SACRAMENTO MAGAZINE
Woman at WorkMarlys Thompson
October, 1998
Offering practical ideas to increase productivity and teamwork on the job has been a career that Marlys Thompson has cherished for 30 years, but she's equally excited when her students take their lessons home. "Choices can be made to create the life you love," says Thompson of her approach to personal and professional success.
Thompson's philosophy is the result of years of formal training combined with personal evolution. A master's degree in educational technology put her on the corporate fast track in designing and implementing training for organizations. She now teaches quality management at Golden Gate University and coaches groups and individuals on how to succeed in business on a personal level. "When we have a problem in our culture," says Thompson, "we want to cut it out and fix it; we don't listen to our bodies." Understanding our individual rhythms, she says, can help us organize our days, and our lives, around physical and psychological needs.
Life has given Thompson ample opportunity to listen. After her husband died in a plane crash several years ago, she was forced to examine her goals. "It was a very confusing time," she says. "Suddenly, I had to change focus." Later, she put personal transformation training to intensive use when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which disappeared between surgeries. That experience helped Thompson understand the power of self determination. "You are the author of your life," she says.
Thompson offers a woman's workshop to illustrate the point that we must understand our gifts in order to contribute to the world around us. Creating the life we love is possible, says Thompson, by drawing on the support available to us. "Everything in nature grows and we're part of nature - there's exhilaration in that," she says.
Marlys Thompson is available for Personal Business Coaching, Team Building Workshops, Keynote Presentations, and Continuous Quality Improvement. She can be contacted at (916) 489-3964
- Ann Love