Loving yourself for who you are and leading a happy life are great goals, but they’re not always easy ones.
I'm here to help support, encourage, and coach you to make your life more merry & magical however YOU imagine.
My self-created coaching method and theory of Merriment Making relies on:
It's simple, not easy. And I'm here to get real with you. Want to make real change? Let's do it.
"I’ve been doing coaching work with Mary for a little over 2 years. I am mental health counselor myself and have used various therapists throughout my life. I have had the most growth while working with Mary.
Mary has coached me through depression, anxiety, social anxiety, relationship issues, creative blocks, imposter syndrome, major health challenges, and several other issues. Mary stands out from my previous therapists because she uses her own carefully curated coaching style that allows her coach in more dynamic ways than some of the other cookie cutter therapy styles out there.
Throughout our work, Mary has used a good balance between solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral approaches that she skillfully blends with trauma-informed interventions. I trust what Mary knows because she has lived with mental illness, invested herself in understanding mental health, and is both active and transparent with her own wellness journey.
Unlike my previous therapists, Mary has gone above and beyond in helping me find and collect resources for my healing, including informed articles, exercises and techniques, writing prompts, action plans, etc. She frequently invests time outside of our sessions to help me with my goals and setbacks. I know she cares about my well-being, and brings her best to all our coaching sessions. I highly recommend Mary to others for coaching needs."
Jenn
"I followed Uncustomary ~ her books and classes ~ before I began coaching with her. I’m so grateful I took the dive to get the personalized support from her! Uncustomary has so much experience, insight and wisdom.
Working with her has really helped me accomplish a long-held dream. Honestly, I didn’t know that what I wanted to create was really possible. But she helped me vision, break down the steps and create a course I’ve been only thinking about forever!
I highly recommend her as a coach for your personal life, business, passion project! I’m going to keep working with her!!"
Amy MA LPC LCMHC
"In the moments after I signed up for a 1:1 coaching call with Mary, I thought what in the heck was I doing?? Would I be wasting her time? Would I be able to get anything from it? Would it just be a bunch of unhelpful advice? Would she be able to see my messy apartment? Within 5 seconds of her reaching out to me before our session, I realized all of my fears were for naught.
Mary was so incredibly helpful - she asked questions that helped her understanding my major issue straight away, worked with me to help boil it down to the basic focus point, and best of all, gave me ample resources so I could start working on things from this end. With kindness and grace, she held my hand and gave me a loving kick in the rear to do the work. If you have the chance to do a 1:1 coaching call, please take advantage of it. It's really worth it!"
Lisa
+ I'm a compassionate listener, powerful communicator, aggressively blunt and honest.
+ My methods are based and founded in psychology and scientific research and mixed with magic and optimism.
+ I have 12 mental illnesses.
+ I believe your circumstances and trauma are incredibly important and I won't ignore them.
+ I also won't coddle you and let you stay inside in victim mode.
+ I'm here to give you tangible lessons that aren't just "turn on music, feel yourself, and take a bath". I find that shit condescending.
+ I'm going to talk to you about why a neurodivergent mind might act different in a given scenario.
+ I believe in play over meditation.
+ I listen to you when things aren't working.
+ If I can get two Trump supporters to change their vote, I can certainly convince your inner critic that you're deserving of a happy life.
+ I believe in accepting yourself instead of needing to fix who you are.
+ My multi-passionateness creates a unique approach with different modalities you might not expect or be used to for an integrated approach.
As per industry standard, all sessions are up to you to follow through and use them and there are no refunds. Please see FAQ for more information.
"I am so so happy that I talked to you and while we were talking, I was feeling that you are touching every depth and corner of my heart and were healing it, making it feel heard and loved. I got clarity on what aspects I need to work on. I was confused a lot before that, and that was a reason holding me back. I am so thankful that you chose the thing I feel is troubling me the most right now and I too was eagerly wanting to talk about. Now I know that I need to change my behaviours, and also in what ways.
Thank you for coming into changing my life in such a way that I never had expected. And I love that you gave me so many resources. It's a thing that very few people do. And I didn't expect that in such a short amount of time, you will go in such depth."
Sana A.
"Sometimes you just gotta stop, twirl, dance and embrace your own awesomeness. And that's what you gave Kathleen the freedom and opportunity to do! Thank you for coming to our home so prepared with happiness tips and a binder full of specific resources, tools and reminders of ways that Kathleen is awesome--all in a setting of balloons, confetti, tiaras, ribbons, music and banners.
We both LOVED your cool ideas of little things to do around town. Who knew our neighbor was so chock full of great, easy breezy places to go for fun? Not me! You have no idea what one Happy Hour with all the accouterments did for my sister AND for me! We are so doing this again! Count on it. Everyone and anyone who would like to cheer someone up -- or cheer themselves up -- should book Mary NOW. She's a true professional and a true badass bringer of joy, color and happiness."
Maureen + Kathleen O.
"Mary is super knowledgeable about various subjects and gives very practical advice. The recap email is a great bonus and she provides so many resources to learn more about the issues you are experiencing. Sometimes it's great to just talk with a nuetral third party that has a listening ear and compassion to share and Mary is an excellent person to talk to. I'm excited about getting started on my homework."
April A.
I have my associates and bachelors degrees in Psychology.
I worked at a Psychiatric Rehab Center for 5 years.
I've been a life coach for 9 years.
I'm here to facilitate you noticing and remembering what is already available inside you and your life.
The potential we all have already exists, we just need to light the candle. I’m here to remind you’ve had the lighter in your pocket this whole time.
I am currently teaching a technique called Merriment Making, which is a way to inspire self-love via the tactics of confronting fear, embodying joy, and returning our awareness back to the world.
These are not ideas I invented. I’m not the Merriment Maker or the first Merriment Maker. I’m one of many Merriment Makers, just like you.
Also like you, I have been in places of absolute darkness. I’ve shared space with a dozen mental disorders, addiction, trauma, abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, and suicide attempts.
I use my past experiences to be an activist for the joy we can feel and kindness we can spread. To create less pain by simplifying lessons for the future.
I believe in science and magic. I’m a practical optimist. I believe in creating your own good news.
My goal is to create and connect in the streets, secret spaces, and with special someones just like you. Let’s start a Merriment Making Movement
"Thank you for our conversation the other day. It was so helpful and motivational! I am so grateful for your non-judgmental, genuine attention, and respect. I feel like we have been friends for years!
Your notes and homework are above and beyond what I was expecting. I am so grateful for you and for the chance to talk with you directly. I look forward to working on myself and hope to arrange another conversation with you soon. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Stephanie
"Mary's 1:1 coaching is very insightful and helpful. I didn't know what to expect coming into it, but the amount of work Mary put into preparing to talk to me made the coaching easy on my part.
Once the call was over, she followed up with a list of things for me to do and a recap of everything she had talked about in an email that I can reference whenever I need, and this makes setting goals and changing my perspectives easier. All in all she was great!"
Jackie E.
"I have been an Uncustomary subscriber for over a year now. I appreciate the inspiration, blog posts, and the opportunity for the free e-courses. This time, Mary offered the opportunity for a 1:1 call and I made sure to take her up on it. Our discussion focused on Body Image as I'm working through some weight gain. She was very encouraging and informative and provided great resources in a follow up email."
Brennon
"I did a 'Happy Hour' with Mary and it was a seriously amazing experience! If life's been getting you down, I totally recommend booking in for a Happy Hour with the Mary Godmother!"
Caz G.
"Mary England is the raw and real, inspiring and colorful voice of fun and truth. She is quirky in a way that makes you want to dig deep and be the most honest version of yourself with zero shame, and she is deeply steeped in knowledge that, when married with her playful aura, combines to form the most intriguing and trustworthy combo."
Madeline Rhodes + Jessica Serra Huizenga, Monarch Workshop
Q: What's included?
A: An audio recording of your session, thorough typed notes, a follow up e-mail of homework assignments, access to me for questions and support in between appointments.
Q: How do I schedule?
A: Just send me an e-mail! Mary@uncustomary.org -- tell me your time zone and what your availability is like and I'll give you a bunch of options and we'll make it work!
Q: Do I have to pay before our session?
A: Yes
Q: Are sessions refundable?
A: No, the same way if you were to buy a digital e-course online and didn't complete it or follow up with it, you would be responsible for that.
Q: What is the difference between the "when you want" versus the "monthly subscription"?
A: The "when you want" is basically like purchasing a gift card for a spa. You are investing in that amount and you can redeem it when you want. The "monthly subscriptions" are up to you to make sure that you follow through with your appointments every single month. You are committing to X amount of appointments every month and unless it is otherwise discussed between the two of us that we are rescheduling or sliding that slot/credit to another month, you will pay for that many sessions a month automatically even if you don't use them.
Q: What is the benefit of the "monthly subscription"?
A: It's set on autopilot so you don't worry about payments, the fee is lower, and it's a commitment to showing up which means we get to know each other better.
Photography: Maura Housley