NEWS
Last updated at 12:39 PM on 12/02/09  

 
Local author Ronda Degaust has written a book, How to Heal From Years Of Criticism, Insults, Abuse & Rejection, based on her own life experiences. She will be signing copies at Chapters in Bayers Lake on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
 
Local author Ronda Degaust has written a book, How to Heal From Years Of Criticism, Insults, Abuse & Rejection, based on her own life experiences. She will be signing copies at Chapters in Bayers Lake on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
‘A how-to book not just a story’ print this article

Halifax News Net

WHAT:  Author Ronda Degaust will be signing copies of her book, How To Heal From Years of Criticism, Insults, Abuse & Rejection
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 14 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Chapters in Bayers Lake
MORE: Visit www.lifepotential.ca or call 835-1100.

By Suzy Teubner – The Weekly News
For life coach and author Ronda Degaust it wasn’t just about writing a book. It was about writing a book that would make a difference.
“My best friend asked me to write a book in my 20s and tell my story. I was not interested unless it was going to help someone,” she said.
But Degaust finally found a happy medium in How to Heal From Years of Criticism, Insults, Abuse & Rejection, combining her life story and a workbook of exercises readers can use to heal their own past wounds and improve their lives.
“Some people call for coaching, but it’s not covered under insurance, so they can’t afford it. This is a healing tool, a how-to book, not just a story,” she said.
On Saturday, Degaust will sign copies of her book at the Chapters in Bayers Lake from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. In the book, the certified break-through coach and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) trainer looks at beliefs originating from choices people make during good and bad experiences, to help them stop self-sabotaging behaviour by replaying these beliefs over and over again.
 “It’s a healing workbook. It helps people connect to what was going on when they were younger and the limiting beliefs that are holding them back,” she said.
In 2001, Degaust and her husband, Bob Clarke, launched Life Potential Developments, offering NLP and break-through coaching.
She decided to become a coach herself after her husband encouraged her to see someone to help resolve an issue she had with her mother.
“We didn’t know of anyone in Nova Scotia (offering NLP) so we had to have someone come here. It was the most expensive weekend of my life, but also the most powerful,” she said. “I realized it wasn’t about changing her. It was about changing me. That’s where I decided I wanted to be coaching. This stuff is powerful.”
Degaust, who has four older brothers and a younger sister, paused after writing the book’s first 12 chapters because she was concerned about hurting her family.
“I wanted to make sure I was not going to hurt them. I love my family, (so) I talked to one of my students and tried to figure out, ‘How do I deal with it if my family reads it so it doesn’t offend?’ This is coming from a place of healing, and not a place of hurt,” she said, adding her family is acknowledged at the start of the book.
Coaching is not about consulting or advice, Degaust said, but looking at “how do you want to change” and changing beliefs about yourself.
“My clients had the same issues I had: low self-esteem from years of criticism, being knocked down, insulted and abused. It’s not about if someone whacked you or called you a name. It’s the beliefs about yourself that were formed. It’s what you believe in yourself that’s the story,” she said.
suzyteubner@yahoo.ca
13/02/09