By Aleasha Sandley, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON — As a single mother of five, Shauntel Peak-Jimenez has seen her share of struggle.
That’s what makes her perfect to help others through it, she said, now through her life coaching business in the Anderson Business Incubator.
Through The Character and Self-Esteem Institute, which Peak-Jimenez opened in May, the licensed life coach and former nurse tries to guide people — especially women — to their goals, whether it be going back to school, losing weight or another personal achievement. She also works to train the next generation of life coaches, having made contact with organizations all over the world looking for training.
But none of Peak-Jimenez’s own goals would be fulfilled without first going through the struggles of being a single teenage mother.
“I remember keeping on telling myself I can do this,” she said. “I promised myself when I overcame that I would give back.
“How can someone know that you can be fixed when you haven’t been broken?”
Peak-Jimenez’s journey started when she went to nursing school at Anderson University when she was 24. When she finished that program, she went back for a psychology degree. For five years, she served as a corporate nurse until her Anderson office was closed.
In May, she signed a lease with the ABI and The Character and Self-Esteem Institute was born.
“You’re not truly successful until you are able to help someone else,” Peak-Jimenez said. “It’s a gift that God has given me, and I tell other people to do the same thing I did, and that’s let your faith stretch until it meets your potential.”
As a life coach, Peak-Jimenez helps her clients not to look at the past but rather to focus on the present and future, setting goals for themselves and coming up with a plan to meet the goals. Life coaches are not therapists, nor do they provide mental health counseling, but they can work together with other health professionals.
“The life coach is there as a motivator or a sounding board to assist the client in going toward his or her goals,” Peak-Jimenez said. “(The life coach) directs and instructs and trains individuals toward achieving goals or developing skills.”
As a certified life coach trainer, Peak-Jimenez also can train individuals or organizations to become certified life coaches, Christian coaches or youth development coaches.
“I get requests every week from people who are wanting to become life coaches,” she said.
Peak-Jimenez’s youth development coach training program has been approved by the Indiana Association of Prevention Professionals and the National Council on Family Relations. Her programs will be reviewed at the end of the month by the professional licensing agency of Indiana.
To grow her business, Peak-Jimenez has developed a Web site at thecaseinstitute.com and is working on creating a Web site that focuses only on women’s support issues.
As part of the National Association of Women Writers, Peak-Jimenez markets through blogs and journal articles and is writing an e-book. The technology she uses helps advance her business by allowing her to conduct teleconferences to train groups of people. Next year, she hopes to start conducting Webinars.
Peak-Jimenez credits her friends and family, including her five children, now ages 19-24, for helping her get her business — and her dream — off the ground.
“I have been blessed to have worked in so many capacities to touch lives,” she said. “I go at it hard because I want every individual to experience fulfilling their dreams.”
Contact Aleasha Sandley: 640-4805, aleasha.sandley@heraldbulletin.com.
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The Character and Self-Esteem Institute
(877) 494-7137m 700 Meridian St., Suite 245, Anderson, thecaseinstitute@gmail.com, thecaseinstitute.com
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“Rebirth of the Extraordinary Woman”
The Character and Self-Esteem institute will host a women’s empowerment seminar 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Kane Room of the Olt Student Center at Anderson University. The event is open to the public, and tickets will be $15.
