About

With a successful career as an entrepreneur, life coach and popular teleclass leader, Certified Mentor Coach Barbra Sundquist now mentors other coaches who want the same kind of success.

She has been described by clients and colleagues as “focused, wise, and masterful in her understanding and use of coaching models.”

Barbra is certified by both the International Association of Coaches (IAC) and Coachville. She was an IAC Certifying Examiner from 2004 – 2007 and was Editor of the IAC member publication, The Voice.

Prior to starting her coaching business in 2001, Barbra operated a successful human resources consulting company for fifteen years and taught management courses at a university. Her academic background includes a Master’s degree in Public Administration and an undergraduate degree in Psychology. 

On the personal side, this is what Barbra says about the journey that brought her to coaching:

I spent my 20s getting an education and my 30s working hard in my consulting business. But something was wrong – I didn’t look forward to getting up in the morning. I knew I wanted to create a work life that aligns with my deepest values and interests, but something was holding me back. When I hit 40 I asked myself “if not now, when?” I decided to stop complaining about my work and start doing something about it.

A wise life coach put it to me this way: “What are your innate gifts, and how do you want to use them to contribute in the world?” After much reflection, I determined that my innate gifts are my deep listening, compassion for people, and the ability to clarify complex information in a way that makes it easy for people to learn. I knew then that life coach would be the perfect job for me.

I live in a small rural community on Vancouver Island (off the west coast of Canada) with my husband and three cats. Part of my mid-life transition was returning to school to study visual arts, and I now have a dream studio in which to paint and muck about. I also love to sing and I’m a member of a Latin dance performing group called “The Hot Tamales”. I’m not a particularly good singer or dancer, but I love doing it!

I used to think that there was “work life” and “personal life” but I’ve recently concluded that there isn’t a lot of difference between them – whether we are talking family, workplace, or community, in the end it all comes down to the same thing: human relationships. That’s why I love being a life coach.