I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many inspiring Women of Moncton these past few years. Although I know I can’t possibly write about all of them, it’s my goal to at least feature some of them. I write about the Women of Moncton in hopes to shed light on what is possible and everything that they’ve accomplished. And today, I want to talk about the many accomplishments of Savannah Walton.
Who is Savannah Walton?
I am so many things. I don’t know where to begin…
I call myself a toe-dipper. I’m doing all sorts of stuff, but my main focus right now is a professional dog bather and life coach. As a professional dog bather, I stay connected with the animal aspect of my life. As for life coaching, it’s a journey in itself. I’m helping others who are struggling, as I’m navigating life as well. It’s very empowering. I feel a very strong connection with my clients.
Life coaching is a new path for me. I’ve been working with animals for over 10 years. It’s a whole new process to work with people, but it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes I can’t even grasp the amount of growth that has happened by taking this personal development journey – there are no words to describe it.
I don’t have a one set thing. I’m into it all, I do so many different things.
How did you get started working with animals?
Animals have always been a part of my life. I’ve always had lots of pets at home. Growing up in the country, I was surrounded by farm animals. I learned how to take care of horses, cows, etc. They are so full of love. They’re never going to judge you, and they’re never going to hurt your feelings… How could you not want to be with them?
Once I got to the place in high school when people started asking me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I knew it was going to have to do with animals. I looked at a variety of different job possibilities. I ended up a pet store and it was so much fun. I fell in love with educating the public about animals.
Fun fact: PetSmart was my first job. I remember when I first moved to Moncton, they were the only place that called be back when I had applied to jobs – and to be honest, they were the only spot I wanted to get a call from. I stayed at PetSmart for about 7 years. It was a big part of my life and I loved it so much. As life goes, you grow out of things, and I fought myself because I didn’t want to grow out of it. But everything just caught up with me and it wasn’t what it used to be for me. And that’s alright.
And where did that lead you?
Afterwards, it was a whole year of taking a break, slowing things down, and figuring out who I truly am. I had been working for so long, I only knew who I was based on the work I was doing. I spent the whole year rediscovering myself, figuring out what I wanted, and how I wanted to be living my life. I was stuck in that bubble of society’s life expectations – get a house, get a car, get married, have kids, etc. This time off helped me realize I didn’t belong in that bubble.
As much as it’s a struggle to regrow and reteach yourself so many things, it feels really great when it clicks and you start seeing who you are and what you want.
What did you discover during that year?
I’m still discovering. It’s a never-ending journey – that’s what I discovered in this year. You are constantly growing, and shifting, and changing – no matter whether you want to or not. But you can learn to jump into that change, to just show up with courage instead of fear, and you can be ready to face those changes. When you’re ready to face these bumps in the road, there’s no wall to stop you from reaching your full potential.
This week, it’s been one year since I started this new chapter in my life. Last year, I would wake up crying, and go to work crying. Because it was so normal for me to be crying all the time, nobody said anything to me. They just assumed I was stressed out and overtired and it became normal. At the end of that day, it just hit me – I was crying all day, and nobody said anything because it was normal. And that wasn’t ok.
That’s not how I am anymore. I know how to handle things. I’ve taken so many steps and have put so much into my toolbox to prevent from feeling that way all the time.
A year ago, I was so scared. I was scared to lose that structure and that safety. My colleagues were like my family for so long. But that’s just the way that life flows – and that’s perfect, in the long run.
How did being scared affect you?
I was scared of letting go of everything that I had. They were like a family to me. That was my entire life for 7 years. I just didn’t feel like I had to leave because of the situation that I was in. I forced myself to stay because I kept convincing myself that it would get better. But it didn’t get better. My body was telling me to stop, and I knew if I didn’t listen to it that it would get much worse. So I took a leap into the unknown.
So what did you do during that year off?
It was initially a 3-month break. I took a full month to do nothing. I just rested and tried to take care of myself. I didn’t really know what was affecting me. After three months, it hit me that I wasn’t meant to go back. So I started looking at what I did want to do. I had already started dipping my toes into self development. I loved doing that so I jumped right into coaching. I took a course while on leave so I took my time.
I also worked on rewiring my old patterns. I spent a lot of time revising the past, revisiting things I never processed. It was a full year of re-teaching myself how to function. I was teaching myself not to be in hustle-mode 24/7, and that it’s ok to say no, and to set boundaries. I’ve spent the whole year re-parenting myself.
How did you end up in Moncton?
I’ve lived in New Brunswick my whole life. I lived in a few different places. The main part of my childhood was spent growing up in Avondale, in Carlton County. We moved to Fredericton when I was 16 because my dad was working there. I really hated it. It’s when I started counselling because of anxiety…
My old friends from Carlton County were all moving to Moncton for school. When one of my friend’s roommates backed out, I decided to move in with her. The people here are so much kinder, more thoughtful. I am technically bilingual. I did a program of school for early immersion (gr 1-12). It was great that I could dive into French here. I didn’t do much with it, but that possibility was there.
What do you love most about Moncton?
I’m such a beach-chick. I love that Moncton is close to the ocean. I can be in the water in 20 minutes if I want to. At the time, I was young and I was with my friends so I was having so much fun, experiencing the nightlife and in the community. I loved the events and being a part of the community.
I learned a lot by moving to Moncton. I was in survival mode for the last two years of high school. So when I moved here, I started building my life, and having good experiences.
What is a life coach?
A life coach is somebody that helps clear the clutter that’s getting in your way. They help you figure out why you can’t accomplish those goals, why you can’t prioritize the things that matter most to you. Personally, I like to focus on wellness – mental health and physical health. I talk about self care, lifestyle, and balances – the basics about how to make life easier. I also focus on stress management and making you a priority, figuring what has been getting in the way and stopping you. I hold clients accountable, in a safe space.
The best part about it is it’s all on your own terms. I just offer the structure, then it’s up to you on how you want to do.
We always start off with a free call. There’s no way I’ll take you on a journey if I don’t think I’m the right person for you. I offer a free 30-45 minute coaching session. That discussion is where we talk about the structure of the program, if it’s right for you, how I can help you, and what we can work on. A lot of people call them a mini counselling session.
It’s all about support, systems, and accountability.
What pieces of advice would you give other women?
Feeling = freedom. And to raise the chaos.
Women are always being told that they should be put together, not express themselves. A woman’s mind is just hardwired to do so much more. We feel like the world is on top of us, and we’ll push it away, but really we need to embrace it. It’s part of how we function. But it’s so important to allow yourself to feel, because holding it in is just going to make it worse. Embrace feeling things. Allow yourself to feel the chaos, and the crazy things. It will build resilience so that you are able to handle anything and everything that comes your way.
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