Cathy Akiyama Featured in Hyphen Magazine

The Blue Mesa Group proudly recognizes our coach, Cathy Akiyama, recently featured in The Trailblazer Issue of Hyphen magazine. As Hyphen attests, Cathy is a trailblazer in both the coaching and Asian American communities. 

In Hyphen’s story, “A Quarter-Life Crisis: Asian American life coaches help clients to ‘Quit Being Chinese’,” journalist Nichole Wong interviewed Cathy and one of Cathy’s clients. Nichole also participated in a coaching session with Cathy. Nichole, a recent college graduate, describes her plight of finding a job while trying to balance dreams with the need for a steady paycheck. She is torn between her “follow-your-passion, anything-is-possible ethos” while “my family fretfully equates my romantic career visions with a lack of ambition.”

Nichole’s question, “How do I align my values with reality?” is one that challenges many of our clients, regardless of ethnic origin. Download the full story here in The Trailblazer Issue of Hyphen magazine and gain a sense for Cathy’s unique coaching style and her insights into cultural beliefs that mutate into personal beliefs.

About Hyphen 
Hyphen readers are typically 20- and 30-something Asian Americans, many of whom are trying to thrive in America in non-traditional professions and lifestyles. They are blazing new trails while constantly being harassed by voices (real or imagined) that disapprove of veering away from traditional cultural values and practices.

About Cathy Akiyama 
Cathy Akiyama is a consultant and leadership coach passionate about helping people become personally and professionally aligned. Cathy is known for her creativity and out-of-the-box thinking while simultaneously being practical, data-driven and business focused. She has a lifetime of personal experience living within and across a mix of cultures, and as someone who has made many cultural transitions, Cathy has exceptional insight in helping clients shift through traditional beliefs and models that often stifle them. Our clients value Cathy’s sensitivity and candor, as well as her penetrating experience with multicultural matters and the unique business needs of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

Learn more about Cathy and the Blue Mesa Group coaches at http://www.bluemesagroup.com/ourteam.

We are so proud!

Laurie Kennedy has earned her Professional Coach Certification from the International Coach Federation. This means that Laurie has completed at least 750 hours of coaching, passed a rigorous written and oral examination, and demonstrated a consistent history of excellence in coaching.
We are very proud of Laurie’s accomplishment and it is a testament to
her dedication to the coaching profession. Laurie has had a career
defined by many achievements. This recognition from the ICF is one of the most important ones.
Read more about Laurie at: http://www.bluemesagroup.com/ourteam.php

Welcome to the World, Sydney!

Those of us at the Blue Mesa Group are proud to be aunts and uncles to Ryan and Alexa Johnson’s new baby. We have, vicariously, been on this journey of new life, practically since the beginning. We've been there to witness and support them, from Alexa’s morning sickness to the challenging and blessed lessons and longings that become deeply apparent before little Sydney emerged into her first winter.

This new baby Sydney is a potent reminder of the sanctity of life. Her precious innocence, her raw vulnerability, her resilience. Who is Sydney to become? What will her gifts be? Who will her friends be? How will she find meaning? What will she value and why? What can we learn from this young life?

Might the questions we ask about Sydney's future be reflective questions for each of us? What are the correlations between welcoming a new family member and embracing leadership? No doubt, there are plenty. We can start with recognizing our own ability to be resilient, innocent, vulnerable. Can we remember to appreciate life in every form? As stewards of business, our employees and the planet, we have the opportunity and it is our duty to touch in with the fundamental questions about life. In asking and in answering these questions, maybe we can bring more peace, more love, more healing and more joy into our lives and the lives of others. After all, Sydney, and all the other new lives deserve it.

Congratulations, Sue Taigman

Sue Taigman has earned her Professional Coach Certification from the International Coach Federation. This means that Sue has completed at least 750 hours of coaching, passed a rigorous written and oral examination, and demonstrated a consistent history of excellence in coaching.

We are proud of Sue's accomplishment, but even more proud of who she is in the world. Sue is passionate about justice, and spends much of her free time serving on the Larimer Center for Mental Health Board of Directors. Read more about Sue at http://www.bluemesagroup.com/ourteam.php

Congratulations Trinity Health!

The American Heart Association (AHA) has just awarded Trinity Health with the Start! Fit-Friendly Company Gold Award. This award recognizes organizations and leaders who prioritize their teams' health and wellness by helping reduce the risk of heart disease and by going above and beyond to support healthy physical activities at work.

The AHA has also recognized Trinity Health with the Start! Worksite Innovation Award for Julie McCreadie's Chair Yoga Pod-cast. 

Congratulations to our friends at Trinity Health! We salute your commitment to wellness!

Check out the entire list of award winners in Fortune magazine.

Beginnings

“The secret to a rich life is 
to have more beginnings than endings.” 

David Weinbaum

In the past few months, as we’ve been preparing to officially launch the Blue Mesa Group, LLC, it’s become abundantly clear that we are living very fortunate lives.

• We continue to work with some of the most intelligent, capable and courageous clients in the world. 
• We’re making new, lasting connections all the time. 
• Our amazing team  of coaches, consultants and support staff are exceptionally talented, compassionate and committed professionals. It is a gift to be in such fine company.
  

As we move forward, we invite you to join us in this space, our blog and newsfeed, as we share our insights (and you share yours!) into what it means to live, work and play as a senior leader in both competitive and collaborative industries. In time, you’ll hear from all of our colleagues  at the Blue Mesa Group, we’ll introduce you to some of our clients, and you’ll also hear from the Blue Mesa Group staff dogs, two Golden Retrievers, Jasper and Bodhi, who help us celebrate life with curiosity, joy, simplicity and wisdom.

Bodhi (left), Jasper (right) 

Jasper and Bodhi also remind us all that we don’t always need to take ourselves so seriously. That maybe this occasion calls for a biscuit and a backrub (okay, and another biscuit). That there’s a time for marking your territory and a time for welcoming others into it. That a little walk around the block or an afternoon in the sun is just what we need to, simultaneously, let go and reconnect. 

We all look forward to connecting with you, here, and on the path ahead. On behalf of everyone at the Blue Mesa Group, thank you for sharing in this space with us.