My name is Bethany Smeltzer. This is the short version of how I got to this place in life. I live in Southern California and am the youngest in my family. We are a tight-knit group, especially with our southern roots. Basically, that means that everyone needs to know everything. I am an aunt to three amazing kids. I am a dog mom to an amazing puppy (no matter the age, all dogs are puppies right). 

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I have lived in different areas and traveled a lot when I was younger. As a college student, I got a job that allowed me to travel on a cruise ship through the Panama Canal. 

I graduated from Biola University in the fall of 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and an emphasis in Marketing. I am the only person to have gone through the Business Program in less than two years. 

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During my time in college, I worked at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in their Outdoor Adventure Program working with their high ropes Odyssey course (going through the course as a group versus alone). Through this experience, I learned about communication skills and a love for helping people better themselves. From there, I began volunteering with my church to work with foster youth in Orange County. Through this opportunity, I started to work with teens and saw how so many of them just don't know how to do certain things in life.

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After I graduated, I went on to work in marketing. I worked mainly in small companies which allowed me to work in many different departments. ​

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In 2012, I started to volunteer with AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) because growing up it made a huge difference in my life so I wanted the chance to give back. Working with different teams and coaches has made a lifetime impact on me. I walked through life with some of these girls, life decisions, the death of their friend (at such young ages), and even the college process years later.

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I had been in marketing for seven years when I realized that I wasn't having the personal impact that I wanted to have on people. So I started a high school internship program at the company I was working for so that high schoolers could learn about the corporate side of the medical industry. However, I wasn't able to help people better themselves; I realized something was missing.​

 

I hired a career/life coach who led me to help high schoolers with their college application process. I became an Independent Education Consultant (IEC) through UCI's certificate program in the spring of 2018. However, there was something still missing. I found the Youth Coaching Institute (YCI). The piece of joy I had been missing in my career had finally been found. I became a certified Life Coach for teens and young adults (13-30 years old), finishing my certification in January of 2023. 

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Yes, there is a longer version that includes ups and downs in life. But these are the main paths that led me to where I am today.