This is what transformation looks like. :)
It all started with my childhood–and to be honest, what doesn’t start with childhood? I am a child of immigrants. I am also a child of divorce. Those are both complex areas to navigate, especially when the key word in both phrases is child. I had to grow up very quickly, so some things were lost along the way. How to care for myself was one of them.
I have a track record for helping those in my life meet their goals but I struggled with seeing mine through. Enter Betty. I felt a connection because I felt understood by her. I also felt challenged because Betty was going to hold me accountable to my dreams.
At first, I thought the connection was fostered by what we had in common (children of immigrants, we’re both single moms) but I learned so much about myself in the things we didn’t have in common (our age difference, our cultural backgrounds, etc).
Recently, a friend told me I was “crushing it” and living out my childhood dreams. I am more committed to giving the little girl within me all the love she deserves without having to people-please or deny myself of it. I turned 40 this year and am loving it! I wish I had all these tools years ago but I am so glad to have them now. Thank you, Betty, and Inner Child University!
~ Skye, Journalist & Educator
My session with Betty occurred shortly after my mother’s passing. I was mourning her loss and feeling ambivalent toward shifting family dynamics. The session with Betty was invaluable. Through her thoughtful questions and guidance, I was able to rekindle the deep sense of safety and security I felt as a child through memories of my mother’s consistent and nurturing love.
There was so much I had forgotten and life had chipped away at the relationship. The session with Betty helped me to remember, acknowledge, and relish my mother’s life-long love. Subsequently, I was able to process these feelings and move forward confidently with some family decisions.
The time with Betty was both comforting and healing.
~ Judy, Retired Teacher
I have been working with Betty on a weekly basis. Her coaching has been very valuable to me. As we talk through the issues of my days and weeks, Betty frames, and re-frames them for me, and gives me insights that allow me to consider things in fresh, new contexts.
Her insights have helped me in my personal life and my working life. There is a more practical, “stick-to- the-basics” emphasis in my work with Betty that is different from my work with psychologically-trained therapists. This seems to make it more efficient.
~ Lee, Artist
I have been able to practice how to calm myself and nurture that baby in me. I continue to practice the exercise of trying to find out what that little boy in me is yearning for when I am in distress. I also practice re-framing. When I am in a situation, I stop to think how I can reframe myself to handle the situation at hand.
I also do a lot of breathing exercises and I love this one: I try and look forward to where I want to be at the end of the week, shaping my week with positive thoughts and looking forward to accomplishing what I have set, as far as my goal for the week. Betty has helped me tremendously during the past year, throughout the pandemic.
~ Luis, Social Services Staffer
Coaching with Betty helped me to get comfortable in my own skin. It’s been a long journey for me – from being the son of a poor single mom to managing the multimillion dollar investment portfolios for my clients. At first, it was awkward to sit still on zoom and talk about my childhood.
Then, I started connecting the dots. I’ve had anxiety for years and that makes sense now. I was raised in a home where we constantly worried about money. The fear was terrifying. But coaching was a chance to update the stories that I tell myself so that I can do more than look like a success from the outside.
I am constantly using a technique of Betty’s called reframing to stop old behaviors and look at a situation through a different lens. Now, I feel good about being me. I have new tools for getting out of fight-or-flight mode. There’s quality space in my head to enjoy life with my wife and kids. Work is still high pressure, but I’m doing better than ever.
~ Happy Executive Dad
And, some more testimonials…
As an artist and kids book designer, I thought I knew my inner child well enough. But Betty helped me actually speak to that child as I would hope I or anyone would speak to any child: with acceptance and compassion. She facilitated a new way of framing who I thought I was as a child, helping me see my judgmental tendencies with an immediate and expansive clarity.
This one session with Betty gave me insight I could harness right away in my adult life, and I am so grateful. I highly recommend Betty to anyone seeking ways to find light and joy in who they are, and who they are growing to be, at any age.
~ Karen Viola, Designer
In one hour, Betty helped me unearth truths about my childhood no amount of conventional therapy ever touched. Simply describing photographs of myself as a baby and toddler was unexpectedly powerful. Betty’s deceptively simple and gentle approach yielded life-changing insights into my emotional strengths and weaknesses. I gifted my daughter, who had just had a baby and was struggling, a session with Betty and she too reported amazing results.
~ Robin Dellabough, Editor & Writer
After working with Betty in her coaching workshop, I discovered with her help that I was a creative, strong, spirited young girl. Her coaching enhanced my curiosity and provided wisdom and insight. I am grateful for this discovery and coaching. There are many ways to paint and feel the warm light from an open window. Thank you, Betty.
~ Kathleen McCarthy, Artist, Painter & Photographer
From the outside, I’m a millennial dad with a great career and family. But I always carry my inner child with me. In coaching, it’s like rewriting the script of our story in my head. Now, I’m taking more risks and putting myself out there. I’m more present in how I deal with my kids, relationships and work.
Instead of being this scared, only child of a poor, working mom, I’m taking ownership by reframing the story. I’ve changed how I communicate with my wife. Before, I would shut down by telling myself fake stories about how our conversations would go – before they even happened! But coaching has allowed me to open up so that she can see my vulnerability. I’m also opening up a little bit more socially.
I coach with Betty every week. I’m learning daily tools for figuring out my own emotional safety. We get to the root of things. Coaching is a wonderful place for my inner child to into a different, adult version of myself.
~ Millennial Dad
Betty delivers to the classroom—in person and online—a unique set of skills. Of course, she brings a deep professional background as a journalist and communications specialist. And she adds to that background extensive teaching experience, ESL training and coaching skills. Her teaching evaluations are consistently outstanding. Students praise her ability to teach them new skills as well as her empathetic and enthusiastic support. She also relates especially well to a diverse group of students from the U.S and internationally. Betty also often shares her teaching wisdom with other professors. We are indeed fortunate to have her as a member of our team.
~ Prof. Mary W. Quigley, Director of Adjuncts, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, New York University