ABOUT

HELLO GROWTH-MINDED FRIENDS!

I'm Amanda, the creator of ABi Coaching and I'm so glad you've stopped by to learn more about me and my inspiration for coaching.

Let's start with the ABi Coaching Mission:

ABi Coaching's enthusiastic quest is to teach growth-minded people, coaches, entrepreneurs, and businesses max potential habits and so they can thrive in every area of their life and career.

Through offering daily inspiration on Instagram, a vlog, YouTube and IGTV Channel, podcasts, one-on-one coaching, books, workshops, and speaking, it is my lifetime business goal to help a minimum of 5,000,000 people improve their lives and businesses and experience what I call, THRIVAL MODE.

In 2019, ABi Coaching will be launching personal and professional development online courses and expanding workshop topics. In June, look for my book release - The THRIVE Roadmap: The 6 Step Guide of How I Went from Food Stamps to 6-Figures in Three Years.

I look forward to connecting with you through one or all of these resources.

Why I’m Inspired to Be a Coach

The creation of the Amanda Barrientez Institute was inspired by my own personal, relationship, money and professional growth and development journey and the recognition that we do not receive any formal education on how to thrive in our daily lives. There are no required self-empowerment, relationship, entrepreneurship, leadership, business, or money skills courses offered in the traditional school setting, so we hobble along in the dark learning the best we can from those around us. Many people feel dissatisfied and are longing for greater fulfillment, ease, and joy. The Amanda Barrientez Institute is a private coaching and education institute designed to meet these needs.

To serve you best, I draw upon my wild enthusiasm for research, teaching, and coaching, my unique life experiences, and my advanced education in the social sciences to provide you with essential actionable strategies that will help you transform your life and business.

I absolutely know that I was born to be an inspired educator and coach. Every experience and endeavor in my life has led me to this career path and the development of the Amanda Barrientez Institute. It is my soul’s purpose to help others thrive and feel fulfilled in their lives. This is my gift, my skill, my craft, my mission. Facilitating transformation and empowerment in myself and others is my greatest source of joy in life.

Professional Background

Ph.D. Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder

Specialization in the areas of gender, masculinity, trauma, relationships, identity development, crime, qualitative methods, and life-history interviewing.
My dissertation titled, Toward Rehabilitative Justice: The Journey from De-habilitated Boys to Re-habilitated Men, focused on the traumatic life histories and transformational experiences of incarcerated men who were previously gang involved, spent over 15 years in prison, and then transitioned back into society.
I am immensely grateful for what I learned while earning my Ph.D.; especially realizing my love for teaching and understanding that as social beings the quality and depth of our interpersonal relationships deeply affects every aspect of our daily lives.

Graduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies

I am grateful to see the world through a gender-scholar lens. Applied to coaching, this training has offered me insight into individual, interpersonal, and institutional power dynamics and the ways in which sex and gender shape our identity and our personal, relationship, and professional realities.

B.A. Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder, Magna Cum Laude

My psychology background couples beautifully with my sociological training helping me to understand the interplay of the individual and society; I apply a social-psych intersectional approach to my coaching practice considering the ways culture, systems, and societal expectations shape and individual’s personal, interpersonal and professional mindsets, experiences, and emotions.

Teaching Experience

I have taught over 1,700 students on a variety of topics such as: Sex, Gender, and Society, Crime & Society, Juvenile Justice, Whole Food & Essential Oil Health and Wellness, Wealth Mastermind, Sex Love & Relationships.
Award winning Instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Held a one year position as a graduate researcher and interviewer for the Faculty Teaching Excellence Program at CU Boulder to help them understand the most successful teaching strategies.

Demartini Method Trained^®

A powerful transformation strategy to help you:

•Breakthrough Blocks- Fear, Shame, Guilt, Arrogance, Self-Doubt
•Balance Emotions
•Overcome Grief & Loss
•Reduce Anxiety & Lack of Energy
•Enhance Immunity
•Clarify Vision & Purpose
•Increase Influence, Power & Leadership

Demartini Values Certified^®

Inspired by Dr. Demartini’s work, I utilize a values-based approach with my clients and draw upon universal laws and principles to transform lives and businesses.

With this method, I facilitate individuals, couples, entrepreneurs and businesses to:

• Lead Inspired Lives
• Awaken the Inner Genius & Leader Within
• Find Purpose and Meaning
• Gain Clarity & Focus
• Increase Immunity
• Deepen their Connection in Relationships
• Make more money
• Increase Engagement, Productivity & Profitability

Relationship School^®

6 months of coursework on the Deep Psychology of Intimate Relationships.

Personal History

Fun life history facts:

Colorado born and raised—oh yeah! I’ve lived in the blissful Boulder Bubble for 22-years (with a few years away in New York and Santa Fe for adventures).
I am Native American/Mexican American/Indigenous—from mom’s side of the family.
1^st Generation College Student. I am an outlier who earmed my Ph.D. at the wise age of 40.
Mama of three beautiful children. I met my co-parent when I was 13-years-old and he was 16. We were young first loves, parted ways until college and then ended up married for 15 years. We had three beautiful babies together who are now 20, 16, and 13. We’ve been divorced for several years and through repair work are now closer than we were when we were married; we are dear friends and will forever consider one-another as family.
I am deeply in love with my kids; at first I felt terrified to be a single mom and then discovered the power in single-motherhood. As a family, we challenge and support each other daily.
I am way into natural medicine: had natural home births, use essential oils and herbs to heal illnesses, and believe in mind over body practices for health and healing. I’ve only used antibiotics twice in the last 20 years.
I advocate for individuals to embrace all expressions of self (eg. all gender presentations/identifications, religious choices, relationship styles etc.) and enjoy working with individuals, professionals, and businesses from a wide variety of backgrounds, orientations, and affiliations.

Life experiences and challenges I’ve come to see as gifts informing my unique and intuitive super-powers for coaching:

Born premature in the 70s, I was hospitalized for the first several weeks of my life and nearly died. This birth experience has given me personal insight into the significance of connection.
I am a survivor of sexual trauma. Having experienced and overcome sexual trauma inspires my transformational coaching skills and working with victim/survivor mindsets.
I was raised as a brown girl in a working class family living in a predominantly wealthy white community; overcoming my previous identity as a “marginalized-victim” has been a profound and empowering process.
I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family which shaped my life in a multitude of ways. Applied to coaching, it provides me with insight into helping others move through shame, fears, and blocks.
I was overweight as a kid and got made fun of throughout elementary school. This contributed to my love of exercise. After losing 30 pounds the summer before 6^th grade, I have been a persevering athlete. In high school, I was a competitive state swimmer. Currently, I most enjoy trail running in the Boulder mountains. I have competed in half and full trail marathon (Aspen Backcountry—6,172 feet of gain at 8,000 – 10,200 feet of altitude-QUITE A CHALLENING RUN!), numerous duathlons, two triathlons, and bike races. I know how to help others be disciplined and transform their habits for physical well-being.
I have experienced a multiple deaths and suicides of those close to me growing up. These losses have helped me to understand the grieving process first-hand.
I have overcome affairs and dysfunctional family dynamics. I have grown immeasurably in my personal and relationship life through experiencing and repairing previously toxic family and marriage dynamics.
A decade ago I went through a bankruptcy and a house foreclosure. This drove me to return to college to finish my BA and then PhD. During grad school I got divorced, became a single-mama and had to go on food stamps to feed my kids. These financial hardships led me on a quest to become a money master. I am enthusiastically cultivating and nurturing my financial house. Multi-millionaire status, here I come!
I’ve had the opportunity to observe and be involved in multiple relationship formations: my parents have been married for 45 years, I was married for 15 years, have been in an open relationship and navigated the dating world, am co-parenting with my children’s father, was a head-of-household-single-mama for several years, and am now life-partnered in a step-family formation where we are focused on our intimate relationship as a mirror and catalyst for personal growth and development.
In graduate school I discovered that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE teaching! Watching individuals transform through gaining and implementing new knowledge is my juicy bliss in life.
I learned the spirit of entrepreneurship and biz skills from both of my parents: my mom was profitably self-employed and owned a personal assistant and house-keeping business while I was growing up; my dad is a serial entrepreneur who has experienced several failures and achievements in his business endeavors. Today my parents own a successful business together. Yay mom and pop! I’ve personally owned and run multiple businesses over my life course.