How coaching works
Looking for coaching? Here's how it works!
Much like a vehicle, coaching is here to help you go from where you are to where you want to go. Yet unlike a teacher-student relationship - which is instructive in nature - coaching is a collaborative process. Hence, instead of telling you what to do, the coach helps you to discover your own goals, resources, obstacles and way forward (GROW). This agency is especially important when it comes to intuitive living, where interoception, self-empowerment and personal development are central.
“The coach is not a problem-solver, a teacher, an adviser, an instructor, or even an expert; he or she is a sounding board, a facilitator, a counselor, an awareness raiser.” - John Whitmore (author of Coaching for Performance)
Generally, coaching sessions start with a brief check-in to ground. Regulating the nervous system at the beginning of the meeting, this allows you to clear your mind and speak from the heart. Aside from expressing and creating clarity on what you think and feel, this state also makes you more open to think anew (what most of the session is generally dedicated to).
This is where the coach is invaluable: It's difficult to read the label from inside the bottle, meaning that the headspace that created a problem often struggles to conceive of its solution. By asking the right questions and offering constructive input, the coach facilitates self-exploration in a new direction. In turn, this inspires different thoughts and new neural pathways. The result? Rewiring.
“Neuroplasticity shows us that we are not prisoners of our genes or our history. We can change our brains and therefore our lives.” - Norman Doidge
The brain is plastic. All it takes is that we hold it consciously. In this context, the importance of personal ownership on behalf of the coachee cannot be overstated. Indeed, rather than blindly adopting rules from a mentor or teacher, personal insight is the root of sustainable transformation. Unlike popular belief, we rarely learn from other people's mistakes. Likewise, the best advice is the one that strikes us from within. The role of the coach is to allow these lightbulb moments to happen.
After integrating the session with a summary, we generally end the coaching session by identifying your next tolerable step. While a single coaching session likely won't revolutionize your world, the impact of several sessions can change your life. That's why iterating the coaching process is key. It's also the reason why I offer discounts for coaching packages - to make support accessible and incentivize commitment to personal growth.
Many overestimate what they can achieve in the short-term, while underestimating what they can achieve in the long-term.
In summary, coaching works by holding space and asking the right questions. Like this, coaching helps to navigate and fuel your journey from point A to point B. Most importantly, however, isn't the fact that this allows you to bridge the gap as quickly as possible. What coaching really allows you to do is to live the life you desire as soon - and for as long - as possible.
Do you want to give yourself the support?
