FAQ

The course is a recommended 3 months long to give yourself space to absorb and implement the material. Of course, you can use the course in any way that works best for you.

This is not a quick fix process. These concepts will allow you to get to the root of your inner peace. We recommend a minimum of 6 months to help you dive deep. Here's an example breakdown of the process: You take the course over 3 weeks. You use the tools, resources, and practical exercises in a way that resonates best with you for a total of 90 days. You take the course again at the 3 month mark and reach a new layer of inner growth while gaining a clear picture of how you work best towards your goals. In this way, you're not stuck in another “Symptom-Solution Cycle” where you’re excited about your goal, motivated by a solution, and frustrated with the inevitable failure - until you find another quick fix solution and repeat this cycle again. This course is evergreen in that it grows with you and is meant to be used more than once.

The time you invest in Life-Balance By Design can flex with your schedule from week to week, but on average, you can expect to spend about 2-3 hours per week on the course (including time for the community coaching calls for VIP students). It’s also important to note that there is no such thing as “falling behind” in this course. The course material is designed so you may start when/where you can and enjoy each module fully.

You will get 3 months of access to the course and all course materials are yours for life.

One of my greatest joys as a coach is being able to provide a space for connection, support and meaningful dialogue – to help women level up through each other. I look forward to doing that through this course experience, too. Over time, I've found that some course participants are very eager to connect with others as a core part of their course experience, and other participants are more focused on simply absorbing the content. I’ve structured the course so both paths are available. There are many optional ways to engage with the community, and our online discussion group is a place where you can dialogue with other participants and find people in your local area, or with shared interests. If you choose to join us for our optional in-person or virtual meet-ups, you will also be meeting and connecting with other participants in small groups.

Our calls are offered mid-week. Times vary depending on the season.

We don’t record group coaching sessions to protect the safe-space and vulnerability of our VIP students. Good news though! The program is designed to work whether you can attend live or not and you can always ask your questions or participate in discussion via the online forum.

All program materials are yours for life — so even if an unexpected change in your schedule happens, you can still get the full value of the course when you are ready. We’ve also structured the VIP course so that you can easily skip a module (or more) but join us wherever we are in the course, then catch up on the other modules when you have time.

At this time we do not offer refunds.

This program teaches an inside-out definition of life-balance. Life-balance isn’t about striving harder or doing more. It is about honestly discovering one’s true nature and relationships and giving yourself grace as you explore new ways to honor them. Because it leads to us being more aligned with our authentic selves, and more tapped into our passions, it generally creates more energy, less stress, and far less striving in our lives. It’s an alternative to perfectionistic go-go-going​ — a deeper path of self-actualization.

So glad you asked! Many have questions about making the timing of the program work. If the live call times don’t work for you, that’s no problem! There are lots of ways to connect with other participants in the course and to get your questions answered. Still have questions? Send me a message (dawnell@auxlyhelp.com), I would love to chat with you.

No. The Life-Balance By Design tools and model were developed largely through work with individuals who identify as women. Some parts of our content relate to the specific ways women and girls are socialized, research on women in the workplace, and the kinds of biases women are often met with. That being said, individuals who identify as a wide range of genders have found usefulness in the tools. Many of our tools have near universal applicability. Others are resonant for those who are underrepresented in current power structures – for a wide range of reasons, including and apart from gender. Individuals of all genders are welcomed as full participants in the course, and graduates of the program can take what they’ve learned and integrate it into work with any population they desire to support.

First of all, if you are asking yourself this question and wondering if you’ll be in a different stage of life than the group - I want you to know you aren’t alone! This question comes up a lot for people considering the program. The typical age ranges from 30s through 50s - including participants who are mid-career and moving into new kinds of self discovery. I’m also expanding to create a welcoming environment for those who are on the verge of a major life shift - like graduating from school, getting married or starting a family - and anyone or who feels a little lost and is ready for a new layer of self discovery.

No problem. I can help. Message me at dawnell@auxlyhelp.com and I’ll get you all set up.

My workshop is in no way a replacement for the course – in fact, nearly all of our students come to the course after using the tools they learned in the workshop. They want more support and accountability in applying the Life-Balance By Design principles in their life, plus getting new and additional content that we don't have time to cover in a workshop. In the course, we cover the concepts and material in an interactive context, with these added benefits: A well-paced curriculum that keeps you from rushing through the material or only digesting it mentally. Instead, you have the support and time to put new ways of working and living into action in your life. Dynamic class sessions where Dawnell teaches about the concepts in her own words, answers questions, and coaches participants. A structured time to do the writing and other exercises in the Life-Balance By Design process so you know you’ll get them done​,​ with ​the additional ​support and time to debrief and unpack what comes up for you. Reminders and inspiration from Dawnell along the way to ensure that you put the new habits into place, even when life gets hectic. Community – the opportunity to connect with and be supported by a global community of women who are focused on living with calm + ease. Lots of supplementary resources, plus new material available only for VIP Students.

Not at all! One of the amazing things about this program is how it applies to entrepreneurs and individuals working inside organizations. The topics we cover in Life-Balance By Design – from emotional detachment, to learning how to accept what is without the anxiety, to stopping the “should-shaming” attacks – are transformational for participants across all kinds of careers.

As a BIPOC woman myself, this has been a consideration since the Life-Balance By Design program ideation stage. Here are some of the ways I’m making this a priority: Now that the program has launched, I will regularly gather feedback on the course experience from other BIPOC women and LGBTQ+ participants and ensure that the program is impactful, relevant and inclusive. I will do this both through periodic deep dive conversations and quantitative course evaluation data. Integrating discussions of culture, identity and bias throughout our modules. I plan to build out a robust course scholarship program that serves individuals working in social justice, public service and activism, so that my training can help amplify the work being done in those areas. I also know there is a lot more that we can do – and I am committed to continuing to grow in this area. As I continue my work I will begin to include advice from, and consultation with, DEI consultants, in addition to continually gathering feedback from participants and ongoing expansion of the curriculum.

You are not alone. Many of us share these mixed feelings about the notion of designing our ideal life-balance. Many of us worry that this will be another short-term fix that ultimately leads to the same thing — excitement, peak motivation, and inevitable failure. Many of us worry that designing our ideal life-balance would mean we’d somehow stand out, or stand apart, from the people we love — and we don’t want that. Many of us feel fatigued by our culture’s need for everything to appear perfect - at the expense of our authenticity and mental health. We know that’s not sustainable for human beings or the planet. We don’t want to perpetuate that kind of thinking. All of these mixed feelings are very normal — and in my view, they are precisely the reason why we need a context and a journey to redefine and reclaim inner peace for ourselves — to find a way to live with calm + ease that is aligned with our values, allows us to stay in community and relationship - and that’s good for the earth, too. In the Life-Balance By Design program, each person defines life-balance on their own terms. For most, life-balance does not mean living with less excitement, passion or getting overtaken by a whole new “woo-woo” lifestyle. Life-Balance means courageously going for your personal dreams and longings and having the positive impact your heart wants to have in the world.

You aren’t alone. Our self-doubts tend to show up when we are embarking on something unfamiliar, especially something that matters to our hearts. Know that having that inner should-shamer peppering you with incessant negativity in moments like these is very common. And also know that you are coming into a very welcoming, gentle community! If our past course participants are any indicator, by the end of our first meeting, those doubts will be quieted and you will be feeling exhilarated and joyful about being in the course!

That’s okay. Some participants come into the course with a specific idea of what life-balance looks like for them. Others aren’t sure, but find that the skills and tools we learn in the course allow them to design their life-balance in all areas of their lives and support them as their next self-awareness direction emerges.

This is a great point. You’ll be surprised at how easy and engaging the online format is. Here are a few things to keep in mind: The course materials are always simple to access. The course combines written materials, worksheets and exercises, live calls, and recorded audio and video learning. The variety of formats means you’ll be able to digest the material in ways that work for you. The pluses of a distance-learning approach are that you’ll connect with like-minded women from all over the world and that you can learn/participate in a way that works easily with your schedule.

Well, if you were my coaching client I’d ask you to: Check in with your body: How does the idea of registering feel in your body — good and exciting? Good but scary/exhilarating? Those are good signs. Notice what part of you is hesitant: Your inner wisdom? Listen up. Should-shamer? Voice of fear? Not good voices to listen to. Question what they are saying. Especially question any voices telling you that you somehow don’t measure up to being in this group, or won’t be able to “do it right,” or that the time to do this has to be just right. Explore: Is there a particular fear or worry you have? If so, write it down and examine it in the light. Ask yourself: If you knew you couldn’t fail at this, and that you’d fit in beautifully with the group — what would you do? Reflect: What are your intentions for the coming year? Does this feel well-aligned, or not?