Life Coaches in Cahoots
Life Coaches in Cahoots
16: Coach Michelle Kalkan - Oola Accelerator Humility
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Episode 16
Date Recorded: July 7, 2023
Title: Coach Michelle Kalkan – Oola Accelerator: Humility
Description: Michelle has a degree in Communications, multiple years of metaphysical studies on her path to being a Practitioner through the Science of Mind coursework, and has an active yoga practice, certified with Yoga Alliance, where she serves many wonderful souls through mindfulness and meditation. But, above all this, obtaining her certification as an Oola Life Coach is what she was born to do.
Throughout this journey, Michelle has encountered her share of pitfalls, stumbled down, and had to get back up again – and those experiences have helped her identify with, and relate to, her clients. Michelle is described by her community as enlightened, skillful, and playful. She has been gifted with optimism and that gift continues to strengthen as her life unfolds. She has incorporated various levels of practicality, along with spirituality and formal training to be the best Soulga Life Coach for you!
How to connect with Michelle:
Website: www.soulgalifecoach.com
Social Media: Search @soulgalifecoach - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok
New episodes of Life Coaches in Cahoots drop every other Wednesday.
Listen and subscribe today.
Hello and welcome everyone. Today we are going to discuss the Oola Accelerator humility. Humility is the quality of having a modest view of your own importance. And as a reminder, Oola accelerators are those traits and characteristics that will help to propel you into having an Oola life even faster. And today we have Coach Michelle Calkin here with us to talk more about why humility is so important. Michelle has a degree in communications, multiple years of metaphysical studies on her path to being a practitioner through the Science of Mind coursework, and has an active yoga practice certified with Yoga Alliance, where she serves many wonderful souls through mindfulness and meditation. But above all, this, obtaining her certification as a Oola life coach is what she was born to do. Throughout this journey, Michelle has encountered her share of pitfalls, stumbled down and had to get back up again, and those experiences have helped her identify with and relate to her clients. Michelle is described by her community as enlightened, skillful, and playful. She has been gifted with optimism and that gift continues to strengthen as her life unfolds. She has incorporated various levels of practicality along with spirituality and formal training to be the best soga life coach for you. I am coach Stephanie, and I am here today with Coach Melinda, my co-host, and a coach who puts the soul back into life. Coach Michelle Calkin.
melindaHi Melinda. Hi. Hi, Stephanie. Hi Michelle. Welcome back everyone for another great episode of Life Coaches in Cahoots. I'm Coach Melinda. Stephanie and I are on a mission to showcase some of our fabulous Oola life coaches and share their stories. We are very excited to introduce Michelle to our listeners today as she shares about herself and the Oola Accelerator humility. Welcome Michelle, and thanks for
michellejoining us today. Hey guys, thank you for allowing me to do this with you.
stephanieHey, Michelle. So before we dive deep into this interview and topic, we like to ease our guests in with some later questions. Does that sound good?
michelleThat sounds perfect. Perfect. So you live in Florida, correct? I do. Okay,
stephanieso maybe this question doesn't apply, but I would love to know what's your favorite season and why?
michelleSo set aside from living in Florida, I think my favorite season would be spring because I like where it's not super hot, but everything is like the new beginnings and the freshness and you could just kind of like start to go to the beach, but it's, still a little chilly. So it's like that kind of transition between super cold and super hot.
stephanieTotally. I live in Wisconsin, so you know, I don't like the super cold and the summers are super hot. So
michelleHave you always lived in Florida? I have. I actually am a, a homegrown Florida girl. Wow. Okay.
stephanieThat's cool. If you could live anywhere in the world though, where would you wanna live and why?
michelleSo, I went on a Scandinavian cruise a couple summers ago, and I really fell in love with the area up there. So I would say probably like a Denmark, Estonia, Finland, someone like that. And what I found there was it was just, The energy was just different. It was like everyone just got along amicably and the water was fresher and the food tasted more crisp, and it just was a really, really great experience. And then consequently, I ended up reading a study that, I think it was Denmark was like the number one happiest country in the world, so in Sweden, like all that area. So I thought, okay, so. I mean, I'm not saying it's out of the possibility realm, but who knows? I, I think that would be my dream place and maybe it could happen. That sounds
stephaniereally cool. I have read that too, and heard that they're the happiest people in the world.
michelleWell,
melindaas far as Oola goes, Oola is always doing the dream tour and traveling around. So travel is a big part of that, as well as the guys and the books and we're run and life coaching, of course. So how and when did you first hear the word
michelleOola? I was introduced to Oola, through their book the Oola book for women, and it was at a health fair. I was working for a chiropractor and a lady, had gifted it to me and I looked at it and I thought, okay, this is kind of cool. And I like put it on a shelf and then I read it and I put it back on the shelf and I started to kind of follow them through social media. And so one day I was kind of, I was teaching yoga full-time. And I was like, what do I like wanna do with this? Like, and no joke, I get an email and or you know, an email in my email box and it was like, so you're looking to be a life coach? And I'm like, no, I wasn't. I don't even know if I know what that is. And so consequently all this asking I had been doing to God or to the universe, it was like I got my answer, but I didn't even know that that's what it was. So I had heard of Oola, but my whole life didn't change until I actually got that email about being a life coach and then I went completely in and, you know, live, eat, breathe. Since that, that aha time. So were
melindayou working the Oola Lifestyle framework before that, or did you kind of do it all at the same time?
michelleWell, I thought I was dabbling in it, but I didn't have the, let's say discipline and, everything that goes with it. I wasn't doing it a hundred percent until I became a life coach.
melindaSo what do you think the clients should look for when considering a life coach for themselves?
michelleI would say, Because we have such a diverse community, which is incredible, go toward maybe a particular area that you're lacking in, and find the life coach that would support you in that area that you need the build up in. If you're just looking on, on a webpage or like looking online. But if you're meeting someone in person, then I would say whichever personality or like the energy you gravitate toward, that would be the coach to also find, depending if it's distant or virtual or in person. Okay.
melindaSo your name is the Soga Life coach. How did you come up with that? Tell us a little bit about your niche.
michelleOkay, so Soga originated from when I was teaching yoga. It was yoga for the body and the soul. I still teach yoga a little, but I, as I started to moving into life coach, I had a, meeting with Dr. Dave and I was talking to him about my name and I said, well, now it doesn't make sense if I'm a life coach and don't teach yoga anymore. And he said, if you have, if. Branded that, stick with that name. So I brought it back full circle and now it's kind of like I am life coaching from the soul. And so I just kept, so we removed the yoga, soga yoga, and now it's just soga. So it, it's just catchy, but it really did start with somewhere else and I just decided to keep it cuz I'm very, spiritually based, like very grounded in my, principles and, and my foundation. So I use a lot of that. spirituality in my actual coaching. See, I learned something new.
stephanieI always wondered what that meant. And now I know. So, as I mentioned earlier, we are discussing the Oola Accelerator of Humility. So let's just jump right in with the first question about that. What does the word humility mean to you?
michelleThis is an excellent question in that before I became more enlightened and personally developed, now I used to think that word was like a negative connotation or it had, um, you like, were gonna be embarrassed if you talked about humility. And now after really embracing and living the Oola life, I find that humility almost if, if. Encompass that. It's almost like a compliment to me. So humility means to me that it's okay to ask for help. It doesn't mean you're less than, it just means that there are resources that are more knowledgeable in certain areas and that we, we need to go and, and get help where it's available to us. Definitely.
stephanieI agree with that. Tell us about a time when you personally experienced humility or a humbling moment.
michelleI have lots of those being a parent, growing up and, and my kids. So, uh, one of them is almost 20 and the other is 22. I, I feel like I am humbled and, practice humility all the time, whether it is, providing guidance that I developed somewhere along the way that no longer suits me or suits them. And so it's it being a parent, it, I can't give you just one example. there are so many across, over 20 years that I, learned to really embrace it and say, okay, like, let me, let me not take it so personal that I was wrong and I need to be humble and, you know, kind of move through that as a parent. Yeah, that's true.
stephaniekids do humble us. Melinda, do you have a humbling moment or experience?
melindaWell, I absolutely think we would probably humble ourselves for our children a bazillion times over. But I think the very first time that I remember it, I was a teenager in high school and my first job was in a dietary department at the big hospital, and part of that was you had to. Clear the trays that came down to the washroom and the trough that the stuff went into, it just smelled like the barf trough. It was so stinky and I kept thinking, why do I even have to work here? Like we, you know, kind of in my head almost like I was better than doing this job, right? So one day, A pair of false teeth comes down on a tray and I'm cleaning'em up and I send the false teeth back upstairs and when I'm done with my shift they said, could you please run these teeth up to whoever's room? They figured out it came from and I was like, okay, I could do that. And the whole way up there I'm thinking, you know, I have a hot date tonight. This really blows. I gotta go deliver some guys false teeth, you know, yada yada. I get into this room and it's two old women in this room. And, she was so grateful to get her teeth back. She was like, I thought I was gonna have to eat Jello the rest of the time I was here. And her roommate is like, I offered to share my choppers with her and I was like a teenager. I'm like, I don't even know if that was a thing, if you could even do that. I was like, so I was done with my shift and I ended, staying and talking to the older ladies and, you know, they were. Just reminiscent about what it was like to be young and it, it was a super huge humbling moment for me and I thought, I am gonna work this job. I am gonna make, enough money to have dental insurance so that I can afford choppers someday. And I watched very closely for false teeth on the food line as I continued that job. But yeah. Wow. It was, yeah, a good learning moment. Oh my gosh. I'm laughing. That's the second one that is equally as bad. this second job I ever had. I worked in a gift wrapping section of the department store and the senator for our town came in and he ordered all of these. Wedding gifts plates set. And I was like, so excited. I'm gonna wrap these the best. You know, the older women taught me how to do this and I was like, I got this. Doesn't he come back the next day to point out that I left the price tag on all of the dish set? Oh, no,
michelleno.
melindaThat was my little lesson into pay. Close attention to details and, but he was so gracious. Think about it that, yeah, it was a humbling moment. Oh, I know. Oops. 10 years later I saw him at another event where I worked at a different job and I was like hiding in the background.
michelleYeah.
melindaSo those starting lessons early. That's good. Okay. So although we know not to confuse humility with weakness, and that humility is quiet confidence. What are you quietly confident about, Michelle?
michelleI think there are two answers I wanna give for this one. I think that inside being, Really grounded again, with, with my connection with, spirituality and God and my foundation, that when I'm presented with a problem, I know instinctively that I can find the silver lining. I can find the, the real truth with capital T behind it, and I don't have to be loud. And I, I just like quietly know that. And along with that, optimism and, I don't know, like a positive influence, those two things combined. Even if someone's coming at me, and let's say it's, my kids say they're really upset, I can quietly know like, okay, I know that this is gonna turn out better and so I can stay quiet. But yet I know I'm pretty confident in that, that there will be a resolve through that. So I think, I think probably they kind of go hand in hand, although they're not the same thing.
melindaOkay, so humility is also knowing when to admit that you don't know something, and to use a phrase from the Oola book, parking Your Ego at the Door. Can you tell us a time when you have had to humble yourself and ask for
michellehelp? Yes. Well, I first will say that the park, your ego at the door, that definitely is the old, when I was, I thought humility was like a bad thing. So I get to say, being in the older community, we all, it's all a safe space for us to be vulnerable and ask questions where we can continue to learn. So I'm very grateful for that part of, of the park, the ego. Um, but there were times when I thought I knew it all and I thought that I didn't need anyone's help. And, I go back to parenting again and I remember being so strong in my thoughts of like, this is how it's done. And I remember having, you know, it was my husband and I, the kids' dad, and we were probably like, You know, kind of a power struggle, a power conflict. And we ended up going to, a specialist. So I had to park my ego out the door to be able to listen to her, guide us properly in what was the right thing to do, and realizing that I didn't know everything that I thought I knew, and it was, an eye opening experience of. if I had not parked that ego at the door, I never would've moved further to be able to properly parent my children or properly co co-operate with their dad. So it's, I remember times like that, that were, they were difficult, but they weren't horrible. I, I just, it taught me humility. That's a terrific
melindaexample. I think that when it comes to therapy, And seeing a psychologist and getting mental health for a lot of people, it does rely on you leaving your ego at the door. You get the help when you put your truth out there and you're willing to share. Yeah. So that's a great example. Thanks
michellefor sharing. Of course. Thank you.
stephanieAnd when we embrace humility in our lives, we also acknowledge that there is room to improve and grow, especially when we have made mistakes or experienced failures. And so if you would, A mistake that you have made and what you've learned from that.
michelleso I. I really believe that things that don't, like let's say, um, we have an upset in our life, I don't necessarily think of that as a mistake because we all build on it to grow stronger and be a better person. So I can think of things that I've experienced that didn't feel good, that I didn't really like, that I realized on the other side was like, oh, that's why I did X, Y, Z. So, going through that, I would say probably, My divorce would be a big one as far as like it wasn't a mistake that I married him or it wasn't a mistake that we got divorced. It was something that really stunk and wasn't great in life. But because I went through that, then I realized what I did wrong on my part of being married and realized how I could do better for future. And then along the same lines, realizing how I, I wanted to change cuz I was living a, a default life back in the day of being brought up. The way I was. So it's not necessarily a mistake, so I'm gonna just word it a little differently. but it was a good eyeopener into being a bigger, better person where I can serve my community and serve, the, the whole entire world. Cuz it's a ripple effect of the energy that we put out, if that makes sense.
stephanieIt does make sense. And I love that outlook. you are the optimistic, the optimistic one. So on the flip side of mistakes, It is also possible to experience humility in our achievements without boasting or gloating or thinking we're better than everyone else. So what do you consider your greatest achievement?
michelleI was gonna say my kids, but then I thought, that's not an achievement. I did that's something that was like God given to me. I was the vessel that helped them. I'm very proud that with them being the ageist that they are, that they still come to me and that they still are, we have a close bond. So I think that, requires patience on both ends. So I, wanna give them credit, but I also am not one of those parents that's like, well, you moved out, you're done. I wanna continue that, support for them. And that kind of segues into my coaching what I do right now with teenagers. I find great achievement in working with them and the results that we get, but I feel like I wanna, owe it to being a product of having higher, higher strengths, higher education come through me to provide that for both my kids and for the teenagers that I coach.
melindaOkay, that's great. I was just gonna ask you to tell us a little bit more about your niche. So how do you coach the importance of humility to the teenagers when you're coaching?
michelleThat is a great question because the age group that I'm working with, they very much are in a state of trying to put on a show and they think that being humble and showing humility means that they're weak. And so I'm really trying to, without, you know, preaching or parenting or whatever, trying to work with them to show them that if they have to ask for help, that it's basically, they have a strength in whatever they're doing. So I, I present it to them, like, if so and so comes to you, that's your strength and you help them grow. You don't think you're better than them. And they say, no. And then I say, okay, it's the same thing. If you don't know what, you wanna know and you ask someone else. It doesn't make you less than or weak, it just means that you're looking for a, a resource to be able to learn more. And so we really work on that. They are enough. We work a lot on that mental, self-sabotage language that we use where I, I'm not good enough and I can't do this. We try to build hugely with affirmations and therefore trying to introduce humility and being humble is not a bad thing, but, but linking it together where it does not deny your own importance.
melindaThat's fantastic that I think that's great that you're working with that age group. That's much better way to learn it than the
michelleway I did. Yeah, right, me too. So we are
melindaasking all of the coaches on our show some questions similar to the truest questionnaire, which has its origins in a parlor game, popular Rise by Marcel Pru, a French essayist and novelist who believed that in answering. 35 questions. An individual reveals his or her true nature. So we're not gonna ask you 35 questions, we're only gonna throw five at you today. Ok. So the first one being, can you tell us something in your life that has grown out a personal
michelledisaster? Yes. This one. this one is very, close to close to me. there was a time, I'm gonna say probably 10 years ago that I was at a place in life. That was really low. And, um, I was in a situation where I was driving in my car, my kids were with their dad for the weekend and I was in such a bad place that I just literally was going to pull my car into traffic and just be hit because I was so down that they would be better with their dad. And I had, I didn't have importance and I didn't, it was just a really bad place. So through a, through that experience, It didn't end up in disaster, thank goodness, that I really grew to, um, know that my life was important. And so I took all of that and tried to turn it into where if someone were contemplating that or if they felt like they were so low and they couldn't reach out and other things that I felt, I wanna be a resource for them to show them that they aren't alone and that, it's just to show them that there's something else. That can be rather than just ending at all. So it, it was a disaster that didn't really go all the way through, but it was definitely something that changed my life dramatically that I, I, I start looking at things differently.
melindaI completely understand that right before we hopped on this call, I was telling Stephanie a moment in time that I could pinpoint where I felt like I. Had a quantum leap from a situation that I felt just as strongly about. Yeah. So that's awesome. I can tell you've made a quantum leap.
michelleVery cool. so when
stephanieand where were you the happiest you've
michelleever been? Um, I have a lot of happy moments. I was happy when I, when I did get married, even though it, resulted in divorce. I. Was happy when my kids were born. Um, as far as leading up to a time of the happiest, I would probably say it's now in my life because I'm able to get the kinks out and I look forward to being able to grow even more that my life is here. So right now, life is really, really great. And so I, I feel like I am happiest now. Present moment with the experiences that I get to have and, and the life that I, leave, that I lead, that I live. That is
stephaniegreat. I love to hear that. what relationship defines love for you? And this can be real or fictional?
michelleWell, I first will say that as a little kid, we were taught fairy tales. And it was like, love, was gonna look like this and, and all that. And that is not real. Like, that should not be, even though it's a sweet story. I love to watch the movies like that. That's not real. I'm gonna go with love, like big, huge love, like God love. it is probably the realest that it gets because it's, it's a love past, a love for your kids or a love for your significant other. it is an unconditional love that. You can fall down and you're not, you can get right back up and know that you're just as equal as you were before. You can ask for help and you're no less than. So probably God's love is gonna be what really exemplifies a real, true love. That's another great answer.
melindaWhat person, place, or experience has shaped you the most?
michelleI'm gonna go. Let's go person. When I was born, I had a grandmother that was a minister, and it was in a non-traditional religion. It was at the time, it was new thought, which has become way more popular now with the Louise Hay, the Wayne Dyer, the Secret. And so she was kind of like my spiritual mentor and I, I mean, I grew up into that, so that's all I knew. And it was a time when women were not in. Religion. they were not a minister. So it taught me to be a strong female to know that I could, could lead. And then it just kind of has, has just along the way between Oola, Oola Falls right in alignment with the way that I was brought up through my church and the different opportunities, the books we read, the workshops we attend. Those are huge things that have changed my life, and it just seemed to pop up with people I meet with, like I said, workshops I go to, but it continues to be the same theme from when I was born, but I taught from my grandmother, so I think it probably started with her and then it just continues along the way with the same principle behind it. It's very Oola. Yeah.
melindaWhat advice would you give to your younger
michelleself? Ooh, good one. Uh, lots of advice, but I think the one thing that I would really try to, uh, really have me grasp is, but same thing that I tell the teenagers that I coach is you, Michelle. You are enough where you are. You don't have to get other people's approvals. You don't have to live through other people's expectations. Like you are fine just the way you are and trusting yourself and really knowing that. You could stand it on your own two feet and it'd be okay.
stephanieYeah, that's a good one. That's a good answer. we are up to Enneagrams, so we're asking all the coaches on our show if they've taken the Enneagram test. And I say this on every episode for anyone out there unfamiliar, the Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns and how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. Have you taken an Enneagram test? And if so, what is your
michellenumber? I have, and my number is very similar to the other people you have interviewed on your podcast. I am a seven. A
stephanieseven. The Oola seven? Yes. And I think you are the sixth person maybe on our show. That was a seven. That is the most popular number. do you wanna share with the listeners what a seven means or would you like me to share that?
michelleI would like for you two, please. Okay,
stephanieso again, the seven is the enthusiast, and I tried to find a little bit more information so I wouldn't be repeating what I said from other episodes. sevens are extroverted, energetic, and enthusiastic about life's possibilities. For Sevens, the world is primarily a place of adventure. They live for excitement of the future. Sevens are fun, loving, entertaining, cheerful, and pragmatic people who spend a lot of their time focusing on the next amazing experience. They are spontaneous and bold and don't quickly accept limitations to their curiosity. Among the amazing gifts of sevens is their belief in the positive sides of people and their ideas. They like to encourage others to try out new things and pursue their dreams just like they do themselves. So I thought that sounded kind of more Oola too. so what do you think about those results? does that sound like you?
michelleIt does. I don't know. Any negatives to seven? Can I hear like some of the opposite of what like seven needs improve on? Do you have that or no? So we.
stephanieCan access that information. But honestly, on our show, we just like to talk about this. I know, I know There is a flip side, like I'm the helper and there is a negative to being a helper because if you're not healthy as a helper, you have bad boundaries and you say yes to everything and then you run yourself down. So, yeah, there's a flip side to it. You can be overly adventurous and you know Yes, ok. Not, not go to your day-to-day routine to say, oh, I decided I'm not gonna do that and I'm gonna go do this. So there is a flip side of that coin. You just have to be healthy
michelleand Yeah, I, and I, and I would say I probably do, identify with the opposite of sometimes, not focusing on what is gonna be more productive because I am having too much fun. So I do actually relate to probably the other side too. But I just wanted to see if that was like, now that we've talked about it, I'm gonna look it up after just, yeah, because it'll tell you,
stephanieit'll tell you everything, your strengths, your weaknesses, and, and also it'll give you your wings. That's a whole other. All other
michellethings. Yeah. Yeah. That was a little difficult for me to get, but I got the gist of everything.
melindaProbably the episode that would've been the best to point out the weaknesses. And the opposite would've been your episode for humility. But we just wanna try to stay with the strengths and not pull out people's weaknesses. But um, yeah, I think the great part about knowing what the weaknesses are is it really gives you an opportunity for personal growth cuz it shows you where you need that work and improvement. So you should definitely take a closer look into that.
michelleUm, yeah, absolutely.
melindaHow about, do you have a quote or a motto that you
michellevalue? I really like when people would ask what my favorite quote was. I would always say the one, the author is OG Mandino. And it was Do All Things with Love. but I'm trying to think of like a motto, like something that's like cool that I kind of live by. I think I would use something I say a lot to people, which is so cliche, but it really does mean something that this too shall pass. So if they're going through something really hard, knowing it's temporary. The downside of this too shall pass, is if you are really loving something, you know, it's probably gonna go away for a little bit. and then, a motto would be like, really living for the moment and staying in integrity. because you're setting a, a seed for what's gonna be next. And if you don't plant a proper seed right now, then your crop is not gonna necessarily be something that you're proud of. So pretty much staying present moment, being mindful, I think probably is the motto for life. I think Stephanie's
melindamotto is very close to that with the, the planet seed. What was yours? Yeah,
stephaniemine is bloom. Where you are planted. It's because I've moved around a lot and I've had to start over and. Flourish and grow in all the different states I've lived in. And so, yeah, that's mine.
michelleThat's a good one. I like that one. Yep. I
stephaniecan't believe our podcast episode is almost done. Like this went by really fast. It's been so fun chatting with you guys. so we just can't thank you enough for being on our show, Michelle, and joining us today. is there anything we haven't asked you that you would like to add?
michelleother than trying to really express the need for teenagers having a life coach, I think if we, I think Melinda referenced it earlier, we could have them learn it at a, a younger age than all of us learned it, it, their life would be so much more enriched and such a better experience. And sometimes, parents don't know what to do and that's why, we have the resources and we have a wonderful. Platform that we use, just really wanting to, to just spread the word more and get the word out that it is available for teenagers.
stephanieDefinitely. Yeah. I mean, you don't know what you don't know and, and I know I could have used it when I was a teenager.
michelleYeah. I
stephanieactually do have one last question for you. what advice do you have for our listeners who are struggling with humility in
michelletheir own lives? The advice I. dive into yourself to do some inner work, practice those affirmations of being worthy and really owning your existence. And it will make humility not hard. It will make being humble, not something that's negative, because you'll grow more, you'll be an even better person, but you first gotta own your importance and really own who you are and be proud of who you are. Before you can take that next step. So it's working personally on, loving yourself, I think.
stephanieExcellent, excellent advice. So before we part ways, we want to let you know that our next episode will showcase coach Joel Hassan Ritter, and the last Lux accelerator of wisdom. We want to remind you that we are all designed for greatness and purpose, stress less, feel better, and enjoy life a little more. Thanks again for being on our show today,
michelleMichelle. Thank you. I am blessed. Grateful.
melindaThank goodbye
stephanieeveryone.