Jerry's View

Ballard wonder woman

Vikki Brock owns, sails, and repairs her own trimaran sailboat moored in a marina in Ballard. It is 52 feet long and 26 feet wide and sleeps eight.

She bought it in 1995 and is a certified US Coast Guard 50-ton captain. She took up sailing to satisfy her adventurous side that was not wholly satisfied by riding Harleys and pursuing a 21-year career at Boeing.

Vikki holds an executive MBA from the University of Washington and is completing a PhD in Coaching and Human Development this year. She has held a Master Certified Coach credential since 1998 and is a Certified Executive Coach. She hands out a card saying 'Call Me Coach' and when not maintaining brightwork, checking the rigging or painting the deck she makes her living respectfully provoking seasoned individualists to take their leadership (and their life) to the next level. She emphasizes authenticity, collaboration, and inclusion as the foundation for personal and organizational health and increased productivity.

She is the daughter of Bob Brock a former high placed Boeing engineer and Lu Brock, Highline area community leader, trustee at Highline Community College (she served 10 years at the same time as I did) and once headed up the League of Women Voters. The family grew up on Three Tree Point in Burien. Vikki became a champion swimmer at the community swim pool, Highline High School and the University of Washington. That skill once came in handy when she fell overboard into the ship canal.

If that isn't remarkable enough read on. Vikki rode Harleys since the mid 1970s and developed a taste for pool playing, tavern hopping and alcohol. Tired of existing in a life of drinking and work, she quit drinking in 1983 with the help of treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous, and celebrated 24 years in recovery this month.

In the early 1990s what she thought were the mood swings of early menopause was actually clinical depression. Anti-depressants took care of the mood swings and in 1995 she left Boeing to start her own coaching business.

This same year, while traveling in Baja Mexico, she purchased her first boat, where she lives today, and named it "Cuidado" meaning caution - woman owner, woman driver. With the help of friends and professionals, Vikki took the boat down to the hull and rebuilt it with a stunning maple interior and aft salon area. Planning on a sailing adventure, in early 2002 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A lumpectomy followed with chemotherapy and radiation at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. She earned her captains license while undergoing chemotherapy, got her first dog as an end of chemo present and went back to college in 2003 for her PhD.

Today Vikki has a clean bill of health and looks upon her life experiences as a blessing. She is bubbling with enthusiasm and her passion is helping others be authentically successful in their lives. She owns and operates her own successful business from her trimaran.

I call her more than remarkable. She is fantastic. When I asked her if I could tell her story she said, "Certainly. Maybe others out there can benefit from it."

Jerry Robinson is publisher of the Ballard News-Tribune and of Robinson Newspapers. He can be reached at publisher@robinsonnews.com