About Coach Helene

​Since 1999, Helene has worked as a full time professional coach.  Along with a vibrant private practice, Helene served for over 20 years on the Coach U Faculty and enjoyed teaching the competencies and skills that are essential for new coaches to attain certification. She achieved the highest certification in the industry, the MCC certification. During this time, she has also mentored and supervised numerous aspiring coaches who have attained their ACC, PCC, and other certifications.

Helene also specializes in training Coaches to lead retreats and is the Founder and Director of Retreat Coaches — the premier training institute for wo(men) wishing to lead retreats. She has trained hundreds of women to lead retreats and as a result, Retreat Coaches are reaching groups all over the globe through her leadership.

Helene’s practice is a tapestry of clients, business owners, creative entrepreneurs, couples who want alive relationships, women who are finding their voice, and Coaches who wish to build strong sustainable practices. She describes her practice as creative and fun, profitable and smart!

Helene leads a wide spectrum of retreats each year: for the professional woman, for executive teams, as well as custom retreats for non-profits and business teams. It’s not unusual to find Helene bringing retreatants into the back country on a river trip in August… or inviting couples to journey into deep conversations on intimacy at a New Mexico Hot Springs.

Before coaching, Helene was a Clinical Music Therapist working with psychiatric patients. Additionally, she performed internationally with her partner/husband, Dave Van Manen, as an Environmental Children’s Storyteller and Musician and recorded albums used by educators and families. Her work also included public speaking and workshop facilitation on the healing power of music.

Helene is the recipient of the Parent’s Choice Gold Award for Best Children’s Album for the album, We Recycle and Other Songs for Earthkeepers. Helene released 4 albums and a video during her performance years…and then Helene released a CD titled: Earth Songs Earth Chants. This CD is of special interest to Coaches who lead retreats as it contains songs that can be sung in groups of women!

Her husband Dave was the Founder and Director of a a not-for-profit environmental center that created opportunities for adults and children to learn about and connect with the natural world. Today he has a private consulting practice where he works with people who are creating special projects – whether it be through a not-for-profit, or green business.  Dave is an accomplished Nature Educator, Author, Fundraiser, Songwriter, Musician and Green Leader.

Both Helene and Dave are fearless in helping clients create meaningful and impacting outcomes. They have proven it through their work and that overflows into their coaching/consulting with clients.

Helene and Dave raised their two children, Sierra and Sequoia, on a south facing mountainside in a wood- and solar-heated cabin. They home-schooled, public schooled and private-schooled their children during the course of their parenting experience. The Van Manens traveled nationally as a family to performing engagements; in the early years, both children performed on stage with them on occasion. Their children music continues to be used by parents and educators alike – download your favorite tunes here.

Helene brings a wide range of experiences to her work as a Coach. Her background as a small business owner, entrepreneur, parent, music therapist and performing artist offers her clients a Coach who is flexible, compassionate, and professional. Some of her personal interests include walking mountain paths outside her house, building community through local service work, slow food cooking, collecting songs, writing poetry and more.

“Indeed, you are Mother Nature, and Dream Doula Extraordinaire!!  Thank you for the incredible support you provide me with.”  ~Dee Dee Sung, Associate Director of Planned Giving, Simon Fraser University BC, Canada