Personal Coach, Comic Artist
ABOUT ALISSA
Bio
Alissa Zorn is a coach, comic artist and author. She founded the blog Bounceback Parenting in 2010 and this site continues serving parents looking for ways to improve their family's emotional well-being. In 2018 she began publishing webcomics about emotions and mental health and also started the process of becoming an ACC certified coach through the ICF. Her current project is creating the Draw Yourself Out community to give others the tools they need to use art as a way to find belonging in themselves and express their inner worlds authentically.
My Story
I always wanted to be a comic artist when I was a kid, but it seemed so unrealistic and like it was only something I could do if I was REALLY good at art. Then in 2018, at 38 years old I started going to therapy and we began doing inner child work. Wow, my inner and outer worlds were in MAJOR flux as I began healing generational traumas and transforming how I showed up for myself in the world.
That winter I started drawing comics about my work in therapy. I was having such a hard time accessing that "inner little kid" part of me. Not only that, I was going through a divorce after 17 years of marriage and I needed anything to help me keep the fear and anxiety at bay. Drawing led me in toward what scared me, but also toward what delighted me. I began finding self compassion as I saw little me on the page. It helped me feel valid. It helped me feel alive.
I started a 100 day project with comics as a way to understand and validate my own experience. When I began sharing them on Instagram I discovered a bunch of people healing and learning about emotions through art; it felt so good to know I was not alone! Suddenly this childhood wish of being a comic artist didn't feel so far away. I finally realized I didn't have to draw perfectly to share my story.
During that time I also began taking classes to become a coach. I wasn't sure where it would lead, but I knew I had a knack for encouraging people and helping them have insights into their own inner worlds. The coaching training gave me the framework I needed to be able to take these conversations further and deeper.
I've combined comics and coaching in local classes, and was delighted to see the insights people had with one another as they they experienced a sense of belonging and trust and got to play with art and emotions. People who at the beginning of class stated that they couldn't even doodle found themselves learning they could use visual tools to access their imaginations and intuition without having to ever be "good" at drawing. Now I'm bringing these skills together online.
The time feels right. I can't wait to get to know you more. Let's go!