Don’t Be the Princess. Be the Hero of Your Own Story.
Coaching for women who are tired of waiting for life to happen to them, and ready to start living it on purpose.
My Story
Hi, I’m Michelle, and I’m a recovering princess. 👑
Not the tiara kind. On paper I had it together: a senior leader at work, a mom who showed up for her boys, accomplished in all the things. But at home, I had a princess mindset. I expected certain things to be done for me, and I wasn’t always as good at giving as I was at receiving.
My husband, Mark, brought me coffee every single morning, just how I liked it, right there on my nightstand. If he was running late and it wasn’t there, I’d wake up agitated. Where’s my coffee? That’s autopilot. That’s the princess.
When Mark got sick, everything flipped. I became his caretaker, and I finally saw all he had done for me and all the love he had shown me. I’m so thankful I got to be there for him. I believed with everything in me that God would heal him on this side of heaven.
But God had a different plan.
My boys lost their dad. We lost the future we’d planned, growing old together on the front porch and playing with our grandbabies. And I took God’s different plan very personally.
On top of the grief, I found out how much I didn’t know how to do. My teenage boys had to teach me how to start the John Deere. A friend taught me how to put air in my tires. After my boys left for the Army, I mowed so close to the fence line that I ran over some briars, so I Googled how to take the tire off, hauled it to the repair shop, and put it back on myself. I learned to run a chainsaw and a weed eater.
But the practical skills weren’t the whole lesson. At the lowest point of my life, a close friend stepped in to help fill the gaps Mark left, and I leaned on her for so much. When that friendship ended, I was devastated all over again, and I realized I’d done the same thing twice. I was still waiting for someone to save me. I was the victim in my own story.
That’s when I hired my own coach. She helped me see that I’m not a victim. My emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being are my responsibility, not anyone else’s. It’s like peeling an onion: there are always more layers. I had to clean out all the nasty layers of onion I’d been storing in that backpack instead of carrying them on down the road of life with me.
The work keeps going. More recently, I caught myself on autopilot again, pouring everything into my family and losing track of me. I pictured myself at 80, sitting alone on my porch with my coffee, and I knew that if nothing changed, nothing would change. So I did the work again, and this fall I came home to my own life in Texas.
Here’s what I know now: no one is coming to save you. That’s the best news you’ll hear all day, because it means you get to be the hero.
Being a recovering princess doesn’t mean I don’t let people love me. I can receive kindness and help, and I’m grateful for it. But I don’t expect it, I look for ways to give back, and I’m not waiting around to be rescued.
Today I’m living in my own home, learning to ride horses at 51, and living on purpose instead of on autopilot.
Now I help women do the same.
Is This You?
- Are you living your life on autopilot?
- Do your days blur together, work, home, repeat, until you can’t remember the last time you did something just for you?
- Are you so busy taking care of everyone else that you’ve forgotten what you even like?
- Are you quietly waiting for someone or something to come fix it?
- When was the last time you felt truly present in your own life?
If you said yes to even one, I see you. I was you. You’ve lost connection with yourself, and we can find her again, together.
What Women Are Saying
“You have a gift for cutting through self-doubt and pointing people back to the truth. You challenged me to keep doing the mindset work even when it was hard… You’re a genuinely gifted mindset coach. Thank you for believing in me long before I believed in myself, and for continuing to do it now.”
Ellie
“Michelle brings a rare combination of empathy and clarity to every session. Her coaching helped me feel heard, supported, and challenged in all the right ways. I always felt like I had someone in my corner who believed in me, even when I couldn’t quite see the path forward myself.”
Patricia
“Working with Michelle is like being guided by someone who truly understands how to hold space and move you toward growth. Her ability to adjust her approach to meet me where I was made all the difference. I left every session feeling more capable, more grounded, and more hopeful.”
Pamela
“What I appreciated most was her steady encouragement and unwavering sense of integrity. She never pushes, she partners. Her coaching isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about real transformation that starts with truth, trust, and action.”
Angie
“Michelle creates a safe space for honesty, and from there, real change becomes possible. She helped me reconnect with who I am and where I want to go. If you’re looking for a coach who brings strength, compassion, and real insight, you’ve found her.”
Morgan
Why Work With Me
My truest credential is that I’ve lived it. Like the hero’s journey, I started out as the victim in my own story and became the hero, one layer at a time. I’ve learned the tools of coaching and built my own frameworks, but life taught me what I need to know to walk with women on this same journey. And I’m still doing the work with my own coach.
- Master Certified Life Coach, and a Certified Christian Life Mentoring Coach
- ICF credentialing in progress
- 20+ years leading teams in healthcare, so I know what it’s like to carry a big job and a full life at the same time
- Creator of the PRAY. PLAN. GO. approach to living on purpose
- Widow, mom, grandmother, and recovering princess
What You Get: The Next Right Step
Three one-on-one sessions to help you stop waiting and start living on purpose.
- Three 60-minute coaching sessions with me, by video
- The Design Your Life Planner: teaching, tools, and a place to schedule your daily next right step as you learn to be the hero of your own story
- A clear next right step at the end of every session
Investment: $297
I’m opening just 5 spots.
Your Next Right Step
You don’t have to keep waiting for your life to start. No one is coming to save you, and you don’t need them to. You’ve got this, and I’ll walk right beside you.
Michelle Hughes, MCPC
Master Certified Professional Life Coach