Briana L. Darrington-Coston is one of the coaches we found and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her unique approach to coaching. She is the founder of Synapses TBI Life Coaching. Her way of delivering results to her clients is accompanied by a strong sense of accountability and support. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Briana L. Darrington-Coston:

Name: Briana L. Darrington-Coston
Pillar: The Spirit
Who is this coach for: For people who suffered a brain injury and want to renew their purpose, find a sense of confidence, peace of mind, and reconnect with the truth in their hearts.
How they can help: By using personalized sessions powered by Synapses TBI.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?

Thank you for asking. My family and I are doing well and are continuing to follow guidance from the CDC in addition to local recommendations to decrease the spread of the coronavirus.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

When the coronavirus hit, it felt as though someone had pressed the “pause’ button and everything slowed down.

Like the rest of us, my clients were worried about their loved ones, frustrated about being cooped up in their homes for extended periods of time and experienced changes within themselves.

Some developed new hobbies and found ways to remain occupied in their environment while others relied on counseling services to work through feelings of depression and mental health.

For me, the pandemic was a time of introspection and in the midst of uncertainty, I focused on activities to keep my brain healthy while taking time to appreciate things that I had overlooked.

I increased my level of fitness and meditation to keep a steady flow of endorphins coming to keep my mood positive so that when I worked with my clients they did not see fear, but joy.

When discussing updates about the pandemic with my clients, we discussed it in ways that allowed them to process their feelings while focusing on the future with anticipation of better days to come.

Most of my clients are medically compromised individuals and keeping them safe was priority #1. For this purpose, services were completed via Telehealth in an effort to maintain their daily routine, and together we found creative ways to bring the world to the laptop screen we were now sharing.

Now that we can meet in person, guidelines from the CDC continue to be observed for safety.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The biggest lesson I learned from the pandemic is to stop waiting for “some day” to do what brings you joy.

Nothing will ever be perfectly planned because, by nature, we are imperfect people.

The time we lose waiting to achieve this type of perfection takes precious moments we won’t get back.

The 2nd lesson I learned from this pandemic is to not be afraid to open a door to new possibilities.

Sometimes, things work out in different ways than we believed they would and we miss opportunities because they came in a form we didn’t recognize.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I’m a Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America, a Certified Life Coach through the Life Coach Training Institute located in San Diego, a Master Mindfulness Practitioner from the Academy of Modern Applied Psychology, and the owner and founder of Synapses TBI Life Coaching.

The idea of starting a Life Coaching company based on helping people living with brain injuries was inspired by the families struggling to find resources for their loved ones after leaving a post acute facility.

For rehabilitation programs covered by insurance, time can be limited due to a variety of factors and after they return home, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

Synapses TBI helps connect families with local resources in the area while helping to establish a structured routine.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

It’s hard to pinpoint one specific obstacle that made me who I am today because I am an accumulation of all of my life experiences.

I believe that all experiences come with lessons that can either hinder or help you in the future.

The determination I had then and continue to feel today drives me and pushes me out of my comfort zone which has opened doors I could never have imagined.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

The coaching relationship is unique in the sense that it’s a collaborative effort between two people working together for a common goal.

The innovation that comes as a result of establishing trust and accountability is driven by the client which empowers them to trust themselves while having support and accountability through coaching.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

I believe my coaching approach is unique because I connect with clients on a personal, almost empathic level.

While I have a website and social media page to share about Synapses TBI, all of my clients are referral based and my business has grown based on the satisfaction of others who were happy with their results.

Everything that is offered and provided through Synapses TBI has my personal time, effort, and vision driving it forward.

There is nothing that I don’t sign off on, create or research to ensure only the highest quality standard for both current and future clients.

As each individual is unique, each session is personalized for their needs in real time and adjusted as needed.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

Benefits my clients have shared after working with me include a renewed sense of confidence and purpose, peace of mind through various meditation techniques, and quality of life that allows them to reconnect with their families and loved ones with optimism and hope.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

One tool I use regularly is an accountability tracker that I created for myself to closely monitor my client’s progress in each session.

By doing this, I can determine when modifications to the treatment plan are required without spending excess time in areas that have already been mastered, helping my clients continue moving forward.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

That’s a great question.

I’d like people to remember that we are more alike than we are different.

Looking only at what is on the surface deprives us of deep and meaningful connections with others that have the possibility of changing our lives for the better.

Having a different opinion from others doesn’t make them your enemy and spreading false narratives doesn’t change the truth.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned in my life is to never count myself out.

There have been times when I allowed the thoughts of others not only to dictate my actions but make me doubt my abilities.

By pushing through these thoughts, I realized that the opinions of others were a reflection of their own insecurities, not mine.

Just because they dropped them with me didn’t mean I had to pick them up.

Your final thoughts?

In closing, I’d like to thank Life Coach Code for allowing me to share about Synapses TBI Life Coaching with all of you.

This has been such a blessing and I truly appreciate the time you spent reading this interview.

Have a wonderful day!

Where Can You Find Briana L. Darrington-Coston?

If you liked this interview and you want to get to know Briana a little better you can find all about her work at https://bricoston.wixsite.com/synapsestbi or on her Facebook page.

If you want to get in touch directly, you can connect with her on LinkedIn and shoot her a message. It was an honor having this interview with her.