Frequently Asked Questions.

What is Coaching Anyway?

Coaching has been on the scene for a relatively short period of time compared to therapy, so it makes sense that people are still trying to understand WHAT IT IS exactly. So this is an attempt to help you understand what I do for the clients I serve.

  • A Therapist is needed when people are unable to engage in their daily activities or find any desire to think about their future. Therapists will sometimes Coach their clients, but Coaches do NOT have the training to work with clients that have therapeutic needs such as diagnosis of mental illness or initial therapy for working with past traumas.

    Coaching is for people who know they want “more” out of life, and are ready to look at what is getting in their way of making it happen. A Coach get’s curious and asks open ended questions to help get to the heart of what their clients are hoping to achieve. They also provide tools and set micro goals to help clients learn accountability to make the bigger goals happen.

  • The first session will focus on defining and creating the broad goal(s) you are trying reach for yourself. We’ll also utilize tools to gain focus and clarity on what is truly important in your life so we can keep those priorities as a guiding compass in our work.

    Each following session will begin with questions that get both of us clear on the goal for that specific week. All aspects of our lives work together and affect each other, so even if something seems off topic from your original goal(s), you may be surprised how addressing it, might reinvigorate your focus.

    Our meetings might create HUGE moments of A-HA one time, and the next you may need time to integrate what comes up before you find the clarity you were hoping for. One thing is for certain, coaching creates conscious awareness of the ways we see the world, and once you see a pattern of thinking, or a new way of viewing things…you can’t unsee it. That is the power of coaching at its core.

    The end of the session will often involve committing to an action or small step to be accomplished towards your goal. Think of me as an accountability partner for helping you move forward in getting where you want to go. If you don’t complete the action you agreed to, then I will inquire as to what happened and how you want to proceed with that task.

  • No, if this is what you want, it would be better to hire a consultant or find a mentor. One of the main principles of coaching is that it is client lead because YOU are the expert of YOUR life.

    MY job is to listen deeply and get curious so I can ask the questions that you need to answer to get where you are going. I might reframe something you say so you can hear it in a different way, or use a tool that will help you make a difficult choice. If I have some knowledge that my intuition tells me to share with you, then I will get permission before doing so, and then ask for your thoughts on what I said.

  • Coaching is not a luxury, it is a tool. Like any tool, you don’t always need it for every job, but it will save you time, and frustration.

    Think of it like the difference between having a car and not having a car. You might enjoy riding your bike and taking the bus places, but if you have to travel big distances with multiple bags, using the car is way more efficient.

    Certified coaches have a HUGE assortment of tools to help you identify the reoccurring thoughts that get in the way of your accomplishments, and can take you from feelings of struggle to wholistic sense of success much quicker than you might on your own.

  • Oooo, I’m glad you asked! The ELI is an assessment, a powerful tool provided by iPEC (my Coaching school), and I became certified to administer and provide debriefs as an additional service to my clients.

    The assessment is a series of questions that help measure your average level of engagement in life. More specifically it helps identify the lenses you use most often to view the world.

    While I go through the debrief, I describe the different levels of engagement, their core thoughts, emotions, and actions associated with each, and all of this provides you information on what is possible. Seeing where you are currently and what lenses are available, can help you learn to choose what you want when you want, and is a catalyst for broader conscious awareness.

  • No, Coaching is not a cult. It may seem like it because coaches tend to be weirdly happy most of the time, and some coaches are downright pushy when it comes to signing people as clients. However, I assure you when we get together it usually involves talking about how to better serve our clients just like any other profession.

    What coaching has done for me is helped tune my thoughts & focus towards what is possible. I’m more able to accept and enjoy the process of life in all of its aspects. I’ve also learned to identify “failure” as an opportunity to learn…and actually be grateful for the lesson.

    Full disclosure, I still have bad days just like everyone else, but I’m better at taking the time to feel the emotion, and find I don’t need to wallow the way I used to in the past. I’ve learned to help others because I WANT to, not because I feel an obligation to do so. I’m quicker to see when I’m striving for “perfect” and am able to stop myself, define “done”, and then be done. I am also learning to challenge my fears by asking them questions so I’m not just accepting what they have to say as TRUTH.

    Being coached simply gives you the awareness of options you didn’t know you had. If you’re wondering if you’re READY to give it a try, this link will take you to my newsletter signup and provide you the application to work with me.