Coach.
Storyteller.
Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a situation you didn’t want to be in?
One day, I was photographing the finish line of a big annual charity cycling event in Austin when a cyclist came speeding through the finish line with dozens of other cyclists just as my camera was dying. Before I knew it, I could see the cyclist headed straight in my direction. I tried to move, but it was too late. He slammed into me head-on, forcing my camera to hit my throat. I opened my mouth to scream on the way down, but nothing came out. My voice disappeared on impact. It took months for me to fully recover it.
As I lay there amidst the chaos of sports medics scrambling to stabilize me, I became very calm. As a butterfly fluttered overhead, I realized I couldn’t breathe. I wondered if I would ever be able to speak again. As I was faced with my mortality, a clarity came over me: I knew in my bones I WAS NOT a photographer. This accident was a literal slap in the face from forces greater than me saying, “Wake up, you KNOW you need to be doing something else with your life. Do it.” I knew then I had to stop being a photographer. That was the last event I photographed professionally.
In losing my voice, I went inward. I did a lot of reflecting, reading and meditating during that time. I reevaluated my life and my place in it; by early 2013, it became clear to me that the one thing that always energized and inspired me was empowering people to connect more deeply with themselves and those around them. I knew when my voice healed, I wanted to use it as a source of inspiration and empowerment.
This is how I realized I wanted to be a coach.
Sofia Salazar (they/them) is a non-binary, Chicanx coach who uses storytelling to empower people to tap into the wisdom of their own emotions so that they can connect more deeply to themselves and others and access the courage needed to grow a more empathic and equitable world. Sofia has 10 years of coaching experience in career, wellness, and productivity with a focus on emotional intelligence in leadership, cultural identity loss, and challenges faced by marginalized and historically excluded communities.
“In just a few short months, Sofia got me unstuck. They helped me figure out what I love and don't love in the workplace, what I'm awesome at and what I suck at. Sofia helped me create a solid, career profile, a combination resume, and helped me efficiently weed out what was a 'NO' and a 'YES' in job listings - Sofia was even kind enough to do research for me and send me job postings that they felt fit my profile on their own time. Sofia coached me before interviews and assisted me with long and tedious questionnaires in the application process. It was exactly what I needed. Not a week after my unemployment payments ran out, I received a job offer.”
— Lauen C., Consultant