Today our Accountability Coach Q+A is with Becky Brown. Becky went through our coach certification in 2021 and has been coaching for AW for the last two years. She is a graduate of Duke’s Health Coach Professional Training program and holds a Lifestyle Medicine Coach Certificate from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. As well as having a BS in Pharmacy and being a registered pharmacist. Her interest in health and wellness has led her down many paths and eventually to us, where she recognized her skills sets in planning, work/life balance, implementation would come together in a new way. As you will learn Becky is multifaceted and we feel very lucky to have her as part of our team.
Why are you an accountability coach for AW?
Accountability Works’ whole-person comprehensive approach – starting with a vision, setting professional & personal goals, creating a strategy, and committing to implement – resonates with me and aligns with my training and experience as a coach. AW is an operating system that breaks through the resistance and produces results. I view AW’s process as straight-forward, strategic, and results/growth-driven all tied up in a bow of mindful accountability.
I am honored to work with my AW accountability groups. Being a witness to each member’s unique goals, ideas, learning, insights, and accomplishments energizes and inspires me. As a coach, I’m holding you accountable to your dreams, your goals, your weekly commitments, your promises to yourself; but I’m also rooting for your success.
What are 2 values you embody and 1 you aspire to?
I embody organization & creativity. My aspiration value is a toss-up between simplicity and intentional relaxation – perhaps there’s a connection between the two
At this time, what practices make you feel your best and make up your Personal Foundation?
My personal foundation includes:
- Exercise 4-5x/week (running, reformer Pilates, and strength training)
- Daily HeartMath meditation, 15-30 minutes
- Meal planning
- This quarter I’m tracking my coffee consumption & its effect on my sleep/stages of sleep. So far, I’ve learned that when I eliminate my afternoon coffee(s), my total time asleep remains the same (7-8 hrs) but my time in rem & deep sleep is doubled. That’s a win! As Marissa is fond of saying, the truth is in the tracking.
- Reading fiction, I love a good book with a twist at the end. Recommendations welcome!
When was the last time you did something for the first time? What was it and what did it feel like being at your edge?
I have run on and off over the years, probably more off than on. And I joke that I identify as a runner; but truthfully, I’m not sure I could claim that title. But in 2022, I set a goal to run the Pittsburgh Great Race 5K. I trained for months (just ask my accountability coach); my strength, endurance, stamina, and speed continued to improve. On race day, I beat my best training time by 1½ minutes and placed 6th out of 31 participants in my age group. I had a blast, so many people, so much fun, and ready to do it all over again.
My favorite stress reliever is…
My creative hobbies – sewing, weaving, gardening. Reading for pleasure. A movie or show that makes me laugh out loud.
My happy place is…
Any place with my family. But especially somewhere near or on the water – the beach, a lake.
The book, movie, podcast, etc. that I’m most excited about right now …
So many things I could list here. But the one thing that has inspired me in surprising ways is the Netflix documentary Stutz by Jonah Hill. Which then sparked my curiosity to read the books, The Tools and Coming Alive by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. Which now is leading me on a deep dive into Shadow work. So much fun – fascinating and surprising. Check out their website www.thetoolsbook.com.
To me, accountability is…
To paraphrase Newton’s Law of Motion, an object at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by a force. For me, accountability is that force that sets me in motion to accomplish a goal, to stretch beyond my comfort zone, to do something I know will be hard or that I’ve been avoiding or procrastinating over.
Accountability is all about making a promise to myself and then showing up to keep that promise. That consistent act of showing up for myself through my commitments, whether I feel like it or not, creates the forward motion that builds momentum and confidence. To me, being organized and accountable is a type of self-care, a means to avoid stress and provide clarity.
