About Annette Carpien

My passion, and my work, are about people loving their lives, and experiencing activated, satisfying love and connection in their marriage and other relationships.

My own marriage of almost 37 years, has experienced all the normal ups and down, including many "flat" years.  Yet, for the past 18 years, we have experienced a true revitalization, great delight, satisfaction and connection, and our life together keeps getting better.  My training and understanding have truly made a difference in how we relate!

I know how to guide people towards their own relationship happiness!

Some of my training and work are listed here:

• Lead instructor for training coaches to work with dating, engaged and committed couples for the Relationship Coaching Institute.
   

• Master coach for couples; Certified coach for singles
   

• Certified Life Coaching by Coach Training Alliance.
   

• Marriage / Relationship Educator for singles and couples, certified by:

  • PrepInc in PREP (building communication skills, enhance intimacy)
     

  • Lifechangers.com in LOVE THINKS (for singles & dating couples - balance head and heart, pace the relationship wisely)
     

  • FranklinCovey in their 8 Habits of a Successful Marriage.
     

  • Life Innovations in their couples assessment tool Prepare/ Enrich
     

  • Harville Hendrix and his wife, Helen LaKelly Hunt/ Imago Intl. in Imago Connects and Couplehood as a Spiritual Path.
     

  • DISC INDRA relationship style assessment tool, used in team settings and also with married couples coaching
     

Other trainings, degrees:

• Toastmasters, public speaking group, club President and (almost - 1 speech away) from Advanced Communicator Bronze status.
   

• Landmark Education, Self-Expression and Leadership Program
   

• Kripalu Yoga, many, many personal growth trainings
   

• B.A. degree and teaching certification from University of Buffalo, NY

   

I know the richness of a relationship that thrives, even grows stronger through challenges and issues and upsets. 

My marriage of 36 years just keeps getting better.  Even when we are angry at each other, or feel invalidated, we know that our intention and commitment are to use our upsets as the fuel for understanding each other better, and to feel closer, and to make requests for different, and better behavior, to deepen our love.  It works!  We have a "juicy love".

I want to offer hope and skills, insights and tools for singles who want a healthy, thriving, lasting relationship, and for couples who are in the midst of power struggles and communication breakdowns. 

I want this for children who deserve a stable, loving home, who will learn, for better or worse, about marriage and relationships through observation and personal experience. 

I offer:

• individual and couples coaching (not therapy!),

• marriage/ relationship education workshops

• certified programs and assessments and tools for singles and couples to focus on:

  • self and partner discovery,

  • building and maintaining trust,

  • learning communication skills that works,

  • conflict resolution,

  • the difference between solvable and perpetual problems

  • how to be your best self

  • how to bring out the best in your partner

I began my coaching training in 2003, though I was still working full time as a corporate trainer and IT consultant in the corporate IT world, occasionally traveling to Europe for Microsoft and for other clients.

When I was unexpectedly laid off from my corporate training and consulting job, I at first did some database consulting and web design projects.  Then I decided to  jump in whole-heartedly into furthering my training and certification in life coaching, and then specializing in relationship coaching, first for singles, then for pre-committed couples, then for married/committed couples.

I formed my first coaching business, Rich Journey Coaching in 2004, then changed the name to Great Relationships Training Co in mid 2006.  My life purpose is to be a force for successful, thriving relationships!

We have 2 grown sons, a daughter-in-law and I am now an OMA (grandma) to the "other" guy in my life.

I enjoy belly dancing. 

I also love to travel.  Sydney, Australia , the Great Barrier Reef, Kangaroo Island, Barcelona, Spain, Island of Maui on a women’s yoga retreat, the grand Canyon have been some of my wonderful trips that I took by myself or with my husband and family, or some with other women.