Ruth Carter - 'The GROW model never let me down'

I am so pleased to be one of the few to qualify as a coach. If you had asked me three years ago, I would never have dreamt it possible.

Yet here I am with a string of success stories under my belt, with my practice coachees that made me feel terrific about making a contribution. After most sessions, I went away with a sense of absolute certainty that my coachee was on the road to success in achieving their goal and that they were bringing their best self into the equation.

That was the GROW model for you, it never let me down even though every client, every situation, every outcome was so different. I loved it when one client reported her friend as saying: “You’ve changed, you seem to have a fire in your belly, is it those life coaching sessions you are having?”

How did you start your coaching journey? 

It was not an easy journey. There was a long gap between the two-day Foundation course and signing up. At the start, it felt overwhelming, but the Coaching Academy broke it down into clear steps and encouraged us throughout our studies. On reflection I think it is great that we get thrown in at the deep end, coaching before we know everything, as taking action is what makes us all learn and making mistakes speeds that process up. Each accelerator day added new learning that could be integrated gradually. Reflecting on each session is crucial, although I am sure I always came up with far too many learning points. My first coachee volunteer was himself a coach and mentor charging £1000 for two hours. How scary is that? However, I soon discovered he was just as human as the rest of us with the same set of needs!

What challenges did you face while studying for your coaching diploma? What are your top tips for those currently studying with TCA?  

I procrastinated, but so did Da Vinci and look what he created! There were periods of stagnation both at the very beginning and again in the middle when I have to admit my fear of messing up my practical sessions got the better of me. I later realized these assessments add incredible value, as to how often do you have someone listen to your work for two and a half hours and help you see where you need to improve and expand? 

To overcome these challenges, first of all, I immersed myself in the community. I joined my local coaching group, I found myself a personal coach as well as a buddy to do the practical assessments with. This made all the difference. Being coached helped me observe other coaching styles and that helped me clarify what works for me, what I’d like to implement and where I’d do things differently.  

At the end of each group session we got into the habit of setting an intention, mine was to complete my journal and hand in my qualifying papers within one month. Even though it was challenging to fully believe in myself at first, I made it happen! When I take something on I always commit to completing and I am so glad I did. I look forward to moving from the growth of learning to make a contribution. I thank the Coaching Academy for this opportunity.

If you're interested in finding out more about life coaching, just like Ruth Carter did, start by joining us in our interactive live webinar. Choose from available dates here.