Erika Gerdes
I’m a high-energy, heart-centered coach, facilitator and speaker whose mission is to empower people to live fuller, more joyful lives. I am passionate about helping high-performing, ambitious leaders and teams become more authentic so they can take bigger risks, have greater impact and feel more fulfilled because I truly believe this is how we will change the world.
owner • coach • speaker
But authenticity doesn’t come easily for me. In fact, it’s a practice I commit to every single day.
For most of my life, I've been what I refer to as an overachieving insecure people-pleaser. I did all the things I thought I should do, and became the person I thought I should be. I had the good-looking husband, the great home, beautiful babies and a dream job at Google. It looked pretty perfect. But behind the facade, I was haunted by deep insecurity.
I see Authenticity as the foundation of a life fully lived.
I’ve seen the transformation that’s possible when we take responsibility for our lives and begin living with intention.
Every high achieving person I’ve worked with - regardless of age, gender, level or place of work - has these thoughts more often than they care to admit. How do you fill in the blank?
"I'm just not *blank* enough"
I was desperate to feel more confident, fulfilled, & settled.
And even though I consulted books, articles, podcasts and experts trying to find my answers, I could never make real progress. None of the changes stuck, and I felt ashamed, convinced there was something wrong with me. I’d beat myself up and tell myself what I should do if I were just strong enough, dedicated enough, just wanted it enough.
My life fundamentally changed on July 15, 2013 when my 3-month daughter, Vivian, had spinal neurosurgery for a tumor on her spinal cord. As I sat in the hospital the night after her surgery, feeling incredibly angry with the world and sorry for myself, a thought literally changed my life:
The one where all the things I’d done, all the gold stars I’d collected would pay off and I’d finally feel happy and fulfilled.
You have one life to live.
There are no second-chances, no do-overs.
You get one go’round at this life.
Why would you spend any more time waiting to be happy?
I realized I was waiting for my life to start.
I truly believe what we are intended to teach, we must first learn, and I learned this the hard way: it is our identity that keeps us from our authenticity. Of course we don’t realize it — I certainly didn’t — because we build our entire worlds to confirm we are exactly who we think we are. But these worlds keep us playing it safe and living in narrow range where we might feel safe, but stuck, small and aching for more.
When I ultimately left corporate sales at Google to start my own leadership consulting firm several years later, I came face-to-face with another hard and painful truth:
my entire identity was wrapped up in where i worked and what i did.
what got us here won't get us there.
Thankfully Vivian was ok and that experience became a pivot point in my life: I stopped waiting and started taking responsibility to make my own changes and build a life that’s authentic to me.
Today, I help high performing individuals, leaders and teams build their confidence and clarity so they can stop feeling stuck and start shining as the superstars they truly are.
And now, I would love to support you.
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take.”
joseph campbell said:
Horse-riding and adventure-travel are my favorite hobbies. Nature is my church. There is nothing better than dark-roast coffee and a warm chocolate chip cookie.
I’m a single mom to Evelyn, Vivian and our sock-eating Golden Retriever, Basil. I co-parent them and a goofy German Shepherd named Baron with my former husband.
I’m very quirky, I really enjoy cussing (though I can control it!) and I talk with my hands (which I haven’t been able to control. It practically feels like my mouth doesn’t move if my hands can’t move).
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