Ann Camarata is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her courage.

She was a First Responder in a busy Emergency Department, a place where you are continuously exposed to anxiety, fear, traumas.

She decided to start her coaching career after finding a way that helped her overcome deep depression. She is now sharing her wisdom with other First Responders, coaching and helping them heal from the traumas that come by doing such heroic work saving others.

Her approach is customized for each client. Sometimes we don’t think about the heroes and how they might be the ones who really need a helping hand from time to time. She is helping those heroes. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Ann Camarata:

Name: Ann Camarata

Pillar: The Heart

Who is this coach for: First Responders.

How they can help: By going deep into the traumas and the triggers, by using various modalities that help her clients heal themselves.

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

Since all my children are grown and have left the nest, I know briefly that they are all doing okay through these Pandemic times.

Myself personally, I feel that I have coped exceptionally well.

I find that I tend to react and respond better in crisis’s than when things are in normal mode.

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

The Coronavirus Pandemic affected my clients greatly because they were, and still are, on the front lines.

As First Responders, we walk into homes and nursing facilities constantly that we don’t know who is vaccinated, who has had the virus, who has symptoms or exposure to the virus, and quite a few of the patients we take to the hospital, are already Positive with the virus.

Working in a busy Emergency Department, we are faced with the same thing of patients that either walk in or come in by ambulance.

We are constantly being exposed to something we can’t control or see.

It caused a lot of anxiety in context of isolation from family, while being home off duty.

Spouses and significant others separated or isolated their loved ones from other family members for safety reasons.

Even with all of that going on, other people didn’t seem concerned about separation or isolation from contaminated people.

They went on with their daily lives, with no regard to others being exposed.

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

You can choose the reactions to situations, either negatively or positively and whatever you choose, you reflect it onto others.

You can also get caught up in the negative or positive vibes around you, depending on whatever you choose to pass itself onto others.

The Origin:

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

I am a Pacific Northwest transplant living on the Eastern side of the United States.

I was newly divorced when the move came about with my three children to move somewhere safer away from an emotional abusive relationship.

I felt it was best for the kids and myself to make a fresh, clean start somewhere where there were no links or ties to his family had any intention of reaching.

My career choice came about after deciding not to become a Philadelphia Police Officer, but knew I wanted to do something in the civil service sector.

I had been raised around law enforcement and Emergency Medicine all of my life due to a very sick mother who had brittle Diabetes.

I gravitated towards Emergency Medical Technician because I had started Oregon’s 2 year program to become a Paramedic with an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Unforeseen circumstances stalled it when I was younger, but I was able to go back into it here in Philadelphia, PA and try to get on with the Philadelphia Fire Department who was hiring EMT’s at the time.

My coaching career started when a traumatic event in my own personal life slowly started affecting my career and attitude which led to a deep depression no one knew about.

The limited resources that I was led to seemed to be the ‘right ones’ for me that little by little worked.

Totally unconventional but made the impact that slowly changed my thinking and perception of myself and how I could cope with the trauma successfully without succumbing to the result like my friend.

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

One of my biggest obstacles that I have overcome is expectations of others and to not resent them for not having or respecting themselves of their integrity and respect.

The obstacle that I seem to have trouble overcoming completely is believing in myself that I am a qualified expert in my field as a Trauma Life Coach for First Responders, Military personnel, and Frontline Workers.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I know that each First Responder, Military personnel (active or retired), or Frontline Worker has a different way of grasping and retaining knowledge.

No one is in a cookie cutter or is a textbook case.

As First Responders, we deal with and react to situations differently and we have different triggers that causes are reactions to be mild or severe.

By being a First Responder myself and knowing what I went through and what helped and what didn’t, I am able to bring unique and different techniques into the spectrum of how I help someone that is customized to them and their traumas so they can get through them successfully.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

My coaching approach to my clients and specifically their trauma is to not relive it.

Not only to identify and work through it, but the trigger as well.

As I tell each of my client’s, “I am not here to heal you, but to assist you in healing yourself.”

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

The biggest benefits that my clients face is the short term time frame it takes them to get them on the road to healing themselves.

I don’t see the benefit in keeping a client longer than necessary in order to help them achieve their goals that they want to get, better themselves and move on with their lives.

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

I integrate several modalities into each program for my clients that best fit the criteria of assistance that they need.

The Impact:

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

A quote by “All That’s Left Unsaid”:

“I could write you a million motivational quotes. I could show you a thousand before and afters. I can quote you as much scripture as you want. But the truth is, you must want it bad enough to get off your rear end and fight for your life while you still have one.”

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

Tragedy and heartbreak happen all the time. Its how we react and deal with the emotions that come up during that time that makes us stronger and more resilient.

Your final thoughts?

Nothing to add.

Where Can You Find Ann Camarata?

If you liked this interview and, as a First Responder, you would love to see how Ann can help you, go to https://www.internal-consciousness.ueniweb.com and find out.

If you like to connect more personally with her, follow her Instagram. It was an honor having this interview with her.