Change
Maker
Marie Copher Photo by Aniko Kiezel Mural by Diana Ormanzhi
LIFE COACH PROVIDES TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
M
arie Copher knows how difficult it is to change careers. She left her longtime job as a social worker to start a coaching business. And she did it at the height of the pandemic. “I had already been thinking about wanting to make a change for myself— doing the work I was doing didn’t seem to be fulfilling me as much as it used to,” says Copher, who spent more than 20 years as a social worker and counselor in nonprofit, hospice and government agencies. “The pandemic removed the veil— not just for me, but for the world. We were going through our day-to-day lives without even thinking about what we were doing. We were on automatic. Then suddenly there was so much going on in the world affecting everyone. “It was tragic, dramatic, scary, you’re protecting yourself and your loved ones. There was a big moment of, what am I doing? I’m not getting as much out of what I’m doing. Why not? What can I do about it?” Copher has always been a helper. As a kid, she knew she would be a teacher or psychologist. After moving from her hometown of El Paso, Texas, to Sacramento in 1996, she completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology through National University. She enjoyed two decades as a bilingual social
JL By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
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