A Grounded, Expansive Return to Self
Reconnect with the steadier place within you, so you can meet life’s changing seasons with greater presence, trust, and self-connection.
Life is not something to fix.
It is something we learn to move with.
We are often taught to meet change by finding the answer, making a plan, or pushing ourselves forward.
But we do not move forward by forcing change. We move forward when our internal steadiness is restored.
For some women, disconnection begins with a life change that unsettles everything familiar.
For others, it happens slowly through years of responsibility, caregiving, and attending to everyone else’s needs first. You may still be functioning, carrying what life requires, and showing up for the people who depend on you while privately thinking that you don’t fully feel like yourself anymore.
The challenge is not always that you do not know what to do. It may be that you no longer feel connected enough to yourself to know what is true. Together, we’ll create the conditions for that connection to be restored, so you can return to your own internal anchor and trust yourself through what comes next.
Meet Myra Jean
Myra Jean is the name my mother has always called me.
It carries me back to the carefree little farm girl I was growing up in South Dakota, and to the part of myself that has remained steady through every season of my life.
“Through my life’s journey, one thing has remained true: at the core of my foundation lies that carefree little farm girl from South Dakota and my faith. When I connect with that little girl and stay true to whom I was created to be, life gets easier.”
— Myra Heckanlaible-Gotto
That return to what has always been true sits at the heart of my work.
As an Experiential Facilitator, I create space for women to reconnect with themselves, return to the internal anchor that holds them, and move through life with greater presence and trust.
Behind my deeply human way of working is more than 40 years of experience across education, leadership, human development, Gestalt practice, experiential learning, and a prior licensed psychological practice.
I bring the discernment of a seasoned professional together with the warmth and steadiness of someone who has moved through many changing seasons herself.
Where my philosophy comes to life.
Crossing Life’s Bridges is the experiential expression of my worldview; a flexible space for experiences, teachings, conversations, and offerings that explore what it means to move with life with greater clarity, trust, and self-connection.
Bit by Bit
A Six-Week Online Group Experience for Women
Offered once or twice each year, Bit by Bit brings together up to eight women for six weeks of reflection, conversation, and experiential learning. Guided by concepts from my book, the group explores how life’s transitions can affect your sense of self, your relationships, and the rhythm of your everyday life. Together, we create space to reconnect with what feels true, become clearer about what you need now, and make small, intentional shifts toward a steadier way of moving forward.
Pop-Up Offerings
Timely experiences for the season you are in
Pop-up offerings create space to explore a particular theme, question, or season of life alongside others.
These may include half-day or full-day workshops, as well as four- to six-week in-person group experiences. Each offering will be shaped around a specific focus and announced as it becomes available.
Learn More About Current Offerings
Private Immersive Experience with Myra
A deeply personalized experience for women navigating a major life transition or longing for a more profound reconnection with themselves.
Unlike a single session, workshop, retreat, or ongoing coaching relationship, the Private Immersive Experience with me is designed to support depth without becoming open-ended. Over the course of a day and a half, participants can step away from daily responsibilities, settle into the environment, build trust in the process, and engage in sustained experiential work.
The most unique therapeutic experience I’ve ever had. The energy and atmosphere were powerful, providing me the space I needed to reflect on what I needed most.
Crossing Life’s Bridges: The Book
In Crossing Life’s Bridges, I combine my heart for teaching, love of the outdoors, and trust in the experiential process as I share my unique perspective on navigating life transitions. With a mix of stories, experiences, and lessons learned, I help you navigate the everyday struggles which are frequently minimized and can hold you captive.
Using a conversational style of writing, I offer you support, while challenging you to dig deep, encouraging you to awaken your curiosity and gain clarity as you make your next shift.
This book encourages you to move forward at your own pace and in your own way, creating a new sense of direction and a healthy rhythm in your life.
Trust yourself through what’s next.
Whether life has shifted suddenly, or you have slowly lost touch with yourself beneath all you carry, you do not have to force your next step.
Begin by returning to what holds you within.
“Crossing Life’s Bridges is a thorough and thought-provoking look at challenges and a person’s approach to navigating them. Myra shares experiences and insights of her journey of self-discovery, as well as her depth of skills when working with her clients. Willing to be both a vulnerable author and an educator, Myra strikes an easy blend that will be helpful to her readers. As a Certified Practitioner of the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method®, Myra bring her unique style to assist her clients alongside her equine partners.”
“Myra’s heart for serving people and seeking to liberate others from the things that hold them back is so encouraging. How she integrates practical tools with her personal story and experiences is brilliant. This is a great example of how to take self-awareness and put it into action in a way that lets you bring your best to the world.”