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My Story

My name is Gaelle Chapon. I am French and American.  

Human development and human connections are my passions.

I believe that it is when we deeply connect with our wiser self and embrace our unique path that we live our best life experience and also give the best of us to the world. I think coaching is the best way to achieve that.

In 2020, I  followed my own inner wisdom and transformed my life:

  • I quit my job and 25 years in the corporate world to become an entrepreneur and a coach.

  • I moved to the Ozarks, Missouri to live with the man I love, closer to nature, at a slower pace.

  • I studied coaching with Erickson Coaching International 

  • I created my own company, Gaelle Chapon Coaching.

 

Let's go back to where it all started and what led me to coaching!

 

Gaelle Chapon in her office

I was born in France, In Brittany, in 1973, only child of a loving couple. Unfortunately, my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was born. This disease had a strong influence on me and on my beliefs. I will name three here because they have had a strong influence on my behavior:​

  • "do not dream or plan, the future is too uncertain, you will be disappointed like your mum"

  • "you cannot create any problems"-> I have been in denial of any personal problems & I have been making compromises between my needs and other people’s needs most of my life & I have put an extreme pressure on myself to succeed  in everything till it led me to a depression

  • "your body cannot be trusted, invest only in your mind" 

​​I was a good student. It was my parent’s dream that I graduated from a good college. I did. I never asked myself what I really wanted but the question was rather what was the most acceptable for me in the options my parents were considering for me.  I studied at the ESC Brest Business School. There, I met and fell in love with another student, Cedric. We both graduated in 1995 and moved to Paris together. We spent the next 22 years together. We have been through a lot together.  Always with a lot of love.

 

For 12 years, I worked for IT consulting companies, in sales. I was successful in my job, had great results and recognition from my management. I was what you would call a “good employee”, reliable, productive, always smiling. However, inside I was secretly feeling miserable. I was pushing myself (too) hard to fit in, was experiencing fear of failure, so much that it led me to a burnout and a deep depression in 2005. It had the positive effect to have me face my anxiety and start dealing with it instead of denying it.

 

In 2007, I followed Cedric to Miami. It was his dream to live in the USA. It was a very challenging experience for me to start over there, that brought a lot of anxiety.  I got an opportunity to start a new career in the event & meeting planning industry. This career had never been on my radar, but I needed a job.  And It turned out to be a good opportunity that got me to travel all over the USA. I liked my job, but was still feeling purposeless and was still experiencing a lot of anxiety.

Life happened and Cedric and I got a divorce in 2016. 

To recap, up to this point, I had spent  most of my life making compromises between what was acceptable for me and what was OK for others: trying to be a good daughter, a good wife, a good employee, meeting expectations set by others, fitting in, performing, trying to control everything, fearing failure, uncertainty, change....and unable to make plans for my future.

From the outside I was successful, but inside I was paying a high price for it: I have experienced chronic anxiety, a depression, disconnection to my desires, feeling purposeless and unable to dream.

 

The separation with Cedric was painful but has also been an opportunity for me to get to know myself better, connect to my own desires and grow. 

I knew there was something more meaningful for me in life, but I could not identify what it was...When you have not allowed yourself to dream, it is hard envision your dream future!  I felt stuck, but I wanted more. I was ready to change!

 

I think the first step to my transformation was a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru in 2017: my ONLY childhood dream that I turned into reality. Magic! Empowering! Unforgettable!

The same year, an encounter also changed my life. I met David and fell in love with him. David has been by my side to support me in taking fully my life in my hands. He is a dreamer and a doer, bold and adventurous. He never forced me into anything but inspired me. I got my diving certification and have been diving in Florida, Colombia and West Papua, skydiving, off-grid camping, sleeping on a top of a volcano we hiked in Bali, kayaking on the Ozarks rivers... all things I thought were not for me and that I actually TRULY love!

An experience at a time, I was building a growth mindset and a strong self-confidence, without even knowing it, pushing myself into new challenges from a place of excitement to experience something new instead of fear to fail.

 

When the Covid-19 pandemic took us out of our "normality", my activity slowed down. This pause gave me the mental space and time to rethink my life.

I worked with a coach, Helene. I gained clarity on some inner obstacles and beliefs that had been limiting me in my life so far. I ignited my bold & brave self. I felt confident to embrace who I am. I was ready to create new beliefs that serve me better. I allowed myself to dream and envision a future I really want, defined clear goals, put together a plan and took action to make my vision come true.

I finally listened to my intuition, my inner wisdom. I was finally being fully me, listening to my own inner voice.

I feel  free, confident and full of energy... and able to face and overcome my fears of uncertainty, change and failure!

 

Coaching came as an evidence as it is matching:

  • my need for purpose: I can be of service to others and create a positive impact 

  • my inner qualities of trust, open-mindedness, curiosity, empathy, authenticity responsibility, accountability.

  • my own experience being coached that was so empowering for me.

  • my interest for personal development, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, neurosciences, positive psychology...

  • my need for freedom and my desire to develop my creativity that led me to consider being an entrepreneur.

  • my passion for human connection and deep conversations.

 

I took the decision to trasnform my life. I now have the lifestyle, work-life balance and freedom I really want. I am living my life with intention, aligned with my values. It is not easy, but it comes with ease. I feel joyful, purposeful. I have dreams for my future. I am the leader of my life. 

My mission is to support you in:

  • connecting with yourself,

  • embracing who you truly  are,

  • aligning with your values

  • taking control of your life,

  • developing your full unique potential,

 

so you can live your best life and contribute to the world at your best!

Curious to know more?

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