• About

  • You are invited to learn more about Authenticity Coaching and our teleclasses.

    Let's take a moment to get acquainted.

  • Let me introduce myself. I'm teleconference class instructor and HSP Coach Celeste O'Brien.  My mission is helping you be a more energized and authentic HSP. As a lifelong HSP myself, as soon as I found Elaine Aron, Ph.D.'s research, I could see the many ways my life would have taken a different trajectory with this information. Now I have an opportunity to train and coach others in ways I would have wished for myself. This new research provides an opportunity for all HSPs to learn more, accomplish more, and live a more authentic life.

  • It's important to value your trait...and yourself

    Like me, you could find yourself thinking differently about yourself and your life, and often make different decisions, valuing your direction, and being more yourself. You would talk - and think - about yourself differently. You might make essential life choices in a different, more authentic way. 

    Understanding who you are begins with knowing what it means to be highly sensitive. For that we begin with Aron's text and her extraordinary research. I'll be reminding you to identify your HSP strengths and the combination of strengths that are uniquely yours. With that you'll also learn how to avoid what I call HSP quicksand, harder to get out of than to avoid in the first place.

    This new knowledge means new opportunities, ones that you may not have recognized otherwise. New doors can open for you.

  • My education and experience

    Scattered through my career is fifteen years' experience teaching classes and leading workshops. I have a bachelor of arts in applied behavioral science, including the study of learning and behavior change. I have used this knowledge in all that I’ve done since. I was trained to identify an outcome, and then work back from there, to determine what information and what kind of application is needed and for how long.

    In 1977 I was teaching Responsible Assertive Behavior at a local community college. Since then I have taught a variety of subjects in different settings, from community colleges to corporate and business environments.

    Later I was director of Illinois' fourth largest real estate sales and brokers pre-licensing school with 1000 registrations a year. Distressed by the high turnover rates in the industry, I applied for and received a grant for a study of job-person matching. My research won a national award. I also did a lot of career counseling in real estate, and later formed a company to specialize in training broker-owners and managers in salesperson selection.

    Why would you be interested in my experience in business? Because I accomplished this as an introvert and an off-the-charts HSP.

    In the late 1990s I discovered Dr. Elaine Aron’s research on the highly sensitive person.  

  • In 2004 I completed the Authentic Happiness Coaching Program. It was the creation of Dr. Martin Seligman, considered the “father of positive psychology” and Dr. Ben Dean, founder and CEO of MentorCoach.

  • In 2006 I completed the Foundations of Coaching with MentorCoach. More recently I updated my understanding of the happiness research with Dr. Barbara Fredrickson’s Positive Psychology course by the University of North Carolina through Coursera.

  • A positive philosophy and a strengths-based approach

    You may have been taught that focusing on your shortcomings brings the best results. The research on thousands of people in many different countries shows the opposite is true. You learn more quickly and gain more from building your strengths:

    I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correcting your weaknesses. Rather I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.

    --Martin Seligman, PhD., Director, Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, and author of Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment

  • Learning, then application...classes first, then coaching

    Sometimes I use the metaphor of keeping a wheel in balance, but there's no need to reinvent that wheel. Laying a foundation with classes means:

    • -A shortened learning curve.
    • -A more affordable approach and better use of your time and effort.
    • -Focus on a common language and shared knowledge base.
    • -Keeping your inner compass pointed toward your values and goals, toward enjoyment, flow, and meaning.

    If, over the long term, you apply what you have learned, you can experience an increase in warm, lasting relationships, and positive outcomes. After the classes, as a followup, a teleconference coaching group can help if you:

    • -Have dreams you haven't been able to realize.
    • -Would like to create a long-term plan for a more satisfying life.
    • -Need understanding and encouragement that your current environment doesn't provide.
    • -Want to stay focused on your goals, no matter where your schedule finds you.

    As an HSP coach, my role is to provide perspective, clarity, a focus on strengths, and gentle accountability. I serve as a sounding board, champion, and a partner in tracking goals as you make the decisions about what, where, how, when, and why. Let's schedule a free no-obligation phone conversation and talk about what's the best next step for you.

    You can also read about my commitment to confidentiality and to the best tips and techniques that are grounded in research.

     

    Contact me--let's talk!