|
 Thea
Sheldon
has
spent
her
life
exploring
what
it
means
when
the
truth
of
an
individual’s
message
is
clearly,
unmistakably
heard—what
it
means
for
her,
her
family,
community
and
the
world.
She
formed
her
company,
Prime
of
Life
Coaching,
LLC
to
help
midlife
women
find
their
True
Voice
and
gain
unstoppable
momentum
for
the
rest
of
their
lives.
Born
into
a
family
with
several
aunts,
uncles
and
cousins
who
could
not
hear
or
speak,
Thea
learned
early
on
how
frustrating
the
silence
and
blank
expressions
are
when
you’re
not
heard,
when
others
don’t
get
what
you’re
about.
This
experience
heightened
her
awareness
and
created
in
her
an
even
greater
desire
that
every
voice
must
be
heard.
At
the
age
of
7,
sitting
in
a
gathering
of
her
parents’
friends,
Thea
delivered
an
obvious
truth
when
one
woman
walked
across
the
room,
“Mrs.
Kirk,
you’re
pants
zipper
is
open.”
In
the
moment
she
got
“The
Look”
from
her
mother
and
later
‘The
Lecture
on
Social
Graces.”
To
this
day,
Thea
continues
to
act
without
embarrassment
when
bearing
the
news
about
what
is
true,
real
and
obvious
as
she
helps
each
client
find
her
personal
truth
and
speak
with
her
True
Voice.
Thea
has
been
helping
one
woman
after
another
for
over
eight
years
to
discover
the
deep
joy
that
comes
when
her
message
clearly
reverberates
in
the
world.
In
her
private
coaching
practice
she
has
developed
a
process
to
help
each
woman
navigate
the
unknown
territories
of
life
after
forty-five,
fifty,
sixty
and
beyond.
While
there
isn’t
a
one-map-fits-all,
there
are
markers
along
the
way
for
every
woman
as
she
Unravels
Her
Story;
Wakes
Up
To
a
New
Knowing;
Wrestles
the
Unknown;
Unleashes
Her
True
Voice
and
Leaps
With
Unstoppable
Clarity.
Thea
joins
her
clients
with
exhilaration
and
celebration
at
the
edge
of
the
Leap
as
she
feels
it
in
her
bones, “This
woman
is
unstoppable!”
In
her
career,
Thea
has
taken
the
stand
that
when
something
is
important,
it
must
be
spoken.
In
the
early
80’s,
serving
as
Director
of
a
rural
nine-county
multi-type
library
system
in
Minnesota,
she
delivered
impassioned
testimony
to
the
U.S.
Congress
about
the
importance
of
equal
access
to
information
for
rural
people,
whose
voices
weren’t
being
heard.
Later,
as
a
job-search
trainer
and
career
counselor
at
a
woman’s
non-profit
organization,
she
knew
it
was
about
the
woman’s
story.
Thea
took
all
the
time
needed
for
each
woman
to
speak
her
story,
unearth
her
values
and
passions,
and
eventually
discover
her
particular
work
in
the
world.
It
wasn’t
about
getting
just
any
job,
it
was
about
the
woman’s
passion
and
purpose
being
fully
expressed.
In
the
late
80’s,
when
the
word
“spirituality”
was
still
whispered
behind
closed
doors,
Thea
brought
it
into
the
corporate
spotlight.
The
Minneapolis
chapter
of
the
American
Society
for
Training
and
Development
fully
supported
Thea
in
planning
and
leading
two
well-attended
professional
development
conferences
to
explore
the
unspeakable,
“Spirituality
in
the
Workplace:
Taking
Your
Spirit
to
Work.”
There
was
a
sigh
of
relief
throughout
the
professional
community
as
people
realized
there
was
finally
a
place
where
they
could
speak
from
their
hearts
and
still
do
business
together.
During
this
time
another
truth
was
spoken
when
Thea
realized
her
16-year
marriage
was
over.
Again,
she
declared
it
with
no
fanfare
and
launched
into
the
next
unknown
territories
of
single
parenthood
and
building
a
new
support
community.
These
were
the
years
when
Thea
searched
arduously
and
relentlessly
to
find
her
own
True
Voice,
the
voice
that
had
almost
gone
silent
for
good.
New
confidence
rose
up
with
each
experiment
and
venture
into
who
she
was
becoming.
In
1990
Thea
became
a
solo-entrepreneur, offering
consulting
and
training
services
in
companies
undergoing
serious
downsizing
and
transition.
She
used
her
expertise
to
help
others
navigate
life/work
transitions
without
losing
themselves
in
the
process.
The
clearest
and
most
fun
expression
of
Thea’s
True
Voice
came
when
she
learned
the
art
of
public
storytelling.
She
savored
the
rush
that
comes
when
an
audience
connects
with
her
stories.
Even
more,
it
was
about
her
deep knowing
that
when
a
story
is
told, it
inevitably
changes
the
teller
and
the
listener;
doors
open
for
the
personal
story
to
be
explored
and
expressed
from
a
deeper
level.
When
her
two
children
left
home
to
find
their
way
in
the
world,
Thea
knew
it
was
her
time
to
explore,
to
find
the
voice
that
would
sing
her
dreams.
Determined
to
remain
single
forever
(hee-hee),
she
sold
almost
everything
she
owned,
wrapped
up
her
business
and
moved
from
the
Twin
Cities
to
a
small
town.
Her
lifelong
dream
to
live
in
the
woods
was
fulfilled
as
she
ventured
alone
through
that
first
winter
in
a
lakeside
cabin
on
the
edge
of
the
Boundary
Waters
Canoe
Area
Wilderness
in
Ely,
MN.
As
spring
fingered
its
way
into
existence
once
again,
Thea
met
the
love
of
her
life.
She
and
Dave
married
(never
say
“never”!)
and
lived
for
nine
years
off
the
grid,
in
the
woods
and
close
to
the
earth.
During
these
years,
Thea
completed
her
coach
training
with
The
Coaches
Training
Institute
(CTI),
became
certified
and
attended
CTI’s
year-long
Co-Active
Space
Leadership
program
near
San
Francisco,
CA.
Her
coaching
practice
grew
and
at
the
same
time
a
curious
unrest
appeared.
In
the
spring
of
2005
Thea
and
her
carpenter
husband
sold
or
gave
away
everything
they
owned
except
what
would
fit
in
their
Toyota
Sienna
van
and
set
out
to
answer
the
question,
“What’s
Next?”
Thea’s
clients
stayed
with
her
(over
the
phone)
and
vicariously
enjoyed
the
adventure.
After
a
year
on
the
road
searching,
learning,
exploring,
and
deepening
their
love,
Thea
and
Dave’s
decision
came
easily
to
return
to
Ely.
They
longed
for
the
wilderness
landscape
that
was
home
and
the
people
whose
stories
they
knew
and
loved.
Thea works now from her office in town where she coaches midlife women in person or over the phone.
At
62,
this
is
exactly
where
Thea
wants
to
be
-
right
on
the
edge
of
the
unknown;
having
fun
helping
other
women
find
their
voices
and
fulfill
their
dreams.
Life
is
very
good.
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