Kathy Washburn earned her PPC certification as part of WBI’s first cohort in 2019, and graduated from the Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology (CiWPP) in 2018. She draws on both of these certifications to offer life coaching and provide a network for cancer survivors.
This fall, Kathy traveled and worked for six weeks in Latin America, where she spent her first month in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of a program called Unsettled. While there, she lived and worked with an international group exploring the notion of “home”—sharing ideas and information while co-working in a space that provided “offices” for “digital nomads” who work remotely from wherever they choose in the world.
“I ran workshops about positive emotions and personal strengths,” Kathy recalls. “The eagerness for this knowledge astounded me. My favorite moment was witnessing a room full of people, literally from around the world, who just weeks ago were complete strangers, each wearing their strengths stuck to their forehead by means of a sticky note, and listening to the euphony created when I asked them to tell stories about themselves to their partner, using one of their strengths. After the workshop, a woman from Dubai shared with me that it was the most powerful experience she had had during her weeks in Buenos Aires, and it will be part of her forever.”
A few weeks later, Kathy spoke to the first cohort from WBI’s CiWPP in Brazil during their final immersion. In her presentation on transformation, titled “Designing Your Map Home,” she referenced Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build Theory, Rick Snyder’s Hope Theory, Rick Hanson’s work on building new neural pathways, and Margarita Tarragona and David Drake’s work on narrative coaching and healing.
“They are all tools I gathered during my studies in the Positive Psychology Coaching program, and ones I use personally and also as I guide the cancer survivors I serve,” she says.
To learn more about Kathy’s work, visit carvedbycancer.com and carvedbycancer.mn.co, or contact her at [email protected].
Jennifer Hanawald, a faculty member for WBI’s coaching courses, is a health coach who helps her clients to live their healthiest and best lives. She holds National Board certification as a Health and Wellness Coach, Duke University certification as an Integrative Health Coach, and a Certificate in Positive Psychology from WBI. Find out more about her work at jenniferhanawald.com.
