Frequently Asked Questions
What is coaching?
The International Coaching Federation's definition:
Coaching is partnering with someone in a thought-provoking creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
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My Definition:
Coaching is a collaborative process that facilitates an exploration of your mind in a way that generates valuable shifts in awareness that can create substantial results in both your inner and outer world.
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Symbolic Model:
Two people are walking home and it starts raining. One is frustrated, anxious and feeling stressed. The other other is excited, playful and feeling bliss. Both people are in the same situation yet experiencing it differently. Why? What is the difference? Quite frequently, it's in the mind. Coaching shifts things in your mind, which changes the way you experience things, which drives both inner and outer world transformation.
Why hire a coach?
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Do you ever have the feeling you are standing in the way of your dreams and desires?
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Do you ever think your life could be different if you could get out of your own way?
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Does it ever seem like you are on a hamster wheel of the same thoughts, feelings, and experiences?
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Do you ever crave more but are not even sure what that means for you?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, coaching could serve you well. You hire a coach when you are ready to stop blaming things outside of you, and look within to find both the problem and the solution. You hire a coach when you are ready to commit to transformation, be guided and supported through the process, and to ensure you enjoy the journey.
How does coaching compare to mentoring, consulting, or therapy?
Mentoring and consulting include advising where as coaching does not. Coaching takes the perspective that the client is the expert of their life and their experience and shines a light on their inner knowing. A coach may offer tools but it is always up to the client to determine if the tool is valuable for them. If you want to be advised on what to do, then a mentor or consultant is more appropriate.
The difference between coaching and therapy can be best explained through an analogy. If you have a broken bone, you don't go to a personal trainer--you go to a doctor. If you are experiencing something mentally that is equivalent to a broken bone, then it's important to see a therapist. A coach is comparable to personal trainer in the sense that they don't work on mental health, they work on mental fitness.
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The combination of therapy and coaching can be very effective as one allows you to explore your past while the other helps you navigate the present.
What's the most common misconception about coaching?
Most people are under the impression that coaches hold you accountable and that's what makes them valuable, but the truth is that I don't hold you accountable--I hold you capable. I guide you in becoming accountable to yourself--which is far more valuable. Being accountable to yourself is a life-altering skill that can enrich many aspects of your life. Sharpening the skill of self-accountability through coaching, will support you well after the coaching ends, and the impact and value of coaching will continue to reveal itself to you.
How do I know if you're the right coach for me?
It's a great question and one that I have asked myself in the past when hiring coaches. In my experience, every coach I have hired has been the right coach for me at the time. There is no work that I have done with a coach that I look back on and think they weren't the right coach for me. If you have never been coached, then you don't know what you don't know, and what you are looking for will vary from someone who has worked with a coach.
So what are you looking for? Knowing this is the first step to knowing if I am the right coach for you. This a great question to utilize in our exploration call. Let's find out if coaching with me is aligned with what you are looking for. That's as close as you will get to knowing if I am the right coach for you before you experience working with me. It's for this reason that I created my Intro to Coaching Package--so you can decide if I am the right coach for you through experience.
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If I am not the right coach for you, I offer these questions to assist you in finding who is:
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-What do you want your experience of working on transformation to be like?
-Does the coach's energy and coaching style align with that?
-Does the coach's background or experience inform their coaching in a way that's meaningful to you?
Most coaches offer free consult calls. Why do you charge for yours?
I charge for two reasons: One is to ensure that my time is utilized on those who are seriously considering hiring someone to support them in transformation. Another is to ensure a commitment to a quality conversation. My intention is for you to show up authentically with a willingness to be transparent, and not worry about wasting my time. As we explore where you currently are, where you want to go, and the challenges you see in getting there, you will be empowered to consider if coaching is in aligned with your needs. Regardless of whether you decide to hire me, you will walk away from our exploration call with something of value.
Is your coaching done virtually?
Yes, all of my coaching is currently done virtually through Zoom.
Is coaching with you confidential?
Yes, all coaching sessions with me are completely confidential with the exception of reasonable fear of harm to self or others. If I share on topics or themes that come up in coaching sessions, it is always shared anonymously. As an International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed coach, I am bound by a Code of Ethics to uphold confidentiality.
What makes you qualified to coach?
I am a credentialed coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and currently hold an ACC (Associate Certified Coach). I am also a Master Certified Life Coach (MCLC) through Certified Life Coach Institute. I have been through a coaching mentorship with a coach of the highest ICF credential and I have over 300 hours of coaching experience.
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Aside from that, I received coaching for over 2 years. The work I have done on myself is the foundation for how I show up as a coach. I am committed to a life of continuous evolution which keeps me curious and enables consistent learning and growing as both a human, and as a coach.