Frequently Asked Questions about Coaching
What is Coaching?
Coaching is a structure that facilitates personal and professional development. People seek a coach to accomplish their goals.
Effective people hire coaches, and i's not just "regular" people who seek help. Professional athletes and CEOs hire coaches because they want someone to hold them accountable, point out their blind spots, and keep them motivated. Coaching is a collaborative relationship strengthened over time as you work to clear roadblocks and rein in your negative self-talk (the Inner Critic!) so you arrive confidently at solutions and take action. More than that....action becomes natural, easy, and inevitable. You will see quick improvements and build muscles for lasting, sustainable change.
What kinds of people do you coach?
What does a coach do?
Different coaches have different approaches (how about that rhyme?). For many clients, I will:
What happens when you work with a coach?
Click over to the "Work with Me" section; the nuts and bolts are highlighted there.
How long does it take to see results?
You get out what you put in. It’s a cliché, I know, but results do depend on the effort you put in, and how ready you are for change. I can promise you my time, attention, skills, and general badassery to reach your goals. Shifts can happen at any moment—and do!—but transformational change takes more time and effort. I’ve developed my coaching from research in neuroscience, creativity, psychology, and my many years of experience as a working writer and mentor. In general:
What does a Co-Active© coach do?
I am a CPCC—Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. I received my training from the prestigious Coaches Training Institute (CTI), the largest coach training school in the world. CTI’s founders were among the initial pioneers of the coaching profession, and their textbook is widely known as the definitive text on coach training. A Co-Active coach believes first and foremost in the power of people to transform their own lives. Co-Active coaches use an array of proprietary tools developed by CTI that have been proven as the gold standard over the past 20 years of the coaching profession. (http://www.coactive.com/)
How is coaching different than therapy?
A helpful distinction someone once told me: You go to a coach when you want to lose weight; you go to a therapist to work on your eating disorder. It’s not that black and white, of course, but in general, coaching is about taking action and forward-looking, while therapy focuses on the past, or treats a medical diagnosis. (Yes, you can be in therapy and see a coach – that is like a multi-vitamin of action! Why not have a whole team of supporters rooting for you in different ways?)
In my experience, some people seek a therapist when what they are really looking for is a coach. That was true for me, before I knew about coaching. I wanted support and someone to talk to…all I knew about was therapy. B what I was really looking for was a coach—someone skilled at listening, someone who is not judgmental and holds me accountable, someone who creates a safe space for me to explore, question, and dream, someone who is ready to challenge me to keep my word and honor my values, someone who helps me create plans to achieve my goal and champions me along the journey.
Can one session be enough?
Sometimes, but that is usually after you’ve already worked with me for a while, and you come back for a “booster shot” about a specific issue. It likely took you longer than a week to arrive at this crossroads, in this moment, right? Coaching is effective because it happens over time, as you articulate what matters most right now, see what's really blocking you, take action to clear the way forward. But the benefits of coaching can be seen pretty quickly if you're doing the work and are committed to accomplishing this thing that has you searching for a coach. I know, because you've read this entire list of FAQs! I have worked with most clients for 4-6 months, and some clients for more than a year. Often clients take a break from coaching and return when a new challenge (job change, divorce, writer's block, empty nest or retirement, etc.) arises.
Coaching is a structure that facilitates personal and professional development. People seek a coach to accomplish their goals.
Effective people hire coaches, and i's not just "regular" people who seek help. Professional athletes and CEOs hire coaches because they want someone to hold them accountable, point out their blind spots, and keep them motivated. Coaching is a collaborative relationship strengthened over time as you work to clear roadblocks and rein in your negative self-talk (the Inner Critic!) so you arrive confidently at solutions and take action. More than that....action becomes natural, easy, and inevitable. You will see quick improvements and build muscles for lasting, sustainable change.
What kinds of people do you coach?
- High-functioning people who are ready to tackle something new, or are going through a transition
- Working artists who are looking to complete a project, confront procrastination, or become more confident and effective
- Anyone looking to bring more ease or purposeful choice into their lives
- Successful people who want to take it up a notch, or pursue their “calling”
What does a coach do?
Different coaches have different approaches (how about that rhyme?). For many clients, I will:
- Help clients set goals and help reach those goals
- Help them clarify what really matters to them, and support them moving forward to honor those areas
- Offer inquiries and other short "homework" to be done between sessions to help deepen the learning and strengthen new habits
- Champion them when they're feeling awesome, and when they're feeling glum
- Listen with care and active attention and create a safe, confidential space
- Build a robust conversation over time that inspires clarity, confidence, action, and transformation
What happens when you work with a coach?
Click over to the "Work with Me" section; the nuts and bolts are highlighted there.
How long does it take to see results?
You get out what you put in. It’s a cliché, I know, but results do depend on the effort you put in, and how ready you are for change. I can promise you my time, attention, skills, and general badassery to reach your goals. Shifts can happen at any moment—and do!—but transformational change takes more time and effort. I’ve developed my coaching from research in neuroscience, creativity, psychology, and my many years of experience as a working writer and mentor. In general:
- Discovery – 3-4 months: After 3 months of personal coaching, you'll have insights and produce some action-based results in your life. Often these new changes are fragile, and more time and attention is needed to move this learning beyond the surface level and make it stick.
- Competency – 6-8 months: At this level, there is a deeper awareness and stronger skills to alter negative habits and thought patterns. Real change takes place, and small accomplishments build on each other.
- Mastery – 12+ months: With a year or more of concentrated attention, you'll have built enough internal resources to get traction that will facilitate transformational change (habits, beliefs, mindsets) in other areas of life.
What does a Co-Active© coach do?
I am a CPCC—Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. I received my training from the prestigious Coaches Training Institute (CTI), the largest coach training school in the world. CTI’s founders were among the initial pioneers of the coaching profession, and their textbook is widely known as the definitive text on coach training. A Co-Active coach believes first and foremost in the power of people to transform their own lives. Co-Active coaches use an array of proprietary tools developed by CTI that have been proven as the gold standard over the past 20 years of the coaching profession. (http://www.coactive.com/)
How is coaching different than therapy?
A helpful distinction someone once told me: You go to a coach when you want to lose weight; you go to a therapist to work on your eating disorder. It’s not that black and white, of course, but in general, coaching is about taking action and forward-looking, while therapy focuses on the past, or treats a medical diagnosis. (Yes, you can be in therapy and see a coach – that is like a multi-vitamin of action! Why not have a whole team of supporters rooting for you in different ways?)
In my experience, some people seek a therapist when what they are really looking for is a coach. That was true for me, before I knew about coaching. I wanted support and someone to talk to…all I knew about was therapy. B what I was really looking for was a coach—someone skilled at listening, someone who is not judgmental and holds me accountable, someone who creates a safe space for me to explore, question, and dream, someone who is ready to challenge me to keep my word and honor my values, someone who helps me create plans to achieve my goal and champions me along the journey.
Can one session be enough?
Sometimes, but that is usually after you’ve already worked with me for a while, and you come back for a “booster shot” about a specific issue. It likely took you longer than a week to arrive at this crossroads, in this moment, right? Coaching is effective because it happens over time, as you articulate what matters most right now, see what's really blocking you, take action to clear the way forward. But the benefits of coaching can be seen pretty quickly if you're doing the work and are committed to accomplishing this thing that has you searching for a coach. I know, because you've read this entire list of FAQs! I have worked with most clients for 4-6 months, and some clients for more than a year. Often clients take a break from coaching and return when a new challenge (job change, divorce, writer's block, empty nest or retirement, etc.) arises.
