MY STORY

My Life, My Brave Work….

Every BIG life decision is usually part of a BIGGER life plan. It was the love of learning, teaching and traveling that brought me to the Lower Mainland back in 1993. Little did I know that over the next 30 years, I would become a student of my own journey on this planet. 

I left India in my early 20s and began my teaching career in Africa where I lived for 11 years before finally arriving in the place where my soul feels most at home, my final resting place ~ Vancouver. Both my son and my daughter were born in Africa and were my first real teachers in life. They are my heart and soul and continue to be my daily inspiration to stay committed to my growth and evolution.

My personal life experiences during the first 10 years of living in Vancouver challenged me to stretch and grow in ways that strengthened my determination to create a life of courage, connection and fulfillment, and contributed to shaping the strong yet nurturing, spiritually anchored person I have morphed into. I will always be a humble student of life, walking my talk, living brave, and continuously choosing courage over comfort.

I believe each one of us is given several gifts to serve the world with.

Even though it took me almost five decades to fully step into claiming mine, I‘ve always been intuitive and tapped into things I can’t see but know to be true. I call this gift compassion. I call this gift empathy. And I call this gift love. This gift isn’t unique to me but it is the thread of my life and the lens for my work.

Through my ability to see people and my willingness to go first, I use my own wisdom and stories to help others extract their own truth, using powerful questions, inquiry through listening, and a safe and patient, but strong container.

Since bridging masterful coaching, dancing in daring arenas, and following my spiritual nudges, I’ve seen ‘impossible’ things happen…

~ I’ve watched as people heal stories that have been plaguing them for years, when no amount of therapy or medication could help.

~ I’ve seen people change their relationship to scarcity and have years of stress melt away.

~ I’ve sat with leaders who now feel safe enough to have vulnerable conversations for the first time in their career.

~ I’ve seen entrepreneurs finally feel like enough after years of hustling and struggling to be successful, and watch as they let themselves be seen and then finally experience the success they were pining for.

~ I’ve supported people to embody their gifts and step into the fullness and richness of who they are, and no longer allow the outside world to convince them they’re too sensitive and not enough.

~ I’ve watched people shift old habits and patterns that instantly mend relationships and allow them to let go of anger and resentment.

~ I’ve witnessed people transform self-loathing and self-betrayal to learning to love their messy, imperfect selves above and beyond anything or anyone else.

Anita Anand

Today I lead, facilitate and coach a community of people near and far who are following their joy, answering their calling, and rewriting their stories, from the inside out.

We all have a calling.  Sometimes it comes through loud and clear. Other times it’s merely a faint whisper, and you feel crazy for even thinking something is speaking to you. (You’re not alone!)

In order to answer your calling, you have to let go. And risk the leap into the unknown. You have to be brave and daring

I had to let go of the security and status attached to being first a wife, then a school Principal, and leap into the unknown, tethered to trust and faith in the bigger plan for my life, and solidly grounded in my purpose and calling. After all, I was teaching people about vulnerability, worthiness, courage and wholehearted living. It was time to become a product of the product! It was time to serve the world in an even bigger way by devoting myself fully to why I’ve been put on this planet. So in 2016 I risked the leap into solopreneurship, and landed softly in the arms of my calling. 

My calling is to be the conduit of transformation, from the inside out, whether I’m coaching you individually, in a team, or in a workshop. My calling is to help you see your true beauty, your power, your unique gifts. My calling is to champion you as you embody your magnificence, serve the world wholeheartedly, and fully participate in this one wild and magical chance at life!

My calling is to bring you to conscious choice in how you show up and allow yourself to be seen, every moment of every day. My calling is to live brave each day myself, so I can call out the brave in you. My calling is compelling and non-negotiable, because of you. YOU are worthy of living a brave and courageous life.

Yes. YOU.

Be you bravely, daringly,

INSIDE MY WORK

A Professional Certified Coach (PCC)

I am accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and graduated in 2010 as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) from the world renowned Coaches Training Institute in California.

A Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDWF)

I completed my training with Dr. Brené Brown in 2013, and am a certified facilitator for her curricula in Daring Greatly™, Rising Strong™, 10 Guideposts For Living Wholeheartedly, and BOLD, a Daring curriculum designed specifically for adolescents.

A Certified Dare To Lead™ Facilitator (CDTLF)

Soon after Brené Brown’s book Dare To Lead was published in 2018, I certified as a facilitator of this groundbreaking, courage building work on Leadership.

iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram Accredited Practitioner

 

 iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram Accredited Practitioner

A Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 Trained Facilitator

Having facilitated couples work through Daring Way™ workshops as well as coaching, this research based method has given me greater insights for helping couples manage conflict, deepen friendship and intimacy, and share their life purpose and dreams.

A Ministry of Education Credentialed Montessori Educator

My teaching career started back in 1986, and has seen me guide children from Preschool to Grade 7, and beyond. I’ve been their guide, their mentor, their coach, and frequently their “school mom”! My journey as an educator took me from the classroom to administration, and I spent the last 17 years of my career as Vice-Principal and Principal of Montessori Elementary schools. I’ve had the joy of watching my students graduate from University, get married, and come back to my school, this time to register their own children!

A Parenting Coach, Certified in the Developing Capable People Program (DCP)

My parenting certification, coupled with my teaching background allows me to share these gifts as necessary, with both my coaching clients and workshop participants, regardless of whether their child is 2 or 20 years old. Once a parent, always a parent! The joys and challenges never go away; they just shift form. 

I also coach children, eight years and older, and do extensive on-going coaching with teens and young adults.

A Bachelor of Arts degree holder in Psychology

I’ve always been intrigued with the human psyche, which was what first led me to this subject, and it continues to play a major role in my understanding of who we are, what makes us tick, and the strategies we use to navigate life.

A Professional Certified Coach (PCC)

I am accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and graduated in 2010 as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) from the world renowned Coaches Training Institute in California.

A Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDWF)

I completed my training with Dr. Brené Brown in 2013, and am a certified facilitator for her curricula in Daring Greatly™, Rising Strong™, 10 Guideposts For Living Wholeheartedly, and BOLD, a Daring curriculum designed specifically for adolescents.

A Certified Dare To Lead™ Facilitator (CDTLF)

Soon after Brené Brown’s book Dare To Lead was published in 2018, I certified as a facilitator of this groundbreaking, courage building work on Leadership.

iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram Accredited Practitioner

In 2024, I became accredited to facilitate the Enneagram assessment that measures how an individual’s Enneagram type impacts their thoughts, behaviors, and actions. The Enneagram  divides people into nine distinct types, each representing a core motivation, fear, and set of behaviors. The iEQ9 provides a multi-layered report that includes information on communication, feedback, decision-making, leadership, team behavior, and more.

A Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 Trained Facilitator

Having facilitated couples work through Daring Way™ workshops as well as coaching, this research based method has given me greater insights for helping couples manage conflict, deepen friendship and intimacy, and share their life purpose and dreams.

A Ministry of Education Credentialed Montessori Educator

My teaching career started back in 1986, and has seen me guide children from Preschool to Grade 7, and beyond. I’ve been their guide, their mentor, their coach, and frequently their “school mom”! My journey as an educator took me from the classroom to administration, and I spent the last 17 years of my career as Vice-Principal and Principal of Montessori Elementary schools. I’ve had the joy of watching my students graduate from University, get married, and come back to my school, this time to register their own children!

A Parenting Coach, Certified in the Developing Capable People Program (DCP)

My parenting certification, coupled with my teaching background allows me to share these gifts as necessary, with both my coaching clients and workshop participants, regardless of whether their child is 2 or 20 years old. Once a parent, always a parent! The joys and challenges never go away; they just shift form. 

I also coach children, eight years and older, and do extensive on-going coaching with teens and young adults.

A Bachelor of Arts degree holder in Psychology

I’ve always been intrigued with the human psyche, which was what first led me to this subject, and it continues to play a major role in my understanding of who we are, what makes us tick, and the strategies we use to navigate life.

Brave Truths From My Story

When I first arrived in Vancouver, I was excited to create a secure, fulfilling future with my family. Instead, I rapidly hit rock bottom! So I decided that rock bottom would be the solid foundation that I would build my future on. I discovered that being vulnerable, speaking my truth, and asking for what I need may be hard and uncomfortable, but not as hard as living with self-betrayal and self-loathing.

 Below is a short clip from my Voice Story presentation where I shared my journey from pain to purpose, scarcity to abundance, despair to wholeheartedness