Meet Carla Dawes | Emotion Resilience Coach & EFT Tapping Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carla Dawes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carla, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I like to think of taking risk-taking as “aligned & inspired action” — usually, when I take risks, I do so because it feels right, even though it also feels scary. When your head, heart and gut are aligned, you can have a deep knowing that something is an action worth taking — sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between fear and excitement. There is never any certainty, so for me, the journey is actually what makes the risk worth taking, not necessarily the outcome!

Through the course of my life I’ve made numerous choices/changes that many people would consider ‘risky’ — here are a few of them:

— Leaving a great job + living situation to move to Japan for an opportunity to teach + travel — I REALLY wanted to see the world, and I did!

— Saying no to an offer to become the General Manager of a beautiful hotel in the Canadian Rockies so that I could take a job in a Peacekeeping Camp in Bosnia

— Accepting an offer to journey to Afghanistan to support another Peacekeeping mission (where I met and fell in love with my amazing life partner!)

— Leaving corporate life and a six-figure income to start my own photography business

— Starting a business together with my life partner (now THAT is risky!! Ha ha ha)

— Becoming transparent about our family’s struggles with post-traumatic stress to enable me to start a coaching business through which I support other individuals and families whose lives are affected by PTSD and developmental or complex trauma. The journey to here was powerful because it led me to my true purpose!

— Training in a powerful modality (EFT Tapping or Emotional Freedom Technique) that seems weird and ‘woo woo’ to many people but has been so powerful in both my personal life and in my professional work with others. (Now there’s SO much peer-reviewed scientific research that shows that it’s not weird or woo woo at all, it’s actually profoundly effective!)

Making “aligned & inspired action” choices like this required me to step outside of my comfort zone and do the inner work to enable me to not listen to anyone’s voice by my own, to feel clear and confident about what I wanted, and to get out there and “do the thing”, even when I couldn’t be certain about the outcome.

I think risk-taking requires a lot of curiosity and self-compassion. We may not always get it right, but the inner journey and what we learn about ourselves, other people, and the world along the way is what makes it worthwhile!

Taking risks has led me to some of the most wonderful people and experiences that have enriched my life beyond my imagination, including my wonderful little family, which wouldn’t exist if I’d said no to that opportunity to go to Afghanistan! All of these choices were me following my path to my truest self — thank goodness for neuroplasticity!

Sometimes we just need to take a page from Indiana Jones’ playbook and take that Leap of Faith. As humans programmed for survival, we’re often in the clutches of wanting to be in control, and when we can release that, miracles start to happen.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
LAround 10 years ago our family went on a tough journey — my husband was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, which turned our lives upside down for a little while.

As a supporter and a caregiver, my overall health (mental, physical, emotional) took a nosedive. I often felt stress, worry, fear, frustration, guilt, shame, and all those other emotions that are SO human, but we often don’t know how to handle them, which can lead to burnout, secondary traumatic stress, or compassion fatigue.

There weren’t a lot of resources specifically for loved ones/partners/supporters of trauma survivors. There still isn’t a lot available to support people going through this specific experience — I found that the traditional health systems overlooked how important loved ones and supporters are on that journey!! People heal in relationship, but it can be tough to have a healthy relationship if one or both people in that relationship are often dysregulated (which means their nervous systems are often not in a ‘safe’ and healthy state.)

While my husband did his healing work, I did a lot of research and reading and processing and inner work with powerful practitioners, therapists, coaches and others, and eventually, with a lot of personal work and many peaks and valleys, I was well on the road back to wellness again. Thankfully my husband is also now in a place of post-traumatic growth and our family is thriving again.

I’m a very resourceful person, and I felt so letdown by the system and how little was available to me, and I wondered what other people who were in more dire straits or are less resourceful or less privileged would do in this situation. So I started thinking about how I could support people like me — supporters/caregivers/loved ones of trauma survivors who often feel lost, confused and left out of the healing process…..or worse, completely hopeless because their loved one isn’t choosing the healing road. Also, the healing process can be long and have many ups and downs along the way.

Building on my original degree in Psychology/Sociology I studied and trained in additional theories and modalities that I had found most supportive through our healing & growth experience — meditation/breathwork, energy psychology, attachment theory, polyvagal theory, somatic tools, and eventually Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT Tapping), which was THE most powerful tool in my healing & growth toolbox.

As a Certified Emotional Success Coach and a Master Conscious EFT Practitioner I now work online with people from around the world, coaching and supporting them as they support their loved ones and strengthen themselves and their relationships. I also host in-person transformational retreats for women experiencing life transitions (though COVID dampened that for a bit!)

It has been SO fulfilling for me to support loved ones of trauma survivors + their families through the physical, mental and emotional stresses of caring for and walking beside their partners and loved ones with PTSD or developmental/complex trauma. Walking beside people as they shift from barely surviving to thriving again brings me so much joy!

2022 will be a year of growth for me, so I’m excited to put myself out there in a bigger way and make a bigger impact — I believe that my life’s experiences so far have culminated in this purposeful work. If you know someone who is struggling with the experience of loving and supporting a trauma survivor, please connect them with me! It would be an honour to walk beside them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ahhh, I live in THE most beautiful spot — the Okanagan Valley in a city called Kelowna, BC, Canada. This is the land of water + mountains + vineyards + orchards and doing anything outside cannot be beaten. I actually host retreats here because people are drawn to the energy and experiences (and wine!) of this beautiful location.

We would definitely do some hiking on some of the beautiful trails — my favourites are the Lebanon Creek Trail, which is right out my back gate + Pincushion Trail + Knox Mountain/Paul’s Tomb Trail + City on the Edge of Forever.

We’d also have to drive up the valley to Kalamalka Lake and grab some standup paddleboards (I’m a certified SUP instructor) and hit the water for a bit of a paddle and a swim! Last year my partner Murray did his training to become a Marine Captain, so we’d definitely go for a little sojourn on our Cobalt 323 (called Bianca Jagger), maybe even some shore camping (or sleep on the boat as there’s a sleeping berth!)

If they had kids, we’d definitely head to Myra Canyon Adventure Park where you can zipline or do the high ropes and bring your own picnic or fixings for a BBQ in their BBQ/picnic space (pre-COVID, anyway!) And the Wibit (inflatable waterpark on the lake) at Kelowna’s City Park is ALWAYS a hit with the kids!

Visits to my favourite wineries would also be in order: Cedar Creek Winery, Sandhill Winery, and probably to the West Side Wine Trail where there are so many amazing stops (Indigenous World, Quail’s Gate, Frind, Blackswift, to name a few!) In West Kelowna we’d definitely have to hit the new rooftop patio restaurant at Crown & Thieves Winery — “Salt & Thieves”, and on some of the other nights we’d hit Block One at Cedar Creek, Raudz, Bouchons and Frankie We Salute You (ALL of my faves).

We’d have to also hit QB Gelato at some point, of course! We’d find out where Josh & Bex are playing (hopefully at Barnowl Brewing or BNA or Curious Cafe!) and get our butts over there!

There are lots of beautiful beaches in Kelowna — the most popular ones are Gyro Beach, Rotary Beach and Tugboat Beach, but I’d probably suggest somewhere else a little off the beaten tourist path — maybe Bertram Beach or Kalamoir Park or some of the secret spots I know of as a local! I love packing a picnic (Okanagan wine + local meats & cheeses from Perseval & Young Cheesemongers + vegan options from Maple & Manchester Fauxmagerie).

Most days we’d have an early evening splash in the lake or the pool and then sit back with a glass of Okanagan wine and watch the sun go down (which doesn’t happen until 10pm here in the summer, it’s such a treat!!!) Finally, before they head off into the sunset, I’d pop them into Unhinged, my favourite local gift shop and then maybe also BC Tree Fruits so they could stock up on some delicious Okanagan bounty to take home with them.

This sounds like an amazing week, doesn’t it??

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve been fortunate to have amazing teachers, mentors, healers and supporters in my corner throughout my journey.

First, my wonderful little family — my partner Murray + son Colton. These two awesome souls are my biggest fans and supporters and I couldn’t do what I do without their wonderful energy in my life.

My EFT Tapping teachers and mentors Nancy Forrester, founder of the National Emotional Freedom Technique Training Institute (NeftTI) here in Canada, and Corby Furrow, Executive Coach and the Director of Programming for NeftTI.

Rae-ann Wood-Schatz, owner and president of Integrity Seminars Coaching and Hypnotherapy whose powerful energy and amazing presence cultivated new perspectives for me and helped me see myself clearly.

My EFT tapping coach, Sherry Lukey, who is an amazing coach and an amazing human that I’m proud to now also call my friend.

Ahhhh, I could go on and on, but for now I’ll leave it at that!

Website: www.risingintoresilience.com + www.carladawes.com

Instagram: @risingintoresilience + @carladawes_consciouscreation

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-dawes-61029926/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risingintoresilience + https://www.facebook.com/carladawesconsciouscreation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyzl_pZ3oW1Jse4weBLGw4g

Image Credits
Paulina Stevens Photography Keylight Photography (Ashley Duggan) Storycatcher Photography (Kristin Clancy)