About Anne

Anne O'Connor, the facilitator and course creator behind Metamorphix, goes beyond an intellectual understanding of how to make changes.

If we could make changes just because we know we want to, we'd all ditch our bad habits: snap! But change doesn't work that way.

Instead, working together to identify your most important intention, Anne brings practices that incorporate your learning into your mind, your heart, your body, and your communities.

With this kind of lasting change, you will see your courage and confidence grow and be ready to create beauty in your relationships, your work, your health, and all areas of your life. 

Anne's work focuses on:

  • Creating connective communications
  • Resiliency and transformation during transitions
  • Building capacity for clarity and purposeful action 
  • Bolstering compassion and meaningful relationships 

Anne's Journey

Anne's grandparents on her dad's side didn't know each other when they left the rocky shores of Dingle Bay in Ireland. But they met at an Irish dance in Chicago. Whenever Anne has a little fear of stepping forward, she feels her 17-year-old grandmother heading out on a ship to a new land. Grandma Mary is there from the beyond, pushing us forward. On Anne's mom's side, too, the stock is strong. Farmers, workers, people who figure it out and keep on moving. Today, Anne's family is her biggest support.

Hearty Immigrants

Anne comes from a hardy stock of strong women. And from immigrants: Both her paternal grandparents came over--separately--on a boat from Cork to Boston Harbor.

Simple beginnings

Anne was born in Chicago, and spent most of her life there and in the Twin Cities before settling in a tiny Midwestern town to raise her own family. The early years were rough, but Anne's mother's steadfast love propelled Anne through some tricky territory. Anne became sober and clean more than three decades ago--her entire adult life. 

Journalist + Writer

Anne's love of words and people combine in her writing and journalism background. She started her career out of college in one of her favorite jobs--a  staff writer at the Star Tribune, a major metro paper. The seven years at the daily paper were an incredible time of learning and being a part of something important. Anne went on to write as a freelancer for many publications. She also wrote a book about stepfamilies working to form family anew. She co-founded and ran a regional monthly arts and entertainment newspaper--focusing on a rural region known for its organic farming and arts community.

Taking care of business

Before she went to college, Anne started in the business world, working in telecommunications for Sprint and another telcom company. After setting down her monthly newspaper, Anne went back to business in the organic food industry. She was on the management team of one of the country's largest organic certifiers. And then she was the Director of Public Affairs for Organic Valley, a billion-dollar cooperative working to change the food system and give people healthier choices around food. Anne led a  team of great folks, and represented the company at conferences, panels, and speaking events.  

The business of taking care

Anne knows that a super-fantastic life rarely just happens. An extraordinary life takes care and attention. Anne is thrilled to share what she's learned over decades of work healing, learning, and making life flow better.
Anne's practical and affirming workshops share the work of living a life of integrity, kindness, and contribution. Anne's own learning and development is continuous, and she's been fortunate to have wonderful teachers in mindfulness, meditation, yoga, communication skills, and somatic retraining.
Anne is a certified and registered yoga teacher (RYT 200). Anne founded her own personal-development group coaching business--Tending the Fire Within--in 2011 and focused on in-person workshops. Anne recently relaunched this business as Metamorphix to expand to teaching online. Metamorphix helps people learn the skills, practices, and mindset that bolsters their courage, confidence and connection to what matters most.
Metamorphix helps people become who they want to be. 

Mom

Is there any stronger medicine for self-work than step-parenting and parenting? Don't think so. My oldest is in his 30s and my youngest is 14. I've been parenting for 28 years.
We've had a lively household of big conversations, lots of debate and lots of tenderness. Parties, games, and picnics in the woods. And always, lots of love.
The raising of my children has been inexorably linked to Waldorf Schools and the profound philosophy of learning through head, heart, and hands.
Our family is about relationships--how they work and how we get better at them. About art in all its beauty and soul-filling magic. And about doing our best to meet our humanity and others' with dignity, passion, and care. 
The parenting gig has always been my best work.

About working with Anne...

Testimonials from people who have worked with Anne

"Two and a half years later, I draw on the work that I did with Anne every day, multiple times…Working with Anne is a really wise investment… It enhanced many of the relationships I have, it helped me be a more boundaried person and how to be more present in relationships."

Robin
Development Director

"Being a part of Anne O’Connor’s workshop was truly transformational to me in my life. (It) provided me the support I needed to take the steps and do the hard work and hold myself accountable to making the choices that were best for me to move my life forward in a way that feels amazing today."

Michelle
Marketing Manager

"I’ve been in many leadership training workshops, and Anne adds something new to the mix. She goes past what we already know and helps us to get to the root of why making changes can be so difficult. Anne helps us tap into our deepest thoughts and desires, and then helps us connect those to life-enriching plans for action and change."

Grace Jones
former Executive Director of Couleecap, Inc.

"Anne O'Connor has a magical way of drawing you in and, even in a group of people, you feel like she is talking to you. She has an amazing gift for telling stories in a way that makes you learn who you are and what you need to move forward. She will help you to look right where you need to look."

Susan
Licensed Clinical Social Worker

"Anne is a natural teacher and an inspiring leader who skillfully helped Organic Valley take up the important work of how leaders can communicate best and how we can continually work towards a more cooperative, unified, and productive result as an organization. If you want to improve communication on your team, I recommend working with Anne."

George Siemon
Co-founder and Former CEO, Organic Valley

"Anne O’Connor is one of our lead facilitators for adVenturesAcademy helping to develop, facilitate and lead programming for our groups of mission-driven entrepreneurs, investors and advisors. Throughout the process she has been incredibly thoughtful, understanding the unique dynamics of our participants to create custom programs that build trust, engagement and create a safe space to cultivate vulnerability and the ability to transcend comfort zones. She is incredibly talented and her depth of experience and passion is unparalleled. She connects deeply, listens, and works tirelessly and seamlessly to bring out the best in every single participant. She guides with such grace that makes each person feel so comfortable in going deep, learning, growing and building lasting impact. While leading large groups, she makes each person feel vitally important – creating a sense of individual attention while simultaneously moving the group towards the goals of greater connectedness, openness, and a collective growth mindset. Truly remarkable. We truly can’t recommend Anne and Metamorphix highly enough! "

Alissa Sears
Co-Founder // adVenturesAcademy. Vice President: Strategy & Growth // Christie & Co.

Grandma Alice would advise you to sign up for Anne's email list.

She was always up for an adventure. Sign up for weekly tips, stories, and practices that help us all become who we want to be. Thanks for reading! 

Close

50% Complete

Two Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.