Life coach launches practice in Conejo

The Conejo Valley is home to a new life coaching business called "Create a New Season."

Mary Ann Lowry, M.Ed. launched her new business this year after completing the training requirements to be a Martha Beck Certified Life Coach. Dr. Beck is a bestselling author and a regular contributor to O Magazine.

While it was once viewed as just another New Age trend, recent findings based on a study at the University of Sydney revealed that life coaching can help people set and reach their goals and can enhance their sense of well-being and personal development.

Life coaching can be compared to selecting a "self-help" book and bringing it to life with the coach serving as the interpreter, Lowry said.

With "Create a New Season," Lowry will help clients break free of the thoughts that may hold them captive.

Coaching is not therapy, Lowry says. It is more about personal training for the soul. If one's life is "okay," but something still doesn't feel quite right with regard to career, relationships and parenting, then life coaching is often a valuable next step, she says.

In her work, Lowry plans to focus on personal career and parenting coaching; organization and goal-setting for individuals with ADHD, coping with chronic pain, and helping adolescent girls achieve self- confidence.

To introduce her practice to the community, Lowry will be offering a seminar called "The Secret Behind the Secret" at the Greenhouse Café in Thousand Oaks on April 26.

Visit the website at www.createanewseason.com to register, or contact Mary Ann Lowry at (818) 610-3901.