About Me

I spent a lot of my growing up years struggling with anxiety and depression which resulted in eating disorders and self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. I struggled my way through college and didn’t believe in myself at all. My only goal was to finish. I didn’t think I was smart. I didn’t think I was beautiful. I didn’t think I got to have a career I loved, or one where I got paid a decent wage.  I didn’t even think I was unhappy when I was REALLY unhappy. I really believed life was about suffering and suffering I was doing really well. It wasn’t until I started Coach Training in my mid-30’s that I learned I could create a life where depression and anxiety didn’t run my days.

I had years of therapy and feel so grateful for all it, but coaching was different.  Coaching was like therapy on steroids and in a very “stop the pity party” sort of way.  It helped me identify my anxiety and the thinking underneath it, enabling me to be more conscious about and choose my thoughts.  I learned to relate to my depression like a north star.  If I feel depressed, I know I have to take action because something isn’t right in my life.  I didn’t have to live depressed forever.  I feel lucky for that.  I know many, many people who suffer with depression and anxiety aren’t able to manage it the way I’ve been able to.  (And I believe strongly that therapy and medications for depression and anxiety are useful and have helped me tremendously, it just wasn’t a cure for me.)

I still struggle with life.  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t, but coaching gave me so many tools to deal with the struggle and, ultimately, make life a pretty good thing.

I’m a graduate of Accomplishment Coaching and served as a leader, trainer, and coach in their Coach’s Training Programs.  I was their Operations Manager for a few years and served on their Executive team. I am eternally grateful for the years I spent with them and can not sing their praises highly enough.  I hold the Professional Certified Coach credential through the International Coach Federation and I’m a Certified Mentor Coach through InviteChange.  I was honored as Personal Development Coach of the Year in 2014 by Puget Sound’s International Coach Federation Chapter.  What an honor!

I came to coaching when I had two small kids who never slept, and my husband had been diagnosed with terminal cancer a couple of years before.  I was S.T.U.C.K, filled with anxiety and exhausted. My therapist and I had been working together a long time, and he suggested I try a Coach training school because I’d “make a great coach and needed A LOT of coaching”.  He was so right about needing a lot of coaching.  I started Accomplishment Coaching’s year-long intensive training program. It moved me forward and shifted my perception of life from struggle to gratitude, opportunity, and adventure.  As a coach, I’m challenged, humored, and awed by my clients. I constantly pursue development for myself as a coach and leader and am forever grateful for my training and mentors.

I’m a two-time cancer survivor. No kidding. Both my husband and I. Through cancer, I have developed a deeper understanding of community, love, and appreciation. I’m grateful for my learning with cancer but don’t wish that journey on anyone. 

I have two grown children who challenge me to be a better human and keep learning every day!

I’ve done my fair share of non-profit work and have a bachelor’s degree.  I’ve traveled to over 40 countries with a backpack and continue to love exploring other countries and cultures. I love reading. I love the sun and summer. I try to be in nature as often as possible and go camping as much as possible.  I’m an exercise enthusiast and love getting strong, walking, swimming, and doing yoga. I used to be a runner, and still hold the fantasy that someday, my knees will carry me through another marathon.

I live and work on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present, and honor with gratitude and reparations the Duwamish Tribe. I live with my husband (who is still going strong despite his diagnosis twenty years later), two dogs, and two cats. Did I mention that I love animals?

Annie Fitzgerald, PCC, CMC