for people to rely on me indefinitely. The goal is to help individuals and organizations develop the awareness, skills, confidence, and tools needed to continue growing and navigating life long after our work together ends.
What to Expect During Your Initial Discovery Call
Your complimentary 30-minute discovery call is an opportunity for us to get to know one another and determine whether working together is the right fit.
During the call, we will discuss your current goals, challenges, questions, and the outcomes you are hoping to create. Depending on your needs, we may explore individual coaching, organizational consulting offerings or group experiences through The Self-Regulation Lab.
For individuals, the conversation may focus on stress, life transitions, communication, emotional intelligence, behavioral patterns, leadership challenges, or personal growth goals.
For organizations, we may discuss workforce sustainability, leadership development, communication challenges, burnout concerns, team functioning, organizational performance, culture, change initiatives, or operational pressures impacting staff and outcomes.
The purpose of the call is not to diagnose problems or sell services. It is simply a space to explore your situation, answer questions, and identify whether there is a service, experience, or approach that may be helpful for your goals.
There is no pressure, no obligation, and no expectation that you have everything figured out before reaching out.
Disclaimer: Services provided are educational, coaching, consulting, and experiential in nature. They are not psychotherapy, mental health counseling, psychiatric treatment, or crisis services, and are not a replacement for clinical care. If you are experiencing severe, unmanaged trauma, psychiatric instability, or active crisis, I urge you to consult with a licensed healthcare professional. Individual results may vary and cannot be guaranteed.
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