My greatest joy comes from seeing you find yours.Â
My Purple Wall
When I turned 40, I decided to see a life coach to help me “figure out the next chapter in my life.” I felt stuck in the doldrums of my daily demands and couldn’t see beyond the edge of my calendar. I had lost my vision for my life and felt stagnant. A pile of unresolved grief, a health scare, and the overwhelm of parenting and caregiving for my mother meant I felt drained and empty.
In my first session with my life coach, she asked me what I missed from times in my life when I felt a greater sense of vision. The answer came to me like a flash. It seemed so simple, but so out of reach. I missed COLOR! I had recently moved out of a house that had colorful walls, a private office, and a yoga space to a small transitional apartment with white walls, a shared office, and no private retreat space for me. I needed color and a space of my own (which seemed impossible in my current circumstances.) I remember the feeling of hope I felt when she said, “Would it be possible to paint a wall?”
That day, I stopped at the hardware store, bought a can of purple paint, and went home to paint the wall next to my desk in our shared office. That purple wall opened up a perspective shift for me that I couldn’t have predicted. I felt my creativity come rushing back. That wall meant curiosity and freedom and play. Through coaching, I discovered keys that unlocked doors of possibility. I felt energized, excited and developed renewed awareness of myself that had gotten lost in the white walls.
Don’t worry! I’m not going to make you paint your house purple. That’s not my job. My job is to help you see the keys that open possibilities for you. What is your purple wall? I’m excited to find out!
Carly Flagg
Professional Coach and Owner
MA, PCC, CI/CT
Carly is a Professionally Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), with additional training in creativity-based coaching, creative grief support, compassion fatigue education, trauma-informed coaching, and end-of-life doula care. Before founding Hands at Heart Coaching, she spent nearly 25 years as a college professor and sign language interpreter, and continues to draw on that deep well of experience in all she does.
Her work is grounded in compassion, creativity, and presence—shaped by studies in counseling, narrative therapy, nonviolent communication (NVC), compassion cultivation, and the Enneagram. A lifelong maker and expressive artist, Carly's creative and aesthetic practice has included everything from gardening, painting, and collage to dance, fabric arts, theatre, movement, film, and music. She brings a deep respect for aesthetic wisdom and the many ways people make meaning through creative expression.
Carly lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband and their three-legged hound dog, who dreams of becoming a visiting therapy dog. She finds joy in traveling to South Korea to visit her daughter, tending to her purple wall, and making space for curiosity, color, and connection wherever she can.
Meet My Team
Carla Sarabia
Client Care, Communication, and Continuing Education Support
Carla assistant for scheduling, client care, and continuing education. Carla is also a Carly-Wrangler. It is such a gift to find people who understand the way your heart works. As an Enneagram 2, Carla knows what it means to hold the world with deep loving care, and also want to get stuff done! Carla is a Spanish-ASL-English interpreter, so she understands the complex world of interpreting, which means she can process CEUs, support Deaf clients who want to communicate in ASL, and team with me to provide structure and inspiration for in-person events. She helps me to remember to laugh, and knows when to hold me accountable. She also makes me use my Spanish! (Gracias, Amiga!)
Victoria Pfansteil
Social Media and Outreach Coordinator
Victoria gets the word out. She manages and designs the social media outlets for Hands at Heart, and ensures that we are always in line with our core values of compassion, connection and creativity.Â
Hands at Heart Coaching acknowledges that the ground beneath our feet has historically been the home of indigenous peoples. Tucson is still the home of the Tohono O'odham and Yaqui People, who have drawn strength, connection, and identity from the land around the "black hill". I commit to learn from the cultures and traditions of native people and tribes to become a better steward of the land itself and the people who have called this place home for more than 12,000 years. I acknowledge and honor the pain of separation because of boundary disputes, and commit to supporting indigenous people who claim the land of their ancestors. I also encourage others to name and learn from the people who have called the land around you home. Here is a map to help you begin your journey of understanding: https://native-land.ca/Â
“When we talk about land, land is part of who we are. It’s a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they’re around us. As you all do.” – Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)
