You’ve probably seen Candace Oliver around. If not in person, then in images featuring her as a model. Having grown up in Issaquah and attended college at Arizona State University, Oliver traveled the world being photographed and showcased. She found validation in her modeling career - trading on her beauty yet still coping with feelings of insecurity. After becoming a single mom, Oliver committed herself to personal development and availed herself of life coaching. She felt called to help other women align with their higher power and embark on a path that would help them achieve goals and stay true to themselves. Now married and with four children, she developed her Align Method  to assist women in achieving their various life goals, launching with a group of twelve women who found success with the program.

Part of the five-week Align Method is discovering and establishing identity, helping women be who they are and how they feel that God has created them to be. The process involves helping participants identify challenges, as well as core beliefs and fears. Clarifying one’s goals, and creating small new habits and daily disciplines to facilitate “small wins” are key aspects of this program. Having a woman ask herself, “What brings me joy?” and then incorporating those things into a routine can help her move past feeling stuck. Oliver emphasizes the importance of “aligning with your north star,” when a woman wants to make a change in her wellness, career, and relationships. “It comes down to, ‘What do I really want in life?” she says.

Confidence is another focus of Oliver’s alignment work, “How can we be confident in who we are?” Social media use can cause comparison that leads to feeling bad about yourself, but Oliver says, “There’s a lot of internal work and healing and growth that is so available, and if we can love ourselves and other women, we can have purpose and identity.” Intentionally choosing how we show up helps keep us aligned, and when our priorities are out of alignment, feelings of anxiety and cognitive dissonance may spring up. Oliver works with teen girls as well, and sees issues of identity and confidence show up frequently.

How does Oliver keep herself aligned? She has a mentor and coach with whom she does monthly check-ins, and she maintains an early morning routine. Oliver rises at 4:30 each morning to center herself with meditation, prayer, journaling, gratitude, and exercise. “Then I’m ready - because I’ve poured into me,” she says.