Optimum Growth Coaching: College Admissions Coaching (and What’s New) If you searched for Optimum Growth Coaching, you’re in the right place. I’m Candice Suarez, a former school counselor and coach who has spent more than 20 years helping people figure out what comes next. My work has grown into two paths, so here’s where to find what you need. [College admissions coaching →] [Life Drafting and transition coaching with Pencil & Purpose →] Optimum Growth Coaching: College Ad

I love Taylor Swift. So yes, I suppose I could be considered a Swiftie. One reason I love her is for her turn of phrase. Poetry. Recently, while listening in my car, I heard a simple phrase that struck me: "old habits die screaming," from the song "The Black Dog" on The Tortured Poets Department. Now, I have studied habits and human behavior for more than twenty years, but the "screaming" part is new—and oh so true! I have never been one to jump out of bed in the morning. If

Our move to Virginia was not a simple, one-step process. It was almost a full year of limbo, of in-between. My husband had moved to start his new job in August and we listed our home for sale in September. I was prepared to move when the house sold . . . but it didn't. It was months of keeping the house "ready" for a showing. It was months of going to my job that I knew would end. It was months of my son going to school and activities, not knowing when it would be his last sw

I've been in a long season of revision. Basically, right now is a culmination of several years of transition coming to a close. You know when people announce on social media that they are now "Ashley 2.0"? Yeah, I feel like Candice 4.0 at this point. So it seems like a good time for my business to evolve just a bit. Not a new business, or a radical change, but an edited version. Even though sometimes it may feel like it, you're never really starting from a blank page. Sure, s

I bought a watercolor book at the beginning of December. Actually, I bought two of them with the intention of gifting them for Christmas. I wasn’t sure yet just who would receive them. I loved them. There was just something about the almost paint-by-numbers quality of them while still holding room for personal touches of creativity. I ended up giving one to my niece Olivia on Christmas morning, but I kept one for myself. I actually gave Liv my favorite one—the one with woodla

Growth Mindset. This term feels like a recent catch phrase to me. I’m not sure if it's just something I have discovered recently because of my deep dive into the world of personal development, or if it is really a new topic for blogs, podcasts, facebook lives, etc. But for many years now, before I even knew what having a growth mindset meant, I have surrounded myself with images of growth.

I started discovering gray in my hair from the early age of 22. So covering my gray regularly and getting my roots done was far from drudgery for me, because it gave me the excuse to go to the salon often. But recently I’ve been thinking about a drastic change. Not only a change in my hair color, but a change that is requiring a shift in my attitude and mindset. I’ve decided to let my hair go gray.

OK everybody. I’m here to drop a little science on you today. Specifically, the science of behavior. In my previous post HERE I shared my morning routine. I shared how I took back my mornings and now set myself up for having a successful day by starting with gratitude and focus. The picture above this blog post was on the day, about three months ago, I hit a milestone. It was my 100th Pilates class! I have always struggled adding exercise to my rou...

I have found my purpose. My reason for doing what I do. My reason why I am working so hard...and loving it. I have finally blended all of my education, experience and the things I naturally gravitate towards into one glorious purpose. One culminating “why.” Are you curious yet? Well, I have discovered that my why is listening to people tell their story, discovering what makes them tick, and helping them find their why.

Life Coach. If you Google “Life Coach” you’ll find the definition stated as a wellness professional who helps people make progress in their lives in order to attain greater fulfillment. Life coaches help their clients improve their relationships, careers, or day-to-day lives. This can be done in many different ways, and there are many different types of coaches out there. Some focus on health and wellness, while others focus on financial coaching. If you are looking for s

Looking back (updated [November 2026]): I wrote this at the very beginning of my coaching journey. This is truly the starting point of everything I teach and coach about in Pencil & Purpose. It's the origin story of Life Drafting. SO much has happened since this post, but the core of what I want to do in the world remains. If we’re lucky, life brings us through cycles of comfort (AKA the comfort zone) followed by change and transition, which hopefully leads to another period

Looking back (updated November, 2026): I wrote this post at the end of 2020, a year that rewrote almost every plan I had. I never did become a realtor. Instead, the habits on this list became the foundation for everything I do now, from my coaching practice to the book I mentioned in number 6. I’m leaving the original as it was, sloppy copy and all, because it’s still one of my favorite examples of how a life gets redrafted. 2020 prepared me for ALL the changes to come. 2020.