How I found Coaching

I was first introduced to coaching many years ago when one of my co-workers had left her job in technology consulting to become a life coach and needed some clients. We had all been affected by layoffs at the time, so it was the perfect opportunity to explore coaching, as I was trying to figure out my next career move.

My new coach had me contemplating the big picture, instead of just thinking about my job situation. As we explored all areas of my life, I was able to figure out some of my blocks, what I wanted to improve, and where I could use more balance. By getting a good understanding of the whole picture, we were able to create an accountability plan that was essential to help me move forward. I really enjoyed working with her to establish new routines and set goals for myself. From then on, coaching has been on my radar because I love working with people and watching them blossom, so eventually delving into it for myself was an easy decision.

Over the next few years I had checked out a few programs, but Coach Training World (CTW) had something special and unique compared to some of the other options I had considered. The education is thorough, and our cohort was amazing! I felt that we all had a wonderful start and were supported throughout our journey to become coaches. I made great friends, and the CTW community of coaches continues to grow.

I have leveraged Whole Person Coaching to create my own unique signature style of coaching through strengthening my active listening skills and engaging in questions to dig deeper with my clients in a safe and comfortable way. I get to shine the light on them to observe their patterns and beliefs in a three-dimensional space. This creates a reflection for them to really look at the areas they are trying to improve, and develop a better understanding and appreciation for who they are, and how they want to show up in the world. Once they see this fresh perspective, they get to decide what they want to do with the information, and how they want to take action. For me, a simple method of ABC: Always Be Curious, allows me to dig into these areas under the surface that may have otherwise gone unexplored.

I’m a visual person, so the experience, knowledge and skills that I bring into my coaching through my career has always had a creative focus. Sometimes I may HEAR something a client has said, but I SEE their energy light up. With that, I tend to engage my intuition to keep probing and see where it leads us.

Having worked with therapists and coaches during my own life challenges of divorce, career transitions, and most difficult, the loss of my youngest son, I consider myself a woman who has experienced love, pain, hope, life, death and personal transformation. I understand the challenges, hurdles and frustration each of us face when making important life changing actions based on my own experience, and the observation of others. I have deep respect for all people who wish to improve their lives.

Taking action is the only way to achieve goals. I work with clients to break down their goals into small attainable steps, overcome barriers and create a plan for successful outcomes. The most rewarding thing to me is supporting, motivating and inspiring others to find their zone in the pursuit of their dreams.

Clients have engaged in co-creation with me for the following situations:

• Facing challenges at work and ready to make positive changes

• Lacking motivation, when procrastination gets in the way

• Relationship struggles, or feeling ready to attract the right partner

• Hoping to discover blind spots they can improve

• Creative blocks and looking for ways to get through them

• Discovering where time and energy are being wasted and getting in the way of goals​

In my opinion, the true benefits of coaching are discovery, accountability, working with someone who's got your back and will push you to move forward in a way that works for you. We can work to improve the quality of life and relationships with yourself and others. Coaching allows you to be able to get more satisfaction out of life through improved communication and openness to put your authentic self out there.

I’m generally optimistic, and I tend to see the positives in everyone, even if they can’t see those things in themselves. When a client has long standing beliefs that have created roadblocks, and they struggle to make desired changes in their lives, sometimes they don't even recognize why they feel stuck.

In another post, I provided portions of a coaching session as an example. The session was really fun because my client was working through a few roadblocks, and we narrowed the focus to her feeling like she was wasting time, and wanting to add more creativity into her life. Her confidence needed a boost to accomplish something she had long set aside, so we discussed ways that she might be able to build her confidence and bring this dream to reality. After the call, she said she was so excited that she ran into the other room to tell her husband about the project and she couldn’t wait to get started working on it!

I really love this work, and have always dreamed of being able to love what I do for my work. Coaching is that for me, and with that, I have the freedom to work with clients whenever I’m able to do so. If that means someone wants to schedule night sessions, I'm generally capable of working with them to accommodate their schedule.

Are you ready to improve some area in your life with coaching? Reach out to start a conversation liz@goalreaper.com

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