What brought you to coaching?
I embarked on a self-discovery journey since moving to London in 2013 after living in California for 2 years. I joined TCA’s Free 2-Day weekend in May 2017 and after my husband could not listen to me talk more about coaching without doing something about it, I decided to become a qualified coach as my intention was to work with people who are committed to change their lives for better.
What is/was your profession before becoming a coach?
As of today, I work as a Learning & Development Specialist for a professional services firm in London collaborating with a global team. Coaching fits perfectly into my current role as our company is still like a “start-up” in the area of Learning and Development compared to other consulting firms. We have plenty of opportunities to cultivate and develop a coaching culture working closely together with the upper management.
What did you find most interesting to learn?
I found all 6 pillars interesting to learn as they complement each other well. I found the course well-structured which helped me a lot to take each step at a time, especially in the beginning when I didn’t know where to even start.
What was the most rewarding part of the journey?
The most rewarding part was meeting like-minded people at the Accelerator Days who I am still in contact with and who “speak the same language” as I do, and most importantly learning even more about myself through coaching others.
How did the qualification slot in with your current life?
I was very desperate to start and complete the coaching qualification – with a high D personality no surprise there – so I cracked on and I tried to spend as much time with coaching as I could. I attended the Accelerator Days month after month and practised coaching with others in the evenings and weekends. It was pretty intense, but I enjoyed every moment.
What else did you have to consider whilst qualifying?
I had to take into consideration my own capacity. I tend to take on too much as I did with this qualification. But going through the qualification process taught me that I have to find my balance between coaching in my free time and having a full-time job. I enjoyed doing the work of figuring out how much time I would like to spend with coaching, on what channels and who I enjoy working with. It was another great lesson to learn about and I used some coaching tools to break down my journey into smaller steps.
Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills?
I set up a coaching group on Facebook (The Puzzle of Our Life) and I am working on setting up my own one-to-one coaching business (The Puzzle of Your Life). It is a pretty exciting time to create something I have dreamed about.
What is your favourite coaching question?
If in 5-years’ time you do not change anything we talked about what would you say to yourself?
If I think back 5 years of my own life so many things changed: job, partner, I moved to London and I landed in the USA. I am so grateful for what I have reached, because I was not afraid to change. Life is too short not to change and go for something better and this question brings the client 5 years ahead. Seeing yourself in 5 years if nothing has changed is very eye-opening. I find this question very powerful.
What do you enjoy most about being a coach?
I love those beautiful “Aha-moments” when the light bulbs go on and the clients realise something important for themselves. Maybe it is a small thing, but it helps them to shift and to improve their lives in their relationship, in their work or how they see themselves.
What are your top tips for:
Those coaches currently in training?
Take it step by step and do not leave everything for the last minute. The course is professionally and well-organised so follow the suggested route, fill out the Learning Record sheets after each Accelerator Day and coaching sessions. If you leave them all to the end it will be too much and you might miss recording important steps, emotions and feelings through your journey. Enjoy the ride. It is an amazing gift you signed up for and you will be a better person at the end of it!
Coaches that are about to qualify?
Have a coach for yourself! You can go with clients to the level where you are at. If you work on yourself, you can offer more for others. Also, how you can offer a service you do not use for yourself.
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