Коуч Ольга Пышняк-Лоуренс делится философией жизни, основанной на любви, знании и сострадании

Olga Pyshnyak-Lawrence, a certified life coach, entrepreneur and author, has centered her life and work around three principles: love, knowledge and compassion for others. Pyshnyak-Lawrence said she has drawn inspiration from English philosopher Bertrand Russell’s quote: “Three passions have governed my life: the longings for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.” “That’s been my life journey and my life’s mission,” she said. “To learn (and) understand more (and) to be more wise.” Pyshnyak-Lawrence said her journey from Ukraine to Massachusetts at a young age helped shape her perspective and become more flexible while observing different cultures and ways of viewing life. “That helped my wisdom, but also having that experience coming from a different country, I could understand the plight of the immigrants,” she said. “I could understand not taking things for granted.” As the oldest of eight children, she also took on responsibilities at an early age. While growing up in Ukraine, she said she often babysat her siblings and attended parent conferences for them because both of her parents worked. “I’m grateful for this journey,” she said. “I had a head start on so many people in developing this appreciation for life, these emotions and this different viewpoint I have.” Pyshnyak-Lawrence said she does not view failure as something to fear and encourages her children to take risks and learn from setbacks. “You just show up and do your best, and sometimes it’s just good enough so that you actually do it,” she said. “You cannot be courageous or brave if you do not go through fear.” As the owner of Motivated Mama by Olga, Pyshnyak-Lawrence said her previous challenges and religious upbringing helped her develop her own voice. “I was wanting to know things, (which) people took as rebellious,” she said. “I think asking questions and trying to know the truth brought me to where I’m at.” Through her business, she said she takes a comprehensive approach to working with women and children. Her offerings include traditional and Christian life coaching, aromatherapy, teas designed to support the nervous system, online courses and books. Pyshnyak-Lawrence also developed the P.A.S.S.I.O.N. method to help people prioritize what matters, align their lives with their identity, maintain flexible schedules, find daily joy, invest in self-care, overcome setbacks and nurture progress. “I was very structured because I wanted control in my life,” she said. “Women have to have the flexibility to pivot, (and) creating the right systems is so important.” She said mothers can often feel pressured to sacrifice their hobbies, interests and individual identities for their families. “If there’s a woman, I can find ways to help her,” she said. “I have access to so many other modalities, wisdom and approaches.” She has also developed workshops for children based on a novel by James Allen. The workshops use the concept of a “thought garden” to teach children ways to manage emotions and understand how thoughts can influence behavior. “We all carry a thought garden with us (in our head),” she said. “If you have a weed thought, you think it leads to actions (and then) habits. You do this habit long enough, you have results, good or bad.” She encourages people to avoid making permanent decisions based on temporary emotions. “Everything is possible,” she said. “Whatever you have going on, you can have (a) breakthrough. Things can be fixed. Everything can be changed and for the better.”