Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
Dr. Lori Ochoa is the founder and owner of Life by Design Inc., a company specializing in personal development coaching and training. She received her doctoral degree in psychology with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) since 2008. She is a coach, speaker, and workshop leader in the area of personal development for individuals, companies, and organizations. Dr. Ochoa is the executive director and co-founder of Bloom Behavioral Health, a company specializing in behavioral health therapy. In addition, Dr. Ochoa consults and is on the board of directors for The Women’s Empowerment Network and The Local Wellness Foundation. Within her coaching, training, and mentorship, Dr. Ochoa utilizes an evidence-based process called Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). Her mission is to help individuals maximize their potential, optimize their well- being, and thrive in life utilizing the science of psychology and behavior.
Can you share the story of what inspired you to pursue a career in Psychology and Behavior Analysis, and how that journey has led you to where you are today?
I initially pursued a degree in Psychology and Behavior Analysis to help improve the quality of life for children and families with developmental disabilities. The trajectory of my career shifted when I had my son in 2014 who was born profoundly deaf with his own developmental disabilities. It was a full-circle moment for me. I had been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) for many years working with children with developmental disabilities and now, I was experiencing the same struggles and challenges as the families that I served. I had the training, education, and tools to support my son’s development, however, I didn’t have the tools to cope with my anxiety, stress, fear, and acceptance as his mother. Impacting my overall well-being and quality of life, I turned to what I knew best, the science of behavior analysis. I was always attracted to the philosophy and theory of behavior analysis because of its empowering and compassionate approach to understanding oneself and others. It incorporates a functional perspective of a person’s thoughts and behaviors that are influenced by their history, context, and environment.
This approach does not focus on changing or fixing the person, rather it focuses on changing the person’s contexts and behaviors that lead to a more meaningful engagement with life. This science aligned with my core values, a science in which I could empower myself and others through personal development coaching and training. I committed to my own personal developmental journey utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). I was able to witness firsthand the benefits of adopting psychological and behavioral strategies to effectively cope with my anxiety, stress, and fears and live a life with greater well-being and vitality. This inspired me to broaden my scope and expertise in utilizing psychological and behavioral strategies towards personal development coaching. Giving people the tools to face their own adversities, optimize their well-being, and connect to a life where they are maximizing their full potential.
Can you share a specific example of how your background in Psychology and Behavior Analysis has been instrumental in helping clients achieve their goals in self-development or behavior change?
Oftentimes, my clients come to me feeling stuck, stagnant, and lacking clarity in the direction of their lives. I subscribe to an evidence-based approach called Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) rooted in psychological and behavioral science. Specifically, ACT is comprised of six processes (i.e., Self-as-Context, Cognitive Defusion, Acceptance, Present Moment, Values, and Committed Action) that work in tandem to promote psychological well-being, vitality, and maximize human potential. The goal of my coaching is to help clients get out of their heads and take more meaningful action in their lives.
For example, three common strategies that I utilize with my clients are mindfulness, values identification, and perspective-taking:
Mindfulness allows clients to objectively notice and change their relationship to their unwanted thoughts by looking AT their thoughts, rather than FROM their thoughts without judgment. They are able to connect to their ‘observing self’, recognizing that they are separate from their thoughts. Allowing them to be in the driver´s seat of their lives whereas oftentimes they have taken the backseat to anxiety, stress, fear, and self-doubt.
Values Identification allows clients to pinpoint what matters to them in their different life domains such as career, relationships, family, health, and leisure. This allows clients to feel more engaged with people and life in a meaningful way aligned with what matters to them. As a result, clients experience an increase in vitality connected to a more enriched and fulfilling life.
Perspective-taking allows clients to understand their own behavior within the context of their current situation and devise an action plan. Their action plan brings awareness to their behaviors that move them toward suffering and burnout or toward vitality and well-being. Their plans also prepare them for foreseeable barriers and behavioral strategies to overcome them. Once clients have learned to incorporate and practice these strategies within their daily lives, clients have reported more clarity, direction, and empowerment when faced with barriers and stressors.
How do you incorporate your expertise in leadership and corporate culture into your coaching and training for corporate clients?
As the CEO of a Behavioral Health organization and CEO of Life by Design, I know firsthand the experiences of the corporate clients that I coach. In addition to being an entrepreneur, I am a mother, wife, sister, professor, and daughter sharing similar life roles to my corporate clients. The juggling of roles, responsibilities, and identities is one which we all experience as human beings. It is a perspective of normalizing to corporate clients and CEOs, that they understand that their employees are also experiencing those roles and identities themselves. I coach CEOs and corporations to utilize evidence-based strategies to help optimize employee well-being, not only in their career but in their overall life.
Recognizing that well-being encompasses the “whole” person. When coaching corporations or CEOs, I have them understand that their employees may be seeking a ‘work-life balance’ or what I like to refer to as “Flexible Life Fulfillment.” A “Flexible Life Fulfillment” involves the employee living an enriched life aligned with their values and practicing the six processes of ACT when they perceive an imbalance and/or encounter barriers. By doing so, employees are empowered with the tools to face adversity, effectively manage burnout, and engage in values-driven behaviors to optimize their well-being within the workplace and in all areas of their lives.
What tools do you typically provide to help clients overcome obstacles on their path?
My personal development coaching program emphasizes the ACT approach to behavior change and well-being. I individualize and coach my clients on how to integrate ACT processes into their lives. The tools that I provide to help clients overcome their obstacles are 1) Mindful Self-Awareness, 2) Compassionate Willingness, 3) Present Moment, and 4) Active Engagement with Life.
Mindful Self-Awareness – You become the observer of your thoughts to effectively respond and not simply react. Learn to unhook from unhelpful thoughts that no longer have the power to influence you and your behavior.
Compassionate Willingness – Rather than engaging in avoidant behaviors that keep you stuck and stagnant, you have a compassionate willingness to open yourself up to your painful experiences. Through this tool, you will no longer be in a state of resistance and struggle.
Present Moment – Engage meaningfully with yourself, others, and life in the here and now. Limit dwelling on the unchangeable past or fears of the unforeseeable future. Savor the present moment which allows you to be more connected with life.
Active Engagement with Life – Be in the driver´s seat. Live a life by design and not by default by creating a committed action plan. Engage and connect to what deeply matters to you.
As a result of using these ACT tools, my clients build resilience to overcome obstacles and become the authors of the life they envision for themselves.
Understanding that every client is unique, could you elaborate on how you tailor your coaching approach to meet individual needs and goals?
Every client receives an initial assessment to identify areas that are preventing them from optimizing their well-being (i.e., keeping them disconnected from life) and behavioral patterns contributing to their burnout, stress, or feelings of stagnation. The initial assessment allows clients to gain clarity on their current psychological and behavioral flexibility score via the Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) model. Clients who benefit from my ‘Activate Coaching Program’ demonstrate initial low well-being and vitality scores. As their coach, I assess the following: 1) clarity and direction in different life domains (i.e., health, leisure, relationships, family, career), 2) action plan consistent with their chosen life values, 3) attachment to limiting self-beliefs, 4) willingness to open up to their internal (i.e., thoughts and emotions) and external experiences even if painful, 5) excessive avoidant behaviors to escape daily struggles that keep them stuck, and 6) the degree to which they live in the past or future preventing them from embracing life in the present moment.
Once the initial assessment is complete, I bring to light the blind spots and areas for clients to improve upon. Then, I create an individualized plan to guide them on a 8 – 12-week coaching program. They learn mindfulness and values-driven behavior change strategies to address areas that are impacting their quality of life. Client outcomes reflect the individualized behavior-change goals and strategies adopted from the coaching program. Finally, the client receives another post-follow-up assessment to indicate changes in their well-being and vitality scores.
What final words of wisdom or advice would you like to share with our audience, whether it´s about self-development, leadership, or achieving one´s full potential?
We will all experience setbacks and disappointments in life. We will all get in our own heads and in our own way at times. We are not broken or defective humans that need to change or be fixed. We are humans with problem-solving minds navigating this experience called life. Your self-development journey is uniquely yours to embrace. Rather than being your worst and harshest self-critic thinking that ‘YOU’ need to change, focus on changing your behaviors and the contexts that will lead to more effective outcomes and engagement with life. A behavioral philosophical outlook that is compassionate and empowering to develop along your self-development journey is to “change the behavior, not the person.” When you adopt this perspective, you will learn to act from a place of self-compassion rather than self-judgment. This mindset will lead you towards greater well-being and resilience.
Thank you, Dr. Lori Ochoa!
