My Sustainable PACE “I was in a constant state of overwhelm. Now, my productivity has increased, but my stress has decreased”
Client: Christie Collis
Location: Western Australia
Occupation: TAFE program coordinator, small-business owner
foundher program: Sustainable PACE
Christie Collis has always known she was capable and competent. But, as a mum of two young boys with a demanding part-time job and two family businesses to manage, her workload would often feel so overwhelming that she struggled to find a way through it, leaving her frustrated and resentful.
It had gotten to a point that Christie was avoiding pursuing her goals altogether. “I was so scared of failure that I often didn’t start things in the first place,” Christie says.
A year ago, Christie was diagnosed with ADHD, which explained why she’d felt like she was falling behind for much of her life.
“I struggle with that executive function planning, the motivation to begin a task, the overwhelm of breaking it down and the lack of dopamine that goes with doing so many of these little day-to-day things,” Christie explains.
Christie wanted to learn practical strategies to help her cope with her job, running the family businesses and the demands of parenting. So, when she came across Sustainable PACE on Instagram, it clicked.
“It interested me because it spoke the language that was precisely what I put out to the universe,” she says. “I was looking for ways to reduce the constant stress and noise and feeling that I couldn’t manage to keep on top of anything.”
Permission to grow
Before signing up for PACE, Christie emailed foundher’s managing director and founder, Elana Robertson, with some questions about the program and received a personal video in response.
“I get teary when I talk about it,” Christie admits. “I had this sense that I was hesitant to sign up for something and fail again, because I haven’t prioritised it in my week – because that’s exactly what I needed help with! I’d realised this just before Elana’s video response to my email, and she said, ‘I just want you to know, it’s not a matter of flight or fail’. I remember bursting into tears and thinking, ah, this is the course I need.”
After starting the eight-week online program, Christie immediately realised just how unique PACE is because it teaches people to design a productivity rhythm that suits them. She was relieved to find that this isn’t another one-size-fits-all method to blindly follow.
“I think sometimes when you do these [type of] courses there’s a sense that people put down on paper what works and then it’s over to the participant – and if they don’t follow the instructions, well, it’s on them,” Christie says. “Elana’s approach is vastly different, which made me feel a sense of safety to actually try and give it a go; to show up.”
“Elana’s approach is vastly different, which made me feel a sense of safety to actually try and give it a go; to show up.”
Christie says this was so powerful for her because shame and guilt has been a big theme in her life as she unknowingly grappled with the effects of ADHD. Elana’s non-judgemental attitude meant Christie felt supported to work through the program at her own pace, and welcome to come to the weekly group coaching calls even if she hadn’t completed that week’s course material.
“Even though I’m still working my way through the modules, what I got out of PACE was worth every penny, because Elana gave me that permission to attempt without failing.”
Adaptable approach
Christie was looking for a course that was evidence-based and adaptable – and she found both in Sustainable PACE.
As an ICF Professional Certified Coach, Elana is committed to continually updating her accredited training, bringing the latest research on the neuroscience of change, somatic emotional intelligence and complexity leadership into the program.
The PACE program is structured to gradually walk participants through the steps required to examine their everyday habits and adjust their rhythm to a pace that better suits their needs, using science-backed strategies to ensure meaningful results. It emphasises building self-awareness and presence for greater intelligent action, experimentation and self-compassion in making small changes that add up.
This focus on incremental falling-forward change was especially useful for Christie, who struggles with overwhelm.
“I liked that Elana gave us tangible activities in very small chunks. Everything was manageable and easy to implement,” says Christie. “The strategies are simple and evidence-based, and I found they were adaptable for a busy family life.”
“The strategies are simple and evidence-based, and I found they were adaptable for a busy family life.”
Christie had already begun a short morning ritual before starting PACE, which involved going to her local beach to do some breathwork and watch the ocean for 10 minutes. She says that building on this in PACE by refining and expanding her morning routine and adding an evening ritual was “incredibly helpful” for both setting up her day and improving her mood.
“The morning ritual in PACE added to my routine. Elana provided the evidence and the science behind why to do it, and permission to do it. Because, actually, it has a benefit for the rest of your day, and the people in your task list,” Christie explains.
“It forced me to reconsider when and how I take that time for myself, and why it’s so important to do it first thing, which has meant that I’m far less reactive. I don’t feel so resentful and overwhelmed by starting my morning racing around, servicing everyone else.”
In PACE, participants discover the power of learning in the morning through reading or listening to an Audible book. Our brains are primed to absorb information early in the day when we’re feeling fresh. Movement, meditation, gratitude and planning are also part of the Sustainable PACE morning routine guidance – but participants are encouraged to adopt whatever combination of rituals they like and are supported in establishing the routine as a habit.
Christie was surprised to find that she is now able to read (or listen to) a book for 10 minutes a day as part of her morning routine. Previously, she would avoid reading unless she could ‘hyper focus’ for hours at a time, but batching the book into a 10-minute minimum and using Audible has helped her embrace learning through reading.
It’s important to know that PACE doesn’t prescribe getting up early to complete a dogmatic morning routine, it simply invites you to pay attention to what a good morning looks and feels like for you. For Christie, this invited another surprising shift into her life. Although she says she’s never been a morning person, she’s now happily getting up at dawn.
“Being on the weekly coaching calls on a Friday at 6am WA time gave me this absolute love of getting up at five-something, which is unheard of for me!” she says. “I would go down to the beach and be on the call in my car, watch the sun come up, watch the seals, the birds and the surfers. It gave me this flip of being able to start my day with me and finish it with me, and uncoupling that from my service to others.”
Reality check
PACE’s practical tools, like time tracking, having a morning meeting with yourself to design your day and a Sunday session to plan your week, have been game-changers for Christie. She’s now able to manage her time and take control of her day using these strategies.
Crucially, she’s learned how to assess and prioritise her task-load through the lens of her daily capacity to complete it. Christie explains that having ADHD means that some days she’s able to complete huge loads of work in a short time, while on others, it might take the whole day to do one task. That led to confusion, frustration and shame in the past.
“I always felt competent, but also like I was incompetent because I couldn’t get everything done,” she explains. “PACE has given me a reality check that perhaps what’s being asked of me is not necessarily doable that day.
“The recognition of where I’m at that day and what strategies I need to put in place in order to just get the bare minimum done has left me being able to manage what I call the ‘ADHD paralysis’ a lot better.”
“The recognition of where I’m at that day and what strategies I need to put in place in order to just get the bare minimum done has left me being able to manage what I call the ‘ADHD paralysis’ a lot better, as opposed to going into shame and guilt on those days where the battery is operating at malfunction mode,” Christie adds.
Putting these tools into action has seen Christie’s confidence blossom. She says she’s now less reactive at home and at work, and has been able to communicate constructively with her manager and partner about her workload and capacity to take on others’ commitments.
A neat flow-on effect? Christie has noticed her colleagues have been empowered to follow her lead and set stronger boundaries around their time, too.
Less stress
Sustainable PACE isn’t about giving you a set-and-forget rhythm, but a toolkit that you can continue to practise and call on when life throws you a curveball. It’s a whole new way of operating daily that supports you in being your best, so you can step out of autopilot behaviours like overwhelm.
That’s why we’re delighted to hear that Christie is still mastering the tools she learned in PACE. It’s an ongoing practice, but in just eight weeks she’s noticed many positive changes.
“I’m on top of my bills, which I hadn’t been for a long time. So, that’s great. And I don’t feel like I’m chasing the eight ball, I feel like I had a choice to not do that today. I’m not going to beat myself up for it, I’m just going to have to put it in another day. And that’s also my choice,” Christie explains. “It’s allowed me to let people know when I can’t attend that meeting, or reschedule it earlier than last minute, which is pretty life-changing for someone who’s always operated by the seat of their pants!”
Best of all, the PACE program has taught Christie that being productive doesn’t have to equal being stressed and overwhelmed.
“My productivity has increased. But my stress around my productivity has decreased,” she says. “They’re relative to each other.”
If you’d like to learn how to design a performance rhythm that suits your unique learning style, click the button below to learn more!