Teen girl guru

After working for almost thirteen years as a life coach for girls and young women, MICHELLE DOLAN knows she has found her mission helping clients navigate this critical, and often challenging, stage of life.

“Most girls don’t see the wealth they possess,” she says. “Coaching is very practical: I help them recognize what they have and can change their trajectory.”

While her clients come to her from many backgrounds and geographic locations, thanks to her largely online sessions, most of them share similar challenges, she says.

Times of transition (middle school into high school, senior year of high school with its many decision points, and moving on to higher education or the job market after high school) are times of high anxiety, Dolan points out.

“Part of the art of coaching is the ability to hear where (the client’s) heart is beating loudest, and where she would be willing and ready to start,” Dolan says. “You want to start the process at just the right place.” W

Read more about Dolan at WILMAmag.com.

Dolan’s tips for teens feeling anxious about back-to-school season: everything all at once in the same week.

• Acknowledge your feeling of anxiety.

• Remind yourself of affirming truths.

• Stop the spiral of being overly self-focused.

by JENNY CALLISON

• Think of micro-steps and goals. Do not go wild and try to change

• Focus on what you truly want to do. Many times, we think about what we should be doing. A great shift is to focus on what we could be doing.

For more, go to michelledolan.com.