Ellen’s Story
Sharing my story is not difficult because my life experiences have been part of the process of my becoming the qualified life coach that I am. Life has been my teacher and I’ve overcome enough obstacles to become an accomplished graduate. There are many components that make up who we are from childhood experiences and on. We start with a blank slate and our individual stories fill the pages.
My own journey helps me relate and work well with my clients. As a teenager I developed an eating disorder that escalated in my college years forcing me to take a leave of absence for a semester. After going to a wonderful therapist specializing in eating disorders and working hard, I went back to school to finish my degree. Using the skills and knowledge that I acquired made me stronger and ready to move on. Resolving my issues with food and weight was monumental. Thirty years later I am still very attuned to what I learned and I continue to live a fit life, even running a NYC marathon. I have successfully incorporated a healthy life style with all the pleasures of food; I still love to eat and I do!
When I graduated from Syracuse University with a B.S. in Human Development my first job was in advertising and from there I became a recruiter for a large personnel agency. My people skills proved to be an invaluable asset. My life progressed, I got married had 2 children and life got busy in a different way.
Things were peaceful and calm in my life for a number of years. I was married to a nice man and we had two beautiful children. When my children were 3 and 6 my then (nice) husband decided he was no longer happy in the marriage and wanted a divorce. This was devastating. Nothing prepared me for that. My parents were happily married for 55 years. This was unchartered territory, ugly and painful. I went through all the stages of grief because this was indeed a death. The death of my marriage ended the dream that I had for my children and for me. Once again I was forced to handle a difficult challenge and once again I did just that. Recreating my life as a single mother, while focusing on my children’s needs as well as my own became my priority.
At this time it was important for me to work. A local special occasion dress shop hired me and eventually that led me to launching my own company, Charmed, a jewelry boutique for preteen and teenage girls. This worked well for a number of years and then it didn't; I needed to make a change. The conversations that I had with my customers and their children became more meaningful than the jewelry. This brought me to NYU and its outstanding Life Coaching department where I truly feel I found my gift and my passion.
After a couple of years I was lucky enough to meet and fall in love with my current husband. He was a single dad with joint custody of his two young children. Blending two families is never easy and we were no exception. We had different parenting styles and that was a problem. We were committed to each other and to making it work. That was 22 years ago and we are happily, peacefully reaping the rewards with 3 kids that really like each other and like us too. On most days it’s love.
I have procrastinated adding this piece of new information to my “about me” page for quite some time. To be more exact, it will be 3 years since my life changed so drastically and I haven’t wanted to change a word, but my life took a huge, sad turn. My husband passed away in June of 2020 and I’ve had to work very hard to pick up and change my blueprint…yet again. It took me until now to be ready to move forward and grow in directions that I never thought I would or could. I didn’t take to my bed (or certainly not for very long) but at the same time I wasn’t in a position emotionally to think bigger than just handling my grief. I did that by living the same life I had but doing it without my husband. I needed to keep my world as small as I could and take comfort in the safety of my close circle of friends and family. It was what I needed to do. In addition to that I joined a bereavement group for people that had also lost their partners. That was extremely helpful.
Now I’m almost at the 3 year mark and I’m making big moves and I’m feeling happier and excited about all the possibilities. I’m creating a new and different life as a single 61-year-old woman. My goal is to be helpful and inspire other widows and widowers to hold on and know that we can all miss and grieve our losses and at the same time create joy and make things happen. On that note I’m embarking on a new adventure…a podcast. We Can Be Real with Ellen Schweitzer is launching June 1st and I can’t wait.
Throughout my life I’ve accomplished many things and had many “next chapters” and life transformations. All of these experiences have led me to where I am now, a happy, confident, fulfilled person. My goal is to help other people get there too.
Degrees, Certifications & Credentials
CDC Certified Divorce Coach: CDC Board of Standards
Certified Life Coach: New York University
Bachelor of Science in Human Development, Syracuse University
