Mission statement
Embrace Your Story. Continuously Improve. Be Happy Now.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." —George Eliot
About Me
Personal
I moved to Kansas City in January of 1990 and have been here ever since. My job as an engineer working at Hallmark Cards, Inc. brought me to the area, meeting my husband, Dan, and having three kids together (Troy, Trent and Maren) is what has kept me here. Maybe the great weather, awesome barbecue, and rooting for our great sports teams, (the Chiefs, Royals, Sporting Kansas City, and all think) too. I will say I am a HUGE soccer fan.
My work life has been a journey, to say the least. I spent 13 years in my corporate job learning everything about how to create and produce greeting cards and other specialty products. I had some great mentors during this time and worked with some great people. I developed my project management and facilitation skills and learned the power of setting goals, being clear about objectives, and working the process in order to achieve success.
I moved from the corporate environment to the small business world. I used what I learned about retail management and opened an independent bookstore. This was three years of fun and frustration. I loved the customer and community side of the business and searching out great book titles, I didn’t love the costs that came with high inventory and low sales. Absolutely no regrets about taking this chance and in the three years the store was open. I have some of my greatest family memories from this time.
Over the past 13 years, I have worked as a high school teacher and advisor. I got my Master’s Degree in Teaching and worked tirelessly in the high school in my community to create a positive culture and a classroom based upon high expectations. This is where I found my passion for developing people. My message to my students has always been to “be you” and now it’s the name of my coaching business.
All of these experiences have brought me to today and have led me to you. I have lived my whole life believing that everything happens for a reason and I want you to know that I can’t wait to work with you, get to know you, and start writing the new chapters of your story.
BUCKET LIST
I think every person should have a list of personal goals on their "I can do it" bucket list. These are a few of my personal bucket list items that I have completed. I share them so that you can appreciate that I am willing to do things that are hard, when I push you to do the same.
- Completed a 26.2-mile marathon (2005)
- Completed a 411-mile bike ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) over a 7-day trip (2017).
- Completed 100 mile bike ride in one day (2022 - picture is me visiting my mom right after finishing this in my hometown.
- Finished MS in Psychology (2023)
Education
B.S. INdustrial Engineering
B.S. INdustrial Engineering
B.S. INdustrial Engineering
M.A. Teaching
B.S. INdustrial Engineering
B.S. INdustrial Engineering
m.S. Psychology
B.S. INdustrial Engineering
m.S. Psychology
A Message from Petra
Hello!
I’m Petra and I have a passion for meeting people where they are at and helping them move forward onto the pages of their own story. I get excited when I meet people that are actively working to make a difference for themselves and others. Learning how to reflect, doing hard things, and recognizing that you are the roadblock to your own life is where I want to help.
Time to move forward
I hope you have found Be You Coaching Services because you are tired of thinking and are ready to start doing. As a woman in her 50’s I have wondered out loud, why haven’t I figured this life thing out yet? Does it feel like it actually gets harder as we get older to make life changes? We shouldn’t accept where we are just because we have life experiences under our belt. The idea that we would settle for mediocre is what drives me everyday to do better and be better.
I’m ready - are you?
I would love the opportunity to be a part of your journey as you make steps toward Embracing Your Story which starts with owning who you are in order to Be You!
