Elizabeth Vidon

My personal biography/journey...

Hi everyone – I’m Elizabeth. Lots of people call me Liz and I’m happy with either. I grew up in Charlotte, NC with my parents, two older brothers, two dogs, and our pet pig. I’ve had the privilege of living in all regions of the US, even if for brief periods of time. I’ve also lived and studied in Canada (Ontario and Nunavut), Spain, Russia, England, and Costa Rica and have traveled extensively through Western & Eastern Europe and the US. I have always had pretty strong wander lust and a desire to meet and learn about new people. I now live in Reno, Nevada with my husband, my 14 year-old daughter, our three dogs (English Mastiff and two English Bulldogs), and my daughter’s hamster. I love being outside (hiking, walking, playing softball with my daughter), lifting weights, and riding my Peloton bike. I used to be an avid road cyclist; there was nothing quite like the feel of the wind on my face and all the wonderful smells while riding. After a nearly fatal crash in 2006 though, I now ride mostly inside and find new joy in that. My favorite things are spending time with my family and my friends. I love to laugh, hang out, drink coffee, cook, and try new things. I believe in the power of laughter, movement, helping others, and community. Oh. And dogs.

My professional/coaching journey...

I took a circuitous route to coaching. If you told me 10 years ago that I’d be a coach someday, I’d have suggested you have your head examined. I had a bunch of jobs in the first 6 or 7 years after college as I was trying to figure out what to do. I worked on the slopes in Aspen and Jackson Hole, then got a gig as an event planner, then I taught high school Spanish with a side hustle as a Tae Kwon Do instructor at the school where I trained. I didn’t know what I wanted. Some of those were rewarding but I knew I wanted more.

I eventually went to grad school in Toronto to learn more about the Inuit and their relationship with the land; specifically, how that relationship has changed since the 1940s and what that means for them today. I learned a ton and fell in love with the land and the relationship between land, identity, and the notion of authenticity.

I met my husband there, moved to Indiana, taught at the university for a while, and went back for my PhD at Indiana University in Bloomington. After that, I spent 14 more years there and in Syracuse, NY teaching and researching authenticity, wilderness, and our relationships with ourselves and nature, internal and external.

As a research professor, I researched, taught, and published about authenticity and wilderness and how we as humans often go outside to get inside ourselves. To find ourselves. Rewarding work but it took from me more than I was ultimately willing to give. And I felt as though I wasn’t helping. I wasn’t giving. I was pushing papers out into the echo chamber that only a handful of scholars were reading, but what good was I doing in the world?

When my family moved from Syracuse to Reno, it was the perfect opportunity for me to make a change. But at almost 50 years old, what was I going to do?? I hired a career coach and guess what? I found that coaching was a natural fit for me. It gave me an opportunity to see authenticity operationalized when I had only theorized it before. It afforded me the chance to help others where before, that felt lacking, and it didn’t require me to work crazy hours. I could be present for my family. Huge. I love feeling now that I am able to be of service to others, partnering with them and watching them realize their intentions while becoming the people they want to be. It’s the freakin’ best.

Four succinct words or statements that describe my strengths, engagement with my clients, or passions as a coach...

Nonjudgmental – I firmly believe that everyone is exactly who they are supposed to be. It is not my job as a human to stand in judgment of any other human. I do not wish others to judge who I am or what I do, and I believe I must offer them the same. Every person’s experience is their own. As a coach, I am to listen, be curious, and inquire. To challenge with permission and when appropriate. Not to judge.

Intuitive – It’s important to me that I am in tune with the people who trust me to partner with them. A big part of this for me is intuition and empathy; really being a partner with my client and letting them guide me.

Listener – As a coach, I listen. Deeply. I listen with all that I have and all that I am. When I am with a client, that client has my undivided attention. I listen to their words, their expressions, their body. I am fully engaged. This links to the intuition point. Listening fully helps me be that partner and allow my client to guide me through their experience.

Whole Person – I coach the whole person when I coach. I believe that while we may come to a coaching session with an issue associated with school, work, or home, they are all connected. We are not segmented beings; we are whole people. For instance, a family issue gnawing at us under the surface may affect how we show up in our professional setting and how we feel about something that happened at the office or at school. When a client comes to me with an issue from school or work, I believe it’s worth being curious about the other facets of that client’s life that may be informing or influencing what the client is experiencing.

Four words or succinct statements that describe my unique approach to life or recreation...

ALL IN – When it’s on, it’s on. When I’m in, I’m ALL IN. When I commit, I fully commit.

Power in others – Left to my own devices, I tend to make a mess of things. I depend heavily on others. Good or bad, it took me decades to learn this valuable lesson. Once I learned it, my life became much better and much easier. And I’ve learned to laugh at myself. A lot.

Constant Learning – When I stop learning, I get stagnant. And when I get stagnant. I’m like one of those broken-down cars with weeds and grasses and stuff growing out of it. No good. I must keep learning and growing in order to stay healthy and vibrant. It’s how I’m able to continue to be of service to others and to myself.

Health/Wellness – I have this one body and this one mind. I love taking care of them as well as I can. It makes me feel good to do that. I don’t do it perfectly, for sure, but when I’m taking care of myself I’m better able to take care of others. Laughter and levity are big parts of that. Fitness and eating well are important to me, but not taking it all so seriously and being able to laugh? That’s super important.

My education and certifications...

• ACC – International Coaching Federation
• Certified Career Management Coach (CCMC, Coach Academy/Positive Coaching Solutions)
• Certified Emergenetics Associate
• BA, Spanish and Geography (concentration in Nutrition) (Appalachian State University, NC)
• MA, Geography and Landscape Studies (York University, Toronto, Ontario)
• PhD, Geography and Landscape Studies (Indiana University, Bloomington, IN)

My community involvement...

• Volunteer at the Good Shepherd’s Clothes Closet (providing clothing and necessities to those in need)
• Volunteer helping recovering alcoholics in the local recovery community.
• Member of the ICF Sacramento chapter (closest chapter to Reno)