Coaching is about creating the life you want to live through a powerful process of discovery, learning, action and accountability. In coaching, you define how you want your life to be and then actually take the steps to make it that way. Coaching helps you to clarify what you want, make changes in your thoughts and behaviors and address the obstacles that are getting in the way of your success. As a result, coaching can both improve your life AND increase your level of confidence.
How is coaching different than therapy?
As a former therapist, I get asked this question a lot. While both can be transformational, they are different in approach. In therapy, the client typically revisits their past in order to explore unresolved experiences and feelings. Connections are made between past and current ways of operating, and healing occurs when clients understand and learn to tolerate the emotions associated with their history.
Coaching focuses on where the client is now and where they want to be with little emphasis on how they got there. Though similar issues arise, the heart of the coaching is geared toward effectiveness, fulfillment and success. Coaching also has built-in action and accountability so clients change through understanding and experience.
What should I expect from working with you as a coach?
As your coach, my role is to help you clarify what you want for your career and your life and to support you in making necessary changes. My belief is that each of us knows intuitively what we want and has (or can find) the resources to make it happen. While I regularly share my expertise, ideas and intuition, the most powerful change occurs when you determine, through experience, what works best for you. My job is to challenge you to experiment, help you learn from mistakes and remind you to celebrate your success!
As a client, your job is to be willing to think and act differently. While coaching is not intended to be painful, you will be stepping outside of your comfort zone! Part of what differentiates coaching from other professional relationships is the ‘homework’ you do between the calls. The commitments you make can range from calling a list of contacts to asking for what you're worth to saying no to obligations so you have more time for fun! I serve as your "back up" on these commitments as we always do more when someone else is paying attention.
Tell me more about your coaching program.
Once we’ve had our initial consultation and decided to work together, the coaching process begins with a 90-minute "discovery session." In advance of this session, you complete your "discovery forms" online which outline our business agreement and help me to learn more about who you are and what you want from coaching. The discovery session becomes the foundation for our work together. It is our chance to discuss logistics, design our partnership and clarify your goals.
After the discovery, we move on to regularly scheduled coaching sessions. Our sessions consist of homework review and coaching on your primary goals. Components of my coaching program include…
Vision & Passion:
Create your vision to determine what your ideal job, business and life would be
Discover and engage in your passions both professionally and personally
Action & Experimentation:
Brainstorm action steps and make smart, thoughtful choices
Execute your business and personalplan through experiential learning
Career & Business Growth:
Promote yourself or your product through marketing, speaking and networking
Create alliances to expand your resources and support
Improve communication in business relationships and negotiations
Awareness & Self-Management:
Maintain motivation and focus throughout the change process
Work with your fear by allowing it to inform, not dictate, your actions
Create new beliefs and behaviors to help you reach your goals
Balance & Support:
Preserve timeand energy for both professional and personal activities
Utilize your schedule to help you create structure and prioritize your life
Nurture yourself through fun, relaxation and celebration
While I ask for a minimum commitment of six months, many clients continue coaching on a month-to-month basis to deepen their experience and accomplish more. Once you have reached a level of satisfaction with your goals and your life, we schedule a completion session to review and celebrate your achievements.
How are sessions conducted and what if I don't live in Chicago?
Whether you live in the Chicagoland area or not, our work is done primarily by phone. If you are local, we meet in person for the discovery session and then continue with regular coaching calls.
Many people question the effectiveness of coaching by phone. My clients are always amazed by the connection that is developed and maintained via coaching calls. Once they get comfortable with phone coaching, clients love the fact that they don't have the hassle of a commute. The beauty of this model is that you can coach with me from home, from your office, from a business trip or even from the great outdoors! As long as you have a private space where you can concentrate on our discussion, coaching can fit easily into your life.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact mefor a free consultation. If we or my program is not a good fit, I am happy to provide you with other resources and referrals.
