It’s my Cancerversary. Help me celebrate!
11 years ago today I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
To celebrate this anniversary, I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m opening up my calendar and challenging myself to give away up to 30 free coaching sessions in the next 30 days. While I’m grateful for my recovery, I’m even more grateful for how my diagnosis offered me the opportunity to change my life.
In 2007 I had what I thought was my dream job. I was a fashion designer who got paid to draw and create every day. I was traveling to Paris and Milan on a regular basis. I would walk down the street and see customers wearing the handbags that I had designed.
From the outside it looked like I had made it.
But the truth is- I was burned-out, overwhelmed, angry, and most of all, frustrated and deeply disappointed because I felt like I was FAILING at life.
I was plagued with anxiety that I didn’t know how to manage. I couldn’t sleep, so I took sleeping pills every night, washed down with what I knew was an irresponsible third glass of wine.
I wasn’t confident that my creativity was valuable, so I overcompensated. I thought, if I just worked HARDER and DID more that things would get better.
So, I worked more. I took fashion magazines home at night and actually read them, cover to cover. I spent Saturdays and sometimes Sundays as well shopping the stores. No matter how hard I worked, though, it never seemed like it was enough.
On this day in 2007, I was on vacation in Maui when I received the phone call notifying me that I had cancer. My first thought was- I don’t have time to deal with this. When my surgeon suggested a few days later that we schedule the surgery for the following week I actually said, “I can’t do that, I just took a week off for vacation, I can’t take more time off.”
One of the things that nobody talks about is that as a cancer patient EVERYTHING takes time. I wasn’t given a treatment plan on day one. It was a slow arduous process that took weeks and weeks. It was in that place of the uncomfortable unknown when I realized that the last thing I wanted etched into my tombstone if I didn’t make it was- “Here lies Laura Foster. She worked weekends.”
I decided to make a change. For me, it started with remembering who I am outside of the work that I do- in learning how to become a Human BEING rather than a Human Doing. Then I learned how to stop living as a victim and to embrace that I am the creator of my own life.
I did the inner work necessary to drastically alter how I was showing up in the world. Everything shifted. Instead of feeling like I’m failing at life, I now feel a deep sense of purpose with more joy and satisfaction than I ever though possible.
I believe that this type of transformation is available to everyone.
I became a life coach because I am passionate about helping men and women who feel any part of what I felt in 2007 find their way out of feelings like burnout, overwhelm, anger, and disappointment and create lives where they can learn to thrive.
I focus on helping executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs who feel like they work a lot (or think about work a lot) create profound, lasting change.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my recovery and give back for the lessons I’ve learned than by offering my time to do what I love best- coaching.
There is no fee for these sessions and there are no strings attached. This is my way of celebrating and giving back.
If this resonates with you or if you’d like to extend this offer to someone in your world, here are the steps to take-
Don’t leave a comment on this post. E-mail me at laurafosterdesigns@gmail.com and let me know how you heard about this challenge.
I will then send you a link to my online scheduling system so that you can schedule a call with me.
Happy Cancerversay to me and here’s to 11 more years!