How the Inspirationists Define Mental Movement – Interview with Shannon Zayac and Callie Starre

The Inspirationists Coaching Services, also known as "The Inspirationists," was founded with one goal in mind: to provide individuals with a model for personal growth that brings about balance and mental well-being in their everyday lives. Through their Work/Life Balance Coaching Program for Individuals, Employees, and their Youth Engagement Coaching Program, members can create, track, and connect with their mental and emotional well-being in real time and apply valuable self-management skills to all kinds of challenges and life experiences.

The Inspirationists Coaching Services was built around the vision of Shannon Zayac and Callie Starre. Both Shannon and Callie are professional Life Coaches who specialize in Emotional Intelligence, Mindset (REBT), Employee, and Group Coaching. These dedicated coaches use and apply the tools, methods, and insights offered in their programs to maintain their own mental and emotional well-being in their personal lives. They truly believe that every person is capable of moving and adapting to the changes and challenges they encounter in a way that creates confidence, builds resilience, and elevates their own unique life experience.

The Inspirationists aim to empower everyone to "Believe in Change," and with this one seemingly simple statement, they guide and support individuals to move toward their true potential with one thought, one feeling, and one choice at a time.

Shannon Zayac and Callie Starre, Emotional Intelligence & Mindset (REBT) Coaching

What inspired both of you to pursue a career in Life Coaching?

Well to start I think both of our stories are similar yet profoundly different in a lot of ways.  I think we have both spent a large portion of our lives trying to navigate life challenges without a lot of positive support and guidance, which ultimately left us with a very limited skillset around decision making, self-reflection, and personal resilience.  Our lives consisted of continuous negative thought patterns and beliefs about ourselves and our ability to experience the world in a different way. 

I (Shannon Zayac) grew up not knowing how many elements of my childhood would come to affect me in my adult life until I really started to get to know myself as who I am today.  I grew up in extreme poverty to a mother who struggled with mental health issues which ultimately left her unavailable to meet many of my emotional needs.  The environment I was raised in forced me to choose attachment over authenticity which distorted my perspective around relationships, communication, self-esteem, motivation, self-compassion, and my own personal identity.  However through a lot of trial and error, failures, and harsh circumstances I was able to extract the more positive elements of my life experience.  I was lucky enough to have people along the way that helped me shift what I viewed as negative aspects of myself into methods of thinking that helped me keep moving forward regardless of the challenges or circumstances I was presented with. 

My interest in Life Coaching came from a desire to help others connect with themselves as well as being able to show people what is possible when we own both our strengths and weaknesses.  I see Life Coaching as an opportunity for individuals to take an honest look at what holds them back from attaining feelings of mental balance and success in their lives.  I believe that many aspects of Life Coaching allow individuals to be actively involved in the changes they want to see and experience what that change feels like for them on a regular basis. 

In taking the certifications to become a Life Coach I learned more about myself and what I was able to offer my own mental and emotional well-being, without judgement and self-criticism.  Ultimately Life Coaching has strengthened my relationship with myself, elevated my own level of self-awareness and has drastically changed how I view the world.  As a Life Coach my goal is to share what I have learned with anyone who wants to shift how they experience the world in their own unique way.

I (Callie Starre) grew up in a very liberal and free flowing environment, with little structure and guidance.  Even though I was loved and cared for I still always felt disconnected from my family, which I know now had an impact on many areas of my life.  This lack of guidance and direction ultimately led to failed relationships and a lack of direction when it came to choosing a career path, which resulted in repeated bouts of depression for long periods of my adult life.  It was after one of these periods of depression that I realized that I was stuck in a cycle, and I needed to find a way to break these patterns.

I chose to seek help through various mental health practitioners, yoga, energy healing, spiritual and psychic support, plant medicine ceremonies, guidance from a shaman, as well as indigenous guidance and group circles.  The choices I made to connect with and understand myself gave me a sense of direction and provided me valuable elements of information and insight that I was able to apply to my own personal growth.  Each and every day I am able to access what I have learned over the years to continue to build and maintain a strong foundation of strength and resilience.

My interest in Life Coaching comes from my desire to offer others a foundational starting point to experience the world in a way that creates direction to formulate personal success and understanding.  For most of my life it seemed that people were drawn to my compassion and willingness to be open to their thoughts and feelings in a manner that created an element of safety.  I believe Life Coaching offers valuable and tangible benefits that impact the challenges people face in their present and everyday lives.  In my experience however, I have learned that creating change can sometimes lead us to dig deeper into identifying roadblocks and patterns that keep us stuck and unfulfilled. 

Along with Life Coaching I also practice modalities that help individuals connect with themselves on a deeper level with the goal of helping others extract personal barriers that they might not be fully aware of.  Compassionate Self-Inquiry and Inner Child Integration are two profoundly effective ways to connect with self and break away from aspects of ourselves that no longer serve us.  I believe we all have the power to create immense change for ourselves regardless of what modality we choose, as long as we keep choosing ourselves first.

Which aspects of Life Coaching do you emphasize, and what led you to select these specific areas of focus?

The Life Coaching aspects that we emphasize in the private coaching we do and the programs we have created are centered around Emotional Intelligence and Mindset (REBT) strategies.  As we know the basis of our thoughts creates how we feel, thus influencing our internal and external reactions to our own experiences.  We hold a strong belief that if someone can develop a stronger understanding of how their own thoughts influence the way they feel about what is happening around them (even moment to moment) they create the ability to shift their own reactions and create more positive and adaptable thought patterns.

Also within the context of our Emotional Intelligence and Mindset (REBT) strategies individuals are able to learn, understand,  and better identify what triggers certain thoughts, feelings, and reactions in a variety of situations.   We believe that strengthening ones personal understanding and self-assessment skills allows for greater clarity in being able to shift perspectives and reframe thought patterns.  The ability to choose how a person feels about someone, or something can have an immediate effect on their emotional landscape, increase self-awareness, improve self-regulation, foster empathy and motivation, as well as build stronger social skills.  In relation to the work that we do we have coined these valuable skills, when put into action, as  ‘mental movement’.

Could you elaborate on the idea of 'mental movement' and its relevance to the work carried out by The Inspirationists?

The idea of ‘mental movement’ around any situation, experience, or circumstance is essentially the ability to apply an objective approach to shifting your emotions, attitudes, and reactions around what you are experiencing.  Human beings are naturally reactive, and we all react to our environment in a subjective way that is personal to us which can create a false narrative around what is truly happening.  And because we are reacting with essentially “false” or “inaccurate” information we prevent ourselves from being able to look at the facts or a different perspective of a particular experience. 

For example, when someone experiences conflict or a negative interaction at work we tend to assume that it is actually about us due to the reactive emotional charge we feel in the moment, and this is normal, and we all do it without realizing it.   So utilizing the process of ‘mental movement’ allows us the freedom to assess and evaluate how we can move ourselves into more open patterns of thought that positively contribute to our mental and emotional well-being.

All of our programs are built around guiding our clients to engage with how they are thinking and feeling, identifying situations and scenarios that create emotional reactions, and beginning, for example, by applying skills such as Self-Observation and Self-Inquiry to formulate different perspectives that provide working examples for individuals to experience their own shifts and changes in real time. The practice of mental movement is often accompanied by an element of discomfort and our desire for an immediate answer or resolution; however it is a process that requires patience, honesty and basic self-awareness.  When we allow our thoughts and feelings (both the good ones and difficult ones) the opportunity to move it can drastically change how we interact and experience the world.

Which specific skill areas do your programs emphasize that can motivate progress and assist clients in connecting with their mental and emotional health?

When building each program our focus was to target five areas that we believe hold the most value for people to be able to track and manage their mental and emotional well-being.  Our programs offer a foundational starting point for our clients around Self-Awareness, Perspective, Communication, Social-Awareness, and Stress Management.  Both Callie and I apply elements of these skills both at work, at home, and in social situations and have been able to create modes of thought that are unique to us to help us manage our perspectives and create ‘mental movement’ around what we experience in our daily lives.

Each of our programs give our clients (Businesses, Individuals, and Youth) the opportunity to complete a quick assessment that provides a snapshot of each of these five areas they can choose as a launching point when starting the program.   And from there clients are able to approach the program in any way they choose.  For example, most people start with Stress Management, which was not at all a surprise to us, as this is an area that a lot of people would like to make changes in.  However, regardless of where someone chooses to engage with the program when someone is applying skills around Stress Management there is an undeniable inevitability that the client will create shifts in Communication, or Social-Awareness and so on.

There is a stark difference between what is offered in a course versus what is offered in a Self-Paced Program.  We intentionally designed our programs as an ongoing membership so our clients can continually develop and apply skills as life is happening as well as access support and guidance in the process.  Each of our programs offer Personal Development Plans, Mental Wellness Check-Ins (Monthly), as well as Live Chat feature that keeps our clients connected to us, themselves, the program, and their mental and emotional well-being.

Do you believe that a Self-Paced Coaching Program can be equally effective as providing one-on-one coaching to clients?

The information we gathered from a majority of our one on one clients was that they felt like they were experiencing challenges in more than one area of their life simultaneously, which seemed to move people away from being able to maintain their overall mental and emotional well-being.  We soon realized that it was difficult and costly for clients to choose an area of focus and get the results they are looking for.  So we started creating programs that allow clients the opportunity to work on a number of self-management skills while still being able to access coaching and guidance for a much more manageable cost.

We put a lot of thought into what tools and insights we offered to our one on one clients and how we could present those same tools in a Self-Paced Program.  The content and material in each of our programs is built to allow clients to self-assess, learn and apply skills, check in with themselves on a regular basis, and create and track changes that are unique to them.  As we know any element of coaching requires a certain level of personal accountability and dedication from the client in order to set and achieve goals, self-reflect and monitor success, and build on the changes they have created. 

Another critical component that we added that allows clients to be able to connect with a coach was our Live Chat feature.  This allows clients to connect with us (we do not use bots or AI) to ask questions about the program, gain clarity and direction, or to simply reach out when experiencing challenges. The inherent difference between coaching clients one on one and offering a Self-Paced Program is still being able to provide that element of connection so our clients can access support almost instantly.

What type of lasting change do you aspire to bring about for businesses, individuals, and youth who participate in the programs provided by The Inspirationists?

When it comes to businesses (large or small) we want to continue to offer resources that inspire an ongoing supportive work culture and give businesses the opportunity to offer their employees (at all levels ) every chance to effectively manage their mental and emotional well-being.  Offering an ongoing and accessible resource for employees allows them to bring valuable Self-Management Skills back into the workplace, which will greatly contribute to the continued success of both the employee and the employer.

Our Individual and Youth Programs also offer a supportive, affordable, and effective avenue for our clients to learn and apply new skills related to their own personal experiences.  Readily available mental health resources are hard to come by and the practical Self-Management Skills we offer don’t expire.  We will continue to encourage people to build resilience, confidence, and empower themselves to approach life in a way that creates successful outcomes. 

Can you tell us what the future holds for The Inspirationists moving forward?

Our goal as Inspirationists is to continue building programs that are both effective, engaging, relatable, inspiring, and effective for our clients.  We also want to create an online community forum that is built around connecting people to others that are on the same journey of personal growth.  The vision we hold as Inspirationists is to inspire others to share their experiences with each other and move as one giant support network, which we feel is very much missing in society at the moment.

We are currently in the process of adding more Self-Paced Programs that offer a more introspective opportunity to build on the skills offered in our Work/Life Balance Programs and our Youth Engagement Program.  We will continue to offer all of our programs at a cost that is affordable for everyone. We feel strongly that people who can access a resource that encourages them to focus on their mental health, as well as access compassionate and dedicated support is incredibly valuable for anyone.

As Inspirationists we want to continue to create opportunities for people to engage with their mental health in a way that is unique to them.  We offer free Self-Assessments as well as 1 Month Free Trial options for both Individuals and Youth.

Our Business Memberships  are also a great way for employers to create and maintain a supportive work culture that gives employees continuous access to coaching and self-management skills which helps build a healthy and engaged workforce.

Our Specialty Services also provide another avenue for people to address their mental and emotional well-being in a more introspective way that aligns with our Self-Paced Programs. 

All of our offerings can be used in tandem with each other, allowing our clients to get the most out of the work they do.

Accessing and addressing mental health resources doesn’t have to be difficult or costly for anyone.  It just needs to be available and effective.  We invite you to visit our website to discover a unique resource that inspires change and success for all.

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