About Susan and Steve

Susan

Susan Merz Anderson:

I consider myself to be a student of life and have traveled far and wide to be where I am now.  My journey has been a rich adventure, sometimes very challenging, yet always exciting and moving me forward on my path towards more love, joy and freedom.  I use the analogy of traveling, journeys and paths as I have traveled to over thirty countries in the world and am passionate about exploring other cultures.  I am grateful for the valuable lessons I learned from the many people I have met around the world.

Personal Info:

My personal path has had many exciting twists and turns!  One of my big dreams come true was to move from Portland, Oregon to Nelson, BC Canada where my husband of almost twenty years and I have the precious gift of guiding our two boys on their own paths in life.  Family life is very important to me and I enjoy spending lots of time with Steve and our boys.  Other joys and delights in my life include connecting with dear friends and family, my spirituality, hiking, biking, skiing, snow shoeing, ice skating, art, reading, gardening, traveling, volunteer work in international development and meeting new people. 

Current Career:

In my working journey, I presently have the privilege and joy of working as a professional life coach and relationship coach.  I received my professional life coaching certification from International Coaching Academy.  A couple of years later I completed additional training as a relationship coach through Relationship Coaching Institute.  Following that, I received my certification as a Heart Virtues coach and trainer.  I then went on to train life coaches in the Heart Virtues training program that I co-developed.  For more than ten years I have had the pleasure of coaching hundreds of people from all over the world, some in person and most by phone.  I do what I love as I inspire others to be themselves, transform their lives and make a difference in the world.

Past Experiences:

Other experiences that have led me to where I am now include earning a bachelors degree in psychology, counseling adolescents, families, and individuals, as well as working in a psychiatric hospital.  Many years ago I also (mostly) enjoyed jobs such as instructing skiing in Germany, packing fish in Alaska, waitressing, teaching English as a foreign language to adults, as well as being a home educator and a full time mother.

I am a person who loves fun, diversity, adventure, and new challenges.  I am dedicated to living a life I love - not necessarily conventional and not always easy, but very exciting and in alignment with my values and priorities.  I believe we are all on our own unique paths in life.  I am passionate about my mission to support, empower and inspire others on their journeys towards more love, joy and freedom so that we all can live INCREDIBLY rich and fulfilling lives.  Click here if you are ready to start coaching, or are even just curious about coaching with me.

 

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Steve Merz Anderson:

Steve

Who:

I admit it; I'm somewhat of a skeptic.  I've passionately questioned life pretty much from day one.  I've rarely been willing to accept things at their face value.  This approach has fueled my search for meaning and fulfillment, producing fabulous and rewarding effects along the way.  This, combined with many wonderful gifts of grace allow me to live in a beautiful part of the world with my wonderful partner Susan and our two teenage boys that bring me so much joy (and growth).  I also get to enjoy many of my favorite outdoor activities like biking, skiing and hiking from right out the door of my dream house.

But my skepticism can be a double-edged sword.  You see, questioning everything assumes that there is an answer to everything.  Fortunately as I get older, I am finding that I can appreciate the mysterious more.  I am opening to more of the unanswerable as a part of life to welcome with open arms.

Where:

I feel the path of my life moving in the direction of faith in the Love that encompasses every one of us.  At times it feels like a very impractical way to live, but when I look back on life, I see clearly that it has been that Love that has supported me in so many ways throughout my journey.  I continue to open myself to wherever that transformative Love will lead as I immerse myself in the everyday realities of life.  This website contains some of what I have gleaned along that path that has shown its truthfulness to me in a very practical way.

What:

It's this contrast and co-mingling between the spiritual world beyond form and the physicality of my humanness that inspires me.  It inspires me to live more of my potential. It inspires me to share more and more of the gifts that I've been given (I think that's called "re-gifting").  It inspires me to have the courage to simply "Be", even in the midst of the concerns and obligations relating to family, friends, community and work.

The physical/spiritual contrast also inspires me to create things.  I love being immersed in the creative flow of inspiration for that purpose. I have tapped into that flow throughout my varied careers as I: taught high school; designed and built homes; invented fun and useful products; and produced many artistic creations.  And now as we grow these online resources for Inspiring Self Improvement, I am offering you some creative insights and musings about living life to its highest potential.  Life is meant to be lived to its fullest.  Life is meant to feel balanced and in joyful alignment with the person you came here to become.  I hope you enjoy sharing in this exploration along with me.