Tosa Life Coach Reaches Out with New Book

Life is not a game, but sometimes it needs a coach. That’s why Wauwatosa resident and life coach, Julie O’Keeffe, has published her first book, "10 Critical Strategies for Finding Fulfillment in a Hectic World."

O’Keeffe, a credentialed life coach and the founder and owner of Next Step Goals, will be speaking about and signing her book Thursday evening. To attend, please visit nextstepgoals.com to RSVP.

The book is a collection of strategies based on her experiences, the experiences of her clients and positive psychology, O’Keeffe said. It can be purchased on Amazon.com or at , 7603 W. State St.

After 14 years on the faculty at Marquette University, O’Keeffe decided on a career change. She put into motion for herself two fundamental strategies now included in her book: setting aside fear and creatively removing obstacles.

“I’ve always been really good at removing obstacles in my own life and being resourceful,” she said.

Although anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a life coach, O’Keeffe has been certified through a two-year International Coach Federation program, and has built her practice with clients from around the world, speaking to organizations and conducting workshops and seminars.

A mother of two teenagers – a son and daughter, both of whom attend , she knows firsthand the daily struggles women go through to meet everyone's expectations. Her clients are mostly women, she said: “Men don’t tend to think they need help.”

In her book, O’Keeffe offers strategies for better living.

“Positive psychology influences my coaching,” she said of recent research that focuses on what’s right with people instead of what’s wrong. “What gives you positive energy?” she asked. “Find true opportunities to be good to yourself according to your own internal compass.

“I’ve come up with a number of easy-to-use strategies to help you get out of your rut and get on with your life, so you can succeed and really live the life you want,” she said.

One of the 10 critical strategies that O’Keeffe lays out in the book is to question boundaries. “We get caught in roles that are culturally prescribed based on outdated beliefs or our self-image,” she said.

O’Keeffe suggests that people need to step outside of that and look at what beliefs are imbedded in those boundaries. Ask yourself if those boundaries have changed over time and to what extent do the important people in your life observe the same boundaries.

“You may just find out that no one cares if you no longer hold yourself within those boundaries,” she said. “Do things that give you energy and fulfill your life.”

Demonstrating her commitment to her personal growth as a way of helping others explore their own potential, she has traveled to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and is more than half way to her goal of completing 100 triathlons in 20 years.

For more information, visit nextstepgoals.com.