Soul and Story Coaching
What would your life look like if you were living fully aligned with who you truly are and what matters most?
Book a Session
The life coaching process helps people explore who they truly are while giving them practical and personalized tools to grow into who they are becoming. Clarity, accountability, motivation and inspiration are gifts inherent in the coach-client relationship.
An investment in life coaching is a deep, lasting investment in your whole-person wellness—mind, body, heart, and soul—empowering individuals to move past limitations, reconnect with purpose, and create a unique of meaning, balance, purpose and impact.
What might you do if fear was no longer part of your life journey?
Come in and sit for a while
Nicole's coaching approach is rooted in a trusting mutual coach-client relationship where the coach and client focus together on holistic wellness and purpose-aligned living.
By focusing on the whole person—mind, heart, soul, relationships and purpose—Nicole compassionately guides her clients toward healthier patterns, deeper self-awareness, and more meaningful, fulfilling lives.
Life Coaching for All Ages & Stages
Book a Session
Life Coaching
Services
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Life and Purpose Coaching
Intentional coaching time can provide clarity, motivation and support needed to set and work toward a key life goal, make an important decision or get “unstuck.” Services range from a single “here and now” session to a longer 3-month 10-session investment in yourself and living your life with greater clarity, direction and purpose. All multi-session coaching experiences begin with a helpful whole-person wellness assessment.
Single Session
3-SESSION
10-SESSION
$125.00
$350.00 (or 2 payments of $175.00)
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
Women's Soul & Story Coaching
Invest in yourself by entering into a coaching experience that provides listening, insights, emotional support and motivation to take steps to live your best life without apology. Sessions may focus on life transitions, leadership, spiritual/faith journey, grief and loss, healthy boundaries, relationship quality, creativity/art, professional development and a range of other topics individual to each client. Helpful whole-person wellness assessment is included in all multi-session packages.
SINGLE SESSION
3-SESSIONS
10-SESSIONS
24-SESSIONS/1 YR
$125.00
$350.00 (or 2 payments of $175.00)
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
$2,400.00 ($1,400 at start + $100/mo)
Child & Teen Coaching
Children and teens can benefit deeply from working with a skilled coach to promote healthy growth and development while navigating social, emotional, educational, athletic and family-related challenges. We set goals and work together to develop the skills and confidence to handle future challenges more effectively.
3-SESSIONS
10-SESSIONS
24-SESSIONS/1 YR
$350.00 (or 2 payments of $175.00)
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
$2,600.00 ($1,400 at start + $100/mo)
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"Live Whole" Group Coaching
(Meets monthly for 15 months) Join either in-person or remotely one Tuesday per month (8-9PM EST) for sessions each focusing on one of the core components of whole-person wellness. Sessions will be recorded and available for review. One monthly individual 15-20 minute check-in is included for each group member. Invest deeply in your wellness to enhance all life areas and, roles and relationships. Cohorts start in September 2025 & January 2026.
15 GROUP SESSIONS
WITH MONTHLY
INDIVIDUAL CHECK-INS
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
Coaching with Families, Groups, Teams
Coaching can bring greater clarity, communication, unity and balance to your family, work team, athletic team, or other small group. Please contact Nicole McDonald to obtain a specialized coaching package plan and quote tailored to your specific group.
Single Session
3-SESSION
10-SESSION
$125.00
$350.00 (or 2 payments of $175.00)
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
Life Coaching for All Ages & Stages
Nicole's coaching approach is rooted in a trusting mutual coach-client relationship where the coach and client focus together on holistic wellness and purpose-aligned living.
By focusing on the whole person—mind, heart, soul, relationships and purpose—Nicole compassionately guides her clients toward healthier patterns, deeper self-awareness, and more meaningful, fulfilling lives. Through over 30 years of work as a mental health practitioner and college professor,
Years of Experience & A Heart for Coaching
One distinctive practice involves Nicole's use of creative and art-based strategies as part of the coaching process.
Through expressive, hands-on approaches, clients are able to explore emotions, clarify goals, and unlock new insights in ways that feel natural and engaging. This blend of life coaching and creative expression allows people to move beyond words alone, fostering healing, growth, and meaningful transformation.
Curious about what Nicole's coaching is like? Book an initial consultation! You'll meet with Nicole and discuss whether she's right for you.
Let's chat
60 US dollars
Life and Purpose Coaching
Intentional coaching time can provide clarity, motivation and support needed to set and work toward a key life goal, make an important decision or get “unstuck.”
Services range from a single “here and now” session to a longer 3-month 10-session investment in yourself and living your life with greater clarity, direction and purpose. All multi-session coaching experiences begin with a helpful whole-person wellness assessment.
Single Session
3-SESSION
10-SESSION
$125.00
$350.00 (or 2 payments of $175.00)
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
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Women's Soul and Story Coaching
Invest in yourself by entering into a coaching experience that provides listening, insights, emotional support and motivation to take steps to live your best life without apology.
Sessions may focus on life transitions, leadership, spiritual/faith journey, grief and loss, healthy boundaries, relationship quality, creativity/art, professional development and a range of other topics individual to each client. Helpful whole-person wellness assessment is included in all multi-session packages.
Single Session
3-SESSIONS
10-SESSIONS
24-SESSIONS/1 YR
$125.00
$350.00 (or 2 payments of $175.00)
$999.00 (payment plans & scholarships available)
$2,400.00 ($1,400 at start + $100/mo)
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Coaching vs Counseling
What's the Difference?
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Counseling / Therapy | coachingtext |
|---|---|
A counselor/therapist may refer clients to a life coach for practical, non-diagnosis, non-medical related support | A coach will refer a client with diagnosis-related, medical or serious mental health needs to a licensed counselor/therapist |
Helps clients move from dysfunction to stability | Helps already stable individuals move from functional to exceptional in specific life areas |
May be covered by health insurance and follows clinical ethical codes of their specific professional organization | Generally a private-pay service without medical oversight and thus not able to be billed to medical insurers; adheres to coaching ethics guidelines and best practice |
Explores deep psychological patterns and emotional processes, with a focus on identifying and healing pathology | Emphasizes practical strategies and action plans |
Focused on healing past emotional wounds and addressing mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression | Future-oriented, helping clients set and achieve personal or professional goals |
Formal psychological/psychiatric diagnosis is given and treatment is based on diagnosis | No diagnosis is given as part of the coaching process |
Therapists are licensed mental health professionals with extensive clinical training and advanced degrees | Life coaches are not required to have formal licensure and often focus on motivation and accountability; many coaches value, prioritize and complete ongoing training & professional development |
Get to Know Dr. McDonald
About our Owner and Coach, Nicole McDonald
Nicole brings a wealth of life and professional experience, along with a deep desire to live creatively and with purpose and intention, to her coaching work.
Family is the main focus of her life including her 25-year (and counting) marriage to Matt and mothering her two amazing young adult children. She also loves and embraces her role as “Aunt Nicci” to 30 nieces and nephews. Faith is centrally important in Nicole’s life.
She loves living and being involved in West Michigan locally and regionally. Nicole and Matt, a retired high school educator/administrator and state championship football coach, are pleased to make Whitehall their home.
Professionally, Nicole has served as a 28-year college professor and currently teaches psychology at GVSU. She holds a PhD in school psychology, as well as masters/specialist degrees in educational or school psychology, and has special interests in art- and play-based learning, neurodiversity, and whole-person wellness practices.
She is passionate about supporting whole-person development and wellness in children, adolescents, college students, families, women of all ages, and people walking through challenging life transitions.
She also feels it is deeply important to support the critical work of teachers, counselors / therapists/social workers, foster and adoptive parents, and other helping professionals who pour into others on a daily basis.
Personally, Nicole enjoys all things creative and colorful, is an avid reader and road-tripper, loves cheering on her son in his college football career, and cherishes being on and in Lake Michigan’s soothing crystal-clear waters as often as possible.
Nicole’s approach to coaching is holistic, strengths-focused, resiliency-minded, and spiritually/values-oriented.
She works with each client individually to set goals, develop personalized strategies, and support people through life’s challenges, transitions and questions. Past clients have described Nicole as warm, supportive, intelligent, insightful, wise, and able to create a safe and effective environment for growth.
