Optimize Your Life to Be Your Best Self

Group Coaching Program

Starting in Winter/Spring 2022

Whether you feel on top of things in your life, and want to get even closer to what you are capable of achieving – or whether you’re feeling like nothing is going right and really need support and structure to turn things around – this program is for you. Because let’s face it, we all have a gap between who we’re currently being, and who we are capable of being. There’s a best version of ourselves out there! And we owe it to ourselves to do everything we can to become who we are capable of becoming.

 

“According to Seneca, the Greek word euthymia is one we should think of often: it is the sense of our own path and how to stay on it without getting distracted by all the others that intersect it. In other words, it’s not about beating the other guy. It’s not about having more than the others. It’s about being what you are, and being as good as possible at it, without succumbing to all the things that draw you away from it. It’s about going where you set out to go. About accomplishing the most that you’re capable of in what you choose. That’s it. No more and no less.” – Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

 

When we don’t acknowledge what we’re capable of, or let our fundamentals slide (e.g. sleep, movement, food, stress levels), then that best version of ourselves doesn’t show up as often. We’re more likely to be short with our family and friends, fritter away our time on social media, and not do the things that keep us energized. This is a recipe for dissatisfaction, because we deep down we know that we are wasting our precious time here on this Earth – and our planet, our nation, and our communities need us to step up.

 

In the Optimize Your Life program, we draw on the research about human potential to start closing the gap between who we are and who we’re capable of being. This allows us to meet the challenges we inevitably face with grace, so we can pick ourselves up and keep on going. We will get intimately acquainted with that best version of ourselves, and clarify our priorities, so we can focus on what matters and not be tempted by the inevitable distractions.

 

Over the course of the program, we’ll learn best practices when it comes to optimizing our energy, which is literally the foundation for everything else we do. We’ll create routines and protocols to fall back on when the inevitable challenges of life show up (like they have in spades over the past year). We’ll fine-tune and tweak things. We’ll see the changes develop over time. And we won’t need to do it alone, because we’ll have each other. We can cheer each other on as we more consistently show up as the best version of ourselves, making the biggest positive difference in our lives and the lives of those around us!

 

“The thing that has really, really, really helped me out is the What’s Important Now. I have a to-do list, and I have this bad habit of putting on to-do’s that aren’t really that important so they just linger for days and days and days. That used to really bother me, and now I’m like, ‘Well, this is not time sensitive. It’s not critical. It’s not that important. It doesn’t actually take that much off my plate. What’s the thing that I need to do now that is on my to-do list?’ So it’s actually made it a lot easier for me to deal with my to-do list, and I’m finding that what I’m learning is that the What’s Important Now helps me get into Do It Now. And so I go, and I do it, and I get the satisfaction of knocking it off the to-do list and then it’s done, and I can move on to something that is less time sensitive but possibly more fun.” – Irith, Cohort 1 of Optimize Your Life

 

Talk to Kim About Joining the Next Optimize Cohort

 

Optimize Your Life Modules

Here’s a quick look at what we’ll be covering in the program*. The most useful and practical new ideas and tools are in each module, with plenty of time built into to allow you to incorporate and create small but life-changing habits.

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Module I: Welcome and the Big Three Audit

How do you show up as the best version of yourself? One small step at a time, but you have to know where you’re starting from, and who you’re sharing this journey with.

• Meet Your Fellow Travelers (we’ll get to know each other!)
• The Big Three Audit (where are you right now in terms of your Energy, Work, and Love?)

 

Module II: Closing the Gap

You can’t close the gap without knowing what it looks like, and what you’re aiming for – let’s get acquainted with that best version of yourself:

• A Quick Trip to Hell (don’t worry, just a quick one!)
• Eulogy Virtues (what do you want people to say about you when you’re gone?)
• Stepping between Stimulus & Response (“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning)
• We’ll never get there – and that’s okay! (we’re human, after all)

 

Module III: The Big Three

Energy, Work, and Love – and everyone has these in their lives, whether you have a paid job or not, a significant other or not – we are all shaped by the Big Three areas of our lives.

• Carpe Diem (it’s not just about seizing the day, but also seizing the moment)
  • Your Identities, Virtues, and Behaviors (of the best version of yourself – we get clear on these, so that we know who we want to be, and how we want to act)
  • The Carpe Diem Journal (this is how we operationalize our best self – by reminding ourselves daily about what and who we aspire to be)
• A Trip to Michelango’s Studio (our best self already exists inside of us, but we need to chip away at the things that are getting in the way of it showing up)

 

Module IV: Masterpiece Days

Part of creating routines and protocols is about knowing what we have to gain by doing so:

• Masterpiece Days (what would our ideal days look like, if we could wave a magic wand?)
• PM and AM Bookends (since we have the most control over the beginning and the end of our days, how do we structure them for the most optimization?)

 

Module V: Challenges Make Us Stronger

They do! Just like Kelly Clarkson says in this song!

• OMMS (Obstacles Make Me Stronger – your new mantra)
• Anti-Fragile Fuel (the differences between being fragile, resilient, and anti-fragile, and how we can turn challenges into fuel for our fires)
• WOOP (how to anticipate challenges before they show up, and increase the odds of reaching our goals)

 

Module VI: Energy

This is the foundation for our lives – if we don’t have energy, we can’t show up well anywhere else.

• Sleep (Digital Sunset – let’s get serious about turning off those screens)
• Eating (Real Food – harder than it should be in our fast moving, highly processed world)
• Movement (1,000 Second Timer – reminding yourself to move)

 

Module VII: Work

You have work to do in the world regardless of whether or not you have a traditional J.O.B. – this encompasses your passions, projects, hobbies, and more.

• Deep Work (according to Cal Newport, this is both becoming more rare, and more valuable – we all need to cultivate this skill)
• The Importance of Oscillating (everything goes in cycles and rhythms, and we need to honor our own as we do our Deep Work)
• Sticky Focus and Going for the W.I.N.! (there’s always so much to do, so we need to focus really intensely on What’s Important Now)

 

Module VIII: Love

This also applies to everyone – whether you do or don’t have a significant other, get along with your family or not, have kids or don’t – we are social creatures and love and relationships are a critical part of our lives

• Love 0.0 – Self Care (it’s not just bubble baths)
• Love 1.0 – Presence & the iPhone Effect (the greatest gift we can give to ourselves and others is our attention – which is constantly being splintered by the amazing mini-computers in our hands)
• Love 2.0 – Micromoments (an incredible way to soak up and create moments of connection as we go about our days)
• Love 3.0 – Encouraging Others (tapping into the best version of ourselves to see the best version of the people around us)

 

Module IX: Wrapping It Up

We’re just wrapping up this program! The quest to close the gap between who we are being, and who we are capable of being – our best self – is never-ending. Thank goodness! Life would be pretty boring, otherwise!

• The Big Three Audit (time to come full circle and reflect on our Big Three once more)
• Celebrate new habits installed and deleted (Woohoo! Look at all you have done over the past four months!)
• Celebrate new identities and virtues embodied (And look at who you have become!!)
• Go out and change the world! (That’s why we’re all here, right?)

 

Phew! I know that’s a lot, and it’s meant to be. Think of it as planting seeds and then tending them – some will bloom right away, and others will need more time – but they’re there, germinating under the soil, even if you can’t see the growth immediately.

 

*The curriculum for this program draws freely on the work of Brian Johnson, founder and CEO of Optimize. Dr. Geil is a certified Optimize Coach.

 

Participants in the program increased their Big Three Audit ratings in Energy, Work, and Love an average of 1.3 points on a 10-pt scale. Ratings at the end of the program matched or exceeded ratings at the beginning by as much as 3 points. These are some of the changes they noticed: 

“I have a better perspective today – more positive, and I’m much calmer.”

“I’ve improved in actively listening to other people, instead of reacting right away.”

“I’m more conscious of aiming to be my best self, and … that helps me be more present with who I am and be more present with others.”

“I’m better able to focus on important things. And that may partly be because I’m deciding ‘important’ differently.”

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Talk to Kim About Joining the Next Optimize Cohort

 

When is it?

The next cohort will start in Winter/Spring 2022 (exact dates TBD). We alternate between new content and sessions to ask questions, get coaching, and discuss as a group. Three weeks on, and then a week off – it’s important to oscillate and take breaks!

 

What if I can’t make all the times or have to miss some sessions here and there?

• They will be recorded so you can watch them later!

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“One of the most effective things that I’ve been implementing … is the Digital Sunset. And enforcing that. For example, I can’t remember the last time when I woke up in the middle of the night and picked up my phone for something that wasn’t necessary or useful (like checking … the temperature to open the windows). Just having that at top of mind, I haven’t picked up my phone at night. It goes on the nightstand at 9:30, 10 o’clock or whatever it is when I get in the shower, and it stays there until the alarm goes off in the morning. And that’s actually been working! … The effects of sleep are much better that whole next day. I’m up, and ready to go to yoga, and do whatever. I still succumb once in a while, but it’s quite infrequent, and I’m sleeping better.” – Dennis, Cohort 1 of Optimize Your Life

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“I am more relaxed with my thinking, or my attitude about not getting things done. Sometimes, I make up a list for myself, “Oh, this weekend, I need to complete all of these things.” Sometimes I don’t … Or things fall behind with work a little bit and I don’t spend too much time and energy on beating myself up. So that has been quite a change from six months ago, before the program, before we started talking about it.” – Hei, Cohort 1 of Optimize Your Life

Sounds great! How do I sign up?

Click the link below and send me a message to let me know you’re interested – we’ll hop on the phone or Zoom for about 30 minutes so that I can get a sense of what you’re hoping to get out of it, to make sure it’s the right program for you. And you can ask me questions and get to know me a little better, so that you can make the right decision for you. 

 

Click Here to Talk to Kim About Joining the Next Optimize Cohort

 

I only want you in this program if you and I both know it’s going to be an awesome fit. It’s not going to be the right program for everyone, and that’s totally fine! So absolutely no worries if after we chat, we decide it isn’t something that would serve you. I know you’ll find what you’re looking for (and I might have some suggestions) if this program isn’t it.

 

Looking forward to connecting! Can’t wait to start Optimizing with you!!

 

“I’m just grateful, from being with you all, that I’m lot more aware of my body. A lot more. And that my body needs to go outside … And you know, I’m getting much more gentle with myself. I do go outside, and if I don’t spend half an hour, it’s okay. If I only spend ten minutes, I let myself do that. And I’m finding that my peace of mind, it just has a very positive impact on me. Because I’m looking for ways to be my best self. That has an impact on my work, and my decision making, and everything else. And it’s so simple! I’m much more aware, and I’m very grateful for that.” – Francine, Cohort 1 of Optimize Your Life

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