Karen Sibal is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her passion and innovativeness.

She is a beacon of inspiration for those navigating the complexities of life beyond 50. Embarking on a remarkable career shift during the pandemic, she transitioned from the realms of publishing to the transformative world of coaching. Grounded in a profound desire to aid seniors in living their fullest lives, her journey epitomizes the fusion of passion, purpose, and perseverance.

She is driven by a deep seated commitment to holistic wellness. She draws from diverse disciplines, blending health coaching with Ayurvedic lifestyle teachings. Her own encounters with adversity, including personal loss and health struggles, serve as catalysts for profound empathy and understanding. With an unwavering belief in the power of self empowerment, she challenges her clients to transcend victimhood and embrace agency, guiding them towards profound shifts in mindset and behavior.

She empowers individuals to rediscover purpose, resilience, and joy, offering a guiding light towards a future imbued with balance, vitality, and meaning. What sets her apart is not just her expertise and innovativeness, but her innate ability to connect with clients on a soulful level. Grounded in heart centered compassion, her approach resonates deeply with the unique challenges faced by the Gen X. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Karen Sibal:

Name: Karen Sibal

Pillar: The Spirit, The Mind

Who is this coach for: Seniors who want to find purpose and meaning.

How they can help: By using a toolbox of Ayurvedic tips and positive psychology teachings, as well as her book “the Little Book of Grounding“.

First of all, how are you and your family doing after these Pandemic times?

We are in a better place.

With each passing year now, we seem to be finding our way out from the storm, like everyone else.

We were hit pretty hard by the pandemic and experienced the passing of 6 family members which created a big strain on our family relationships.

Like many other people, my hubby lost his job and my publishing business was forced to close.

My kids struggled with online school.

But, we’re in a better place today, moving forward with love, clarity, understanding and purpose each day.

How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

I saw a tremendous deterioration in the mental and emotional health of seniors and within my own family members.

The social distancing and quarantine measures kept seniors isolated for a while, and many of them had no idea how to use technology to connect with family or friends.

And even when they did use platforms like Zoom or WhatsApp, it wasn’t a replacement for in person connections.

My parents found it hard to not only stay connected to family, but to do every day things like banking.

They were so used to going into the bank to pay their bills and would love to sit in a coffee shop together a few days a week.

It certainly wasn’t easy getting my parents set up to use technology, but it had to be done and they picked it up fairly quickly.

But, not being able to go out, socialize and do every day things, especially the things that gave them a bit of joy each day, really affected my parents.

And I saw similar patterns with seniors I was coaching.

As a result of feeling isolated and alone, fear and anxiety began to take over and I’ve been seeing a lot of people who are still dealing with a lot of depression, fear, PTSD, sadness, and the inability to move forward with any part of life.

It’s been quite heartbreaking, really, but I’m hopeful for my clients.

I get a lot of requests now for in person coaching and I’m currently quite busy speaking in person at seniors’ events across the Greater Toronto Area.

Nothing beats face to face interaction.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The mind is the starting point of whole, vibrant health.

Guard it carefully and be selective of what you feed it each day.

Learn to reject fear at the entrance gate to your mind, and only allow in positivity, loving thoughts (especially self loving ones), good food, adequate sleep and healthy lifestyle habits.

Without a sharp, balanced, independent thinking mind, you are nothing.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I began my coaching career during the pandemic when my publishing business was forced to close.

I’ve always been passionate about helping and inspiring seniors to live their best lives having worked with them for over 15 years.

So, I decided to get trained as a health coach and in Ayurveda lifestyle teachings, and I wrote a book about grounding.

I found grounding to be the key to keeping my mind and body health in balance during the pandemic, and I found myself informally helping friends, family and seniors.

It made logical sense to get certified.

Now, I’m on a mission each day to uplift and inspire anyone over 50 with finding their mind and body balance with a focus on mental and emotional health.

I’m also helping people navigate grief, which is complex to do on your own, and that’s been inspired by my own personal grief journey of losing 6 close family members since 2020.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

Learning how to step out of being a victim and to stop complaining about things.

I learned this lesson about 10 years ago when I hit rock bottom with an autoimmune disease diagnosis, which was immediately after I had a horrible car accident.

When it rains, it pours as the saying goes.

Instead of complaining about the rain, I grabbed a wide umbrella and found a way to keep dry.

No one came to “rescue” me, I had to pick myself up and find a way forward.

Now, I tell my clients this brutal truth too: that no one is coming to save them, irrespective of what they’re dealing with and how hard their life might seem.

It’s a personal choice each of us have to make, to step out of a victim mindset into one that’s truly empowering, each and every single day, and to keep doing it consistently.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I invite clients to dig deep, really deep.

They’re the ones doing the heavy work on whatever area of their life they want to change: I view myself merely as an impartial facilitator who helps them uncover what’s already there within them.

I use a series of “why” questions to get to the root of the change they wish to make, and I help my clients zero in on their pain points preventing change.

Then I get them to visualize the life they’ve always wanted, and we figure out how to bridge the gap with strategies that propel them into taking real, decisive action.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

I have a heart centred way of connecting with people over 50 because I am over 50 and I understand the unique challenges people in this age group are facing:

We are the sandwich generation, caring for elderly parents and raising our kids, often adult kids who have it super tough right now and many of them are living in our basements.

We have concerns about our retirement nest egg and the high cost of inflation eating away at our savings.

I’m unique in that I have an academic and professional background in economics, business and government policy, and I’ve also coached women at midlife on their personal finances since the pandemic.

We are Gen X and we want to age well.

Many of us are also dealing with chronic health conditions.

My coaching approach is uniquely centred on the principles of grounding: the mind, body, spirit and finances.

I use a blend of positive psychology tips and ancient Ayurvedic teachings like pranayama (breathwork), meditation and lifestyle habits to help people reduce their anxiety and stress levels, so they can tap into their place of stillness.

Once you’re grounded and balanced, it becomes the focal point for all change to happen, at any level.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

A renewed sense of purpose is a big one.

A lot of people over 50 are empty nesters, or sort of, and their looking at their future with a lot of uncertainty.

They’re perhaps unclear on whether they’ll be able retire, or how they’re going to spend their golden years with a sense of stability, belonging, and meaning.

There’s also a sense of loss that comes along at this age, whether it’s because kids have gone off to college, or parents have passed away.

Or a loss of youth and good health.

I help my clients navigate what loss means, and how to find a way forward into the next chapter of life.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I have a toolbox of Ayurvedic tips and positive psychology teachings, and good old fashioned common sense that the world seems to be lacking.

My book, the Little Book of Grounding has 75+ unique tips that anyone can use to restore balance to their mind, body and spirit and they are the foundation of my work with my clients.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

Life is short.

Incredibly short.

Treat each day as if it was your last one.

Vow to live each day with joy, zest and vitality.

Happiness is already within You.

Find your light within because it’s there and never let it dim.

Don’t sweat the small stuff, focus on things that truly matter.

Leave the world in a better place and do your part each day to uplift yourself and humanity, in whatever way feels authentic and right to you.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

Change is inevitable.

It helps you grow in infinite and interesting ways, especially when change is painful to do.

Nothing stays the same forever.

Learn to let go, go with the flow, just like a waterfall, and see where you land.

Resistance creates hardship, so when you’re fearing change, ask yourself why?

God always has a plan for you when you surrender and go with the flow, as nature intends us to do.

Your final thoughts?

One new area I’m venturing into is grief coaching.

I’ve come across many friends and clients who have lost a loved one over the past 4 years and their support systems have fallen apart.

I found myself in the same shoes after my father passed away a few months ago, and I was left caring for my elderly mom without much support.

My mom’s friends’ circle that she’s had for many decades has also dwindled with people passing on.

So, I’m in the process of launching a new grief coaching program aimed specifically towards helping caregivers and seniors who are dealing with the loss of a loved one.

The website is seniorsgriefcircle.com and it will be a membership platform where people can sign up and get access to group coaching, podcast episodes, local resources and a caring, supportive community.

Grief is a devasting, lonely and life altering experience to go through, and no one should be in a situation where they’re navigating it alone.

I offer people a free weekly grounding tip if they choose to sign up on my website, karensibal.com.

It’s my way of uplifting people as they begin their week.

People tell me it’s a good little read with their morning coffee that gets them in the right mindset for the week ahead.

I’d like to invite people to sign up and join my list at karensibal.com if they’ve enjoyed this interview.

And to check out the first chapter of my book, The Little Book of Grounding, on my website too.

People who are at midlife are facing tremendous uncertainty.

They’re a demographic that’s not talked about a lot.

We live in a society that prioritizes youth and creating opportunities for them.

But we, the Gen Xers and boomers, are the future.

Society is aging exponentially globally.

I’m on a personal mission to redefine what aging means and to make it cool, dare I say.

I have a brand new monthly newsletter on LinkedIn that’s free to subscribe to, called Redefining Aging and people can follow my musings there, because I always have a lot to say on the topic of aging.

I want to age well, and so do most people and I enjoy sharing how we can do that every single day.

Where Can You Find Karen Sibal?

If you liked this interview and you would love to see how Karen can help you, go to KarenSibal.com and discover how to navigate your way forward with meaning and purpose.

If you’d like to get a glimpse of her coaching, follow her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

If you’d like to connect more personally with her, you can do that through LinkedIn or by sending her a direct message on her Email [email protected]. It was an honor having this interview with her.