Career Experts

Margaret Norton

Themes

“What is a Life Coach?”

“Don’t Let Your Family Drive You Crazy”

“The Many Faces of Abuse”

“There is Life After Divorce”

“Getting Started as a Writer”

About

I am a middle-aged wife, mother of two, step-mother of one, grandmother of four, and rich in life experiences.

I married young, was abused, divorced, made many mistakes and struggled with low self-esteem for many years. Enrolling in college at the age of 28, I found more success in the business world than in my personal life. For 15 years I was self-employed and received numerous awards for my contributions to women in the sales field.

My degree is in Business Administration, which has been a tremendous benefit to me, but completing the Dale Carnegie Class was what finally helped me to understand and love myself. I donate my time as a coach with this organization and receive much satisfaction in seeing others break out of their shell just as I did many years ago.

As my confidence grew, I started to get involved with domestic violence organizations. I wanted to share my experience with others by giving them hope that they too could escape the cycle of abuse. Currently I am a volunteer with Lydia House in St Louis.

My work experience includes mortgage banking, franchise owner, life insurance sales, retail management, and non-profit organizations.

In 2004 I started to write about my life experiences which turned into a 400 page memoir. My agent is currently looking for a publisher. As a result of the writing, I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping others in a more personal way. That’s when I became a life coach.

Though I have spoken to all types of groups, my ideal audience is women and the topics I feel most passionate about relate to women’s issues.

Assets

If you want a speaker that is passionate about life then you should hire me.

It is my belief that passion takes many forms and mine is a quiet, inner feeling. To be honest, I am not the most charismatic person one would ever meet, and typically I do not win an audience with my charming ways and words. But I do captivate their attention with my sincerity and my genuine love of other people.

I am not a stand up comic but have been told by many that I have a wicked, dry sense of humor. Often my topics are serious by nature, and I am a serious type person but I do try to use humor as much as possible when doing a presentation.

In giving a speech I try to teach my audience something they do not know or challenge them to look at old ideas in a new way. I use handouts and graphics. And to make the experience more enjoyable I invoke active participation or game playing.

I try hard to connect with my audience and my goal is that they will take away something that will make them a better person and better able to cope with life.

Rave Reviews

“Margaret made me think of abuse in a different way. Her presentation was very informative and brought this unpleasant subject closer home for me. After hearing her speech I am so much more aware of those around me who might be experiencing this problem. Before I was hesitant to get involved but now I know how to speak a kind word or just offer my support. I now know there are many facets of abuse and I am more aware of my own words and actions.”
-Lynne E

“I attended this presentation because I was facing a terrible divorce and feeling hopeless about my situation. Margaret’s presentation gave me ideas on how to cope and how to build a new life for myself. Her candid comments from her own life were much appreciated. Though I am still uncertain how my situation will play out, I now have hope that one day things will be better. She helped the audience to see that divorce does not have to be the end of something but rather can be the beginning of something new and exciting. I highly recommend her as a speaker.”
-Jean B

“Margaret spoke to our local writing club on how she got started as a writer. It was obvious that she had spend much time and done much research as a new writer. She was eager and happy to share with us all that she had learned. It is rare for a new writer to start out writing a novel and even rarer to have your first attempt accepted by an agent. Knowing she was able to do this inspired me to continue pursuing my dreams.”
-Cathy H

“After listening to Margaret speak about her family I now know that my family isn’t so bad after all and there is no “normal” situation. For years I had struggled to get along with certain family members and felt I was the black sleep. I felt that I had failed myself and my family as I struggled to be perfect. The guilt and pain were almost unbearable. But as I listened to Margaret speak, I was able to put this situation into perspective. I no longer allow my family to define who I am and I know it is OK to be different. I am so grateful that my church decided to have her as a speaker.”
-Linda P