Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Gilbertson
Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Rachel Gilbertson and I’m the owner of Art of Presence. My mission is to inspire others to practice the art of presence and support whole person wellbeing by aligning intention, attention, attitude, action, and impact through coaching, classes, and creativity.
The road to get here was full of guidance and course corrections based on intuitive nudges.
Let me explain…
The first major shift was when I trusted an inner knowing when I was 18-years-old. I had recently moved from Minnesota to Colorado to attend college. Despite getting straight A’s in high school, I was struggling in college. I was working a lot at a job I really enjoyed when one day I got a feeling that I needed to quit to focus more on school. On a whim, I gave my 2-week notice that very day without a plan, even though I needed the income. One week later, my then boyfriend (now husband’s) younger sister died in a car accident. I was in Colorado, he was in Minnesota. When you lose someone, you are reminded how special and fragile life is. Life shifting events of loss and crisis can bring both overwhelm and clarity. I knew I would be moving back to MN.
I called my work to let them know I couldn’t finish the final week. They had just hired someone who was familiar with the role and didn’t need me to finish up. I still had a few months left on my apartment lease with a roommate, but had the exact amount in my bank account to cover my remaining rent and utilities. Now, I don’t believe all things happen for a reason as there is no reason for this tragic accident, I just know that there was something telling me a shift was going to happen before it logically made sense. I’ve found that logic follows intuition, not the other way around. Since then, my intuition has become the most important form of information to me.
The second shift came when I started at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). I originally enrolled in the school of business as I wanted to eventually go into marketing. However, during one of my elective classes, I wrote a paper on how many forms of advertisements, marketing strategies and products are correlated to negative body image issues and eating disorders in women. I wanted to make a positive difference, not a negative one so I knew I needed to shift gears. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the human experience and exploring personal development. I decided to switch to majoring in Community Health Education and minor in Psychology. During my courses, I gravitated toward workplace wellbeing.
As a new graduate and newlyweds, we wanted to stay in the area as we had family nearby. However, I wasn’t finding success in the job search. I talked with one of my professors and shared that I wanted to support employee wellbeing but was struggling to find opportunities in the area. She mentioned that the University didn’t currently have a worksite wellness program and suggested I set a meeting with Human Resources. So I did. I pitched my ideas and shared my skills. They thanked me for my time, told me there wasn’t currently an opportunity, but would keep me in mind if anything changed. And it did…a month later, I got a call from the University telling me they were wanting to start an employee wellbeing program and asked me to come interview for a Health Coaching position.
I got the job! Together, along with a pharmacist, and nurse practitioner, we formed the UMD Employee Health & Wellbeing Center. We later added a dietitian to our team. I started in 2007, before there were a lot of accredited Health Coaching training programs, so I did my research and honed my craft. Along the way, I collected certifications including: Intrinsic Coach, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, A.C.E Personal Trainer and mindfulness facilitator. I also added the title of ‘mom’ to my roles as we welcomed our first daughter in 2008 and our second in 2010.
Five years into my role, I got another intuitive nudge to go back to school for my masters degree. Within a few days and in the flow of inspired action, I got my grad school application submitted and was accepted. Over the next two years, while working and having 2 kids with another on the way, I completed my Masters of Education focused on wellbeing and earned a graduate minor in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices. My husband and I welcomed our son 13 days after the graduation ceremony.
I incorporated the lessons-learned into my wellbeing coaching practice where the most rewarding experience is the human connection. Building trust with clients and hearing their stories and experiences is an honor. I love seeing the twinkle in someone’s eyes when they have an ah-ha moment, are taking inspired action toward their goals, or are feeling the improvements to their nutrition, exercise, stress, and sleep. I’ve also been humbled and have sat with people who feel overwhelmed, are in deep pain, or are frustrated without being able to fix, solve, or save them from any of it, just be there as a support as they uncover their own inner wisdom.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After 12 years at UMD and a lot of personal and professional growth, there was a shift in leadership that negatively impacted my wellbeing. Early on, there was a difficult conversation where I heard that little voice inside saying that I needed to stand up for myself. I did and I was proud of myself for finding the courage and trusting my inner guidance. In doing so, the other person abruptly ended our meeting. Things got worse despite doing the best I could to improve the situation. After a year of stressing and struggling and documenting and reporting, I knew it was time to leave the job I loved, the program I helped develop, and clients I formed strong relationships with.
I knew it was important for me to run towards something, rather than away from something. Thankfully, a former student intern knew I was looking and sent me a job posting for a position focused on supporting the wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families. The position was managing a regional program where public health nurses partnered with families on their parenting journey. Although it was a shift in demographics and position, I was delighted to get the job. I began diligently working to learn this new role and quickly saw the value in this integral wellbeing support for families through home visiting programs. I also still got to support employee wellbeing as the nurses participate in reflective practice individually and groups to help process the challenges of the work as they help families meet their goals and aspirations.
In early 2022, two years into my new job, we lost someone important to us. At his memorial service, they talked about how he was gone too soon, but lived a life full of love and joy as he pursued his dreams. One of those dreams fulfilled was starting a company with my husband and another friend. His family shared that one of the best ways to honor his life was for everyone to live their lives to the fullest, follow their dreams, and pursue their passions. It made me realize that I missed the work I was doing through wellbeing coaching and worksite wellness. I had also longed to become an author and artist since I was a child. At that moment, I knew that creating “Art of Presence” was something I needed to take action on.
I continued working my full-time job (until recently…more on that soon), but began developing my multidimensional business, Art of Presence, focused on weaving together the art of being present through mindfulness, the art and science of wellbeing coaching, and creative endeavors that invite inspiration and imagination.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As you likely know, behavior change is difficult and we can be our own worst critics. It doesn’t help that our culture inundates us with messages of ‘not good enough’ with unrealistic expectations. My wellbeing coaching process helps people develop ways to take care of themselves from a place of self-acceptance and compassion rather than a vicious and endless cycle of striving towards the illusion of perfection. It’s about becoming more of their authentic self as they take aligned action in the direction of goals and desires. My goal is to meet them where they are at with compassionate acceptance while they uncover their own innate wisdom through our coaching conversations. When people take time to be intentional about how they want to be and what’s important to them, they’re better able to focus their attention, align their attitude, take action in meaningful ways, and make a positive impact. This is part of the Art of Presence coaching framework I share as I support people in inspiring, mobilizing, and sustaining their paths toward whole-person wellbeing.
Through my class offerings, I aim to build belonging in community as we explore and support individual and collective wellbeing, mindfulness, creativity, and more. In a world full of loneliness, isolation, and noisy distractions, I worry that we are losing touch with our natural ability to be present with ourselves and others and hear the whispers from our intuition. However, part of the work I’m here to do is to help others remember their natural capability and capacity to be present, rediscover how to access their intuition, and have courage to trust the process. These all support wellbeing and I weave these elements into my coaching practice.
As an author and artist, I notice the clues of curiosity and follow them in the direction of delight to see glimmers of inspiration and hear whispers from intuition that lead to innovation. I believe we are all created to be creative and made to be makers. Even if you don’t feel creative, you are designing your own life. That in itself is creative self-expression. My hope is to support others in creating the space and conditions for curiosity, imagination, inspiration, and enchantment to emerge. I believe that although art is often made in solitude, it is a healing form of connection. In the new year, I’ll be offering a book club and group coaching experience using Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “BIG Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
The Roman philosopher Seneca is credited with the line “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” That feels right to me, yet I also think there’s also a mystical force at work.
Two of my favorite words are “serendipity” and “synchronicity”. These special and sacred surprises are among my favorite things to notice. To me, these feel like clues that you’re on the right path and reminders to trust the timing. I also get what I call “soul shimmers” aka good goosebumps, that are a signal that something important is happening at this moment.
In my previous Canvas Rebel interview, I shared the story of how a serendipitous friendship led to publishing a 100-day self reflection journal, Aligned Enchantment. Here’s a quick recap:
One of my first creative endeavors since starting Art of Presence was meeting Heather Wilde, a local author, and signing up for Sarah Seidelmann’s 100-day Creative Soul Retrieval group. The premise is simple yet impactful – pick a creative project to do for 15 minutes a day for 100 days, post it in the private Facebook group and see what happens.
My project was to embark on an adventure of being open to enchantment and following inspiration by creating a mini watercolor painting each day for 100 days. I wanted to learn more about watercolor painting; I love words and their meanings; and I find the practice of reflection to be powerful. Therefore, I braided these elements together and called it “Aligned Enchantment.”
Each day, an image would catch my eye and a word would resonate. These became the day’s theme which I paired with the definition and origin of the word and three related reflective questions.
The goal was to simply create for no specific purpose other than pleasure.
At the end of the 100-day project, I got the sense that it wasn’t quite done. I followed my intuitive nudges and met with Heather Wilde again, who since became an author also founded an indie publishing company, Hezzie Mae. After brainstorming, it became clear that my 100-day project was meant to be a journal. We got to work and published “Aligned Enchantment: 100-day Self-Reflection Journal” in March of 2024.
As a wellbeing coach and high achiever, I’m skilled at envisioning outcomes, setting goals, and creating strategies to achieve them. This process showed me that there is another way. A way that didn’t require stressing and striving. This process of creating simply for the sake of creating with no cherished outcome in mind, resulted in something that provides a space for each person’s inner wisdom to emerge.
Since launching Aligned Enchantment into the world, something has shifted. Upon realizing my dream of being an author and artist, there was an expansion. Over this past year there has been a whisper from my intuition to focus more on my work with Art of Presence. After a spontaneous trip to Toronto to participate in a creativity workshop with renowned authors Elizabeth Gilbert and Martha Beck, this whisper became louder and the nudges grew stronger until the pull became undeniable.
This leads me to my most recent shift. I have decided to leave my full-time job to leap into my work with Art of Presence. I don’t know how it will all unfold, but I trust my intuition, inspiration, serendipity and synchronicity.
I know the intentions I have, the direction I’m heading, and I see the next step. That’s all and that’s enough because I know that’s just how intuition works.
I don’t have the whole journey mapped out in a sequence of strategic moves over multiple years. I know Art of Presence will be multidimensional, interconnected, and expansive, like we all are.
As it unfolds, I’ll be creating space and time for developing opportunities for wellbeing coaching, classes, and creativity. I continue to share my writing and art and invite others to follow curiosity, inspiration, and intuition to see what emerges.
Thank you for your support as I take this leap.
If you are feeling a shift emerge or want to focus on your wellbeing, know I’m here to partner with you through the process.
Pricing:
- https://www.artofpresence.org/coaching
- https://www.artofpresence.org/bigmagic
- https://www.artofpresence.org/alignedenchantment
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artofpresence.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_of_presence_rmg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artofpresence.rmg/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-gilbertson-32872b42
Image Credits
Sam Gilbertson
Stacy Crawford
Heather Wilde
