An Interview with Dr. Annette Vaillancourt, Transformational Trainer and Success Coach

httpI:  Hello, Dr. Vaillancourt. Let's get started right away because we have alot of questions to discuss.

Dr. V:  Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

I:  You call yourself a "Transformational Trainer."  How is that different than a motivational speaker?

Dr. V:  A motivational speaker is someone outside of yourself who gets you pumped up, inspired, or motivated to think and act positively for a short amount of time.  However, since this motivation and inspiration is coming from an outside source and only affects your conscious mind, the effects are temporary. 
     A Transformational Trainer facilitates processes by which you change yourself from deep within - at the subconscious level - so that you show up and act in the world in a radically different way than before.  In the process you align all three facets of your mind; conscious, subconscious, and superconscious, so that you create lasting change.  With these tools and processes, you are able to lead a life full of meaning and alignment with your Higher Purpose. 

I: Why isn't it enough just to consciously set goals and work towards them?  Why is it important to change at the subconscious level and be in alignment with your Higher Purpose?

Dr. V:  There are at least three levels to the mind:

• Conscious mind - that with which we most identify and call "Me"
• Subconscious mind - that is a repository of all of our personal history, life experiences and the beliefs we derived from those
• Superconscious mind - often referred to as the Higher Power, Spirit, Source, Universal Energy, Cosmic Consciousness

Right now, I want to talk about the conscious and the subconscious mind, as they are often in conflict.  It is that conflict the keeps us stuck or frustrated and that sabotages achievement of our consciously chosen goals.  I'll often hear people say, "I know what I need to do, but I can't bring myself to do it."  That's a clear indication that the subconscious is fighting against the conscious mind.
     It is important to change at the subconscious level to free yourself of these internal conflicts so you can come into complete alignment with your consciously chosen goals.
     I like to describe the mind as an iceberg in the ocean.  The conscious mind is the 10% or so of the iceberg that appears above water.  The 90% of the iceberg that is below water is the subconscious mind and that is more powerful.  After all, it was the hidden part of the iceberg that sank the Titanic.  So if you want to be successful, you'd better know what's lurking underwater, in your subconscious mind, so you can change it before it "sinks" you!

I: And what about the Superconscious Mind?

Dr. V:  Well, staying with the same metaphor ...the Superconscious is the ocean. It is the larger dimension of the mind out of which all things arise.  It contains, but at the same time extends beyond, the individual mind.  Like the iceberg, which is made of frozen water, we exist in an ocean of consciousness or Spirit.  Spirit is the larger reality that we forget is there because it is so intimately us that we sometimes...well, often forget is there.

I: What is the role of the Superconscious Mind in success?

Dr. V:  The Superconscious is where our gifts are connected to our Higher Purpose. It's hard to describe without sounding "airy fairy."

I:  How is this aspect of the mind important to business owners?

 Dr. V:  I like Michael Gerber's discussion of the primary aim for business from his book, The E-Myth Revisited.  He says, "All you need to do is begin living your life as if it were important.  All you need to do is take your life seriously.  To create it intentionally. To actively make your life into the life you wish it to be."  He goes on to discuss what he believes is true about great people and mature companies: " I believe great people to be those who know how they got where they are, and what they need to do to get where they are going.  Great people have a vision of their lives that they practice emulating each and every day.  They go to work on their lives, not just in their lives....great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them."  This primary aim is what comes from the superconscious mind.

     Similarly, I love what Patricia Aburdeen discusses in Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism.  Business trends are towards more consciousness of the interconnectedness of us all.  That implies that success in business is beginning to follow the ethic of "Doing well, by doing good."  This ethic of service to others is echoed in "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann.  They write, "Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them....If you want more success find a way to serve more people." 
    Service to others and the recognition of our interconnectedness are spiritual principles that business is finally embracing....and none too soon.  These motivations come from the Superconscious Mind.  Therefore, business owners need to learn techniques to get past the fears and self-limiting beliefs that keep them from partaking of these trends.

I:  What do you mean, "none too soon"?

Dr. V: From my perspective, the trouble in our economy has come from fear: out of which came acts of greed and terrorism sprang.  It is no accident that our financial institutions collapsed as a result of greed and that our business centers at the World Trade Center were destroyed on September 11th.  Fear breeds despair and desperate people take extreme measures.
    I don't want to get too far away from our discussion, as I am not a sociologist, historian, or economist, but I also see these events from a larger perspective. To me, these collapses are part of an archetypal death/rebirth cycle. Therefore, I see what's happening now economically as a course correction.  These extreme events have given us pause to consider what is most important in life.  It is my hope that we're learning how the world operates as a system, that we are all connected and that for any to thrive, all must thrive.  It is my intention to assist the shift from a business culture based on greed and fear and the assumption that it's a "dog eat dog" world, to one of service and the empowerment of all to live an abundant life.  We will either lift each other up or fuel the fear that will take us all down.  Remember FDR's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  This is true in the business climate too. That's why we need a paradigm shift.  That shift starts from within.

I:  How do you help people make that internal shift, to overcome fears and limiting beliefs?

Dr. V:  In the 20 years that I've studied and practiced in the field of psychology, I have assembled a wide variety of techniques and tools that I share with my clients to meet their needs.  When I was doing mainly clinical practice, my focus was on remediation - fixing what felt broken.  Now that I'm coaching and training, my focus is on life/business enhancement and empowerment -- taking what is good and making it better.  This requires new tools. 
     As Einstein said, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."  So I have adopted innovative techniques, that have an ancient lineage, if you will.  These techniques fall under the rubrics of "mind/body" techniques or "energy psychology."  We don't have time here to go into depth about why and how these work, but let me just put it simply -- Everything is energy, Your body is energy. Your thoughts are energy. Your feelings are energy. Life is energy.  If you take energy out of the body, what do you have?  You have death.
    The tools and techniques I employ allow you to make changes an an energetic and subconscious level.  When you eliminate a fear or a negative subconscious belief, you shift energetically.  Actually, I'm not quite sure what comes first -- but I would guess it's the energetic shift that results in the changes of consciousness and then behavior.  When you get into energetic alignment with your purpose, then changes happen almost effortlessly and the things you desire start to manifest in your life and business.

I:  Can you give us some examples of this?

Dr. V:  Because of confidentiality, I can only speak in generalities about what my clients have been able to achieve.  However, I can tell you examples of how I've transformed my own life and view point from one of deprivation to abundance.

I: Please do. I think that will be of interest to our readers.

Dr. V:  Well, the example that gets most people's attention are about increased  financial abundance.  The first example is that during the recession I actually doubled my income.  I also manifested between $70,000 - $75,000 in unexpected money within a year of using one of the techniques I teach.  Third, I sold my house in 2009, during a "down market," to the first buyer who responded to a simple classified ad.  This is after the two realtors I'd hired were not able to bring in a single offer in the prior 15 months the house was on the market.

I: Wow! What else?

Dr. V:  (Laughing) In the past 4 years, I have lost 70 pounds and earned a purple belt in karate.  This is remarkable because there is a limiting belief many have about aging that says, "It's harder to lose weight the older you get." I am 57 years old. It's never been easier to lose weight and keep it off forever.  By the way, I intend to earn my Black Belt in Shotokan karate by or before age 60!
     This requires a mindset for success that is often called "mastery."  Mastery tools are vital to business success beccause you learn how to stay the course, maintain forward momentum, consciously choose goals, help you negotiate and bypass real and perceived obstacles and become a magnet for positive outcomes.  My tagline for my business is "Tranforming drive and passion into amazing results."
    You asked about results I've seen others achieve whom I have worked with.  I have seen people

• overcome an intense aversion to cold-calling with one session
• get into action on projects they have been avoiding or procrastinating about because of perfectionism or fear of failing
• make a career change that resulted in a 300% increase in income the first year
• release limiting beliefs that held them in non-productive activities
• come through years of emotional fear and paralysis to start a grass roots program for the economically challenged

I: So, you're more like a corporate shaman than simply a trainer.

Dr. V: I'm flattered that you think so. I prefer to think of myself as a Manifestor and a facilitator of others who want to manifest their dreams. About 25 years ago, I had a guiding dream for my career, what Swiss psychologist Carl Jung would call a "Big" dream. When I was finishing my Master's degree and contemplating whether to continue on into a Ph.D. program or go to work, this dream guided me to continue with my formal education; to get the best credentials that I could, then to follow the "still, small voice within" and study a variety of psycho-spiritual techiques. This was a perfect fit with my personality type as measure by the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. I am an INFP, which is the "natural healer" and "mystic." We comprise less than 1% of the population. That means that I am drawn to the depths and to the esoteric, but can also bring that knowledge to the world.

I:  How do you get started helping someone tranform their life and business?

Dr. V:  First we figure out if they are ready for change at a deep level.  Is their subconscious and superconscious on board with this?  It is not uncommon for people to consciously desire change and transformation of their lives, but to fear it at a deep level.  If they are not ready, we figure out what needs to be cleared to get ready?
     Prochaska and DiClemente have a great model that assesses Readiness for Change.  Originally, I think they developed it to help people with substance use problems, like smoking. 

I:  What typically holds people back from change?

Dr. V:  Core beliefs that include a sense of unworthiness, being flawed somehow, not being "good enough."  I find Dr. Jeffrey Young's Schema Therapy a good place to start when looking for subconscious issues.  He defines 18 Maladaptive Schemas that range from expectations of Abandonment and Rejection to Impaired Autonomy and Performance.
     According to Dr. Young's model, there are three general ways that we adapt to our schemas:

• Surrender, which means giving in to our schemas and repeating them over and over
• Avoidance, which means finding ways to escape or block out our schemas
• Overcompensation, which means doing the opposite of what our schemas makes us feel.

 Let me give you a hypothetical example...Say you as a business owner want to increase your income by "x" dollars within a set amount of time.  You like the idea of having the extra cash/income and what you could do with it, but unbeknowst to you, you have a deep-seated belief that you do not deserve this level of financial abundance.  Despite this, you set up a marketing and promotional campaign, without setting up the necessary systems to deliver on the demands for increased products or services.  By not being prepared to meet the new demand, you have subconsciously sabotaged your success and confirmed your deep seated belief.  Our minds look for confirmation of our beliefs, so that's why two people viewing the same situation perceive it differently.  So again, the intervention would be to ferret out the subconscious beliefs and use the energy psychology tools, either Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and/or PSYCH-K to change these self-limiting beliefs to self-enhancing beliefs.

I:  These two tools you mentioned; EFT and PSYCH-K...is there science behind them?

Dr. V:  Though experimental and not fully-accepted by mainstream science at the moment (kinda like germ theory or space travel ages ago), science is beginning to validate the efficacy of these treatments.  Dr. Dawson Church has compiled studies describing the efficacy of such treatments in his book, "The Genie in Your Genes."

I:  Wow!  So cutting edge!  We could talk all day about this, but are needing to wind up soon.  How can people get in touch with you and/or sample your services?

Dr. V:  I'm currently revamping my website at http://www.thesuccessdoctorisin.com/.  You can follow me on Twitter @DrVaillancourt.  I also have a MeetUp group in Saint Louis every other Thursday night (http://www.meetup.com/BizAbundanceNow/) or Friend me on Facebook or add me to your contacts on LinkedIn.  Watch my website for upcoming seminars and products.

I: Thank you Dr. Vaillancourt. We look forward to seeing the seeds that you are sowing take root.

Dr. V:  As do I!  Thank you for this time.