As a professional licensed nurse and lawyer, as well as a trained and board certified coach, here’s what I’d like you to know about coaching. A great professional coach:

• can help you see the bigger picture, clarify what’s important, focus and implement needed actions to get where you want to go in career and life
• has only one thing on her agenda: YOU, what you want and how to help you get that
• helps you accomplish your intended results faster and easier than you could on your own

When was the last time you had that level of personal attention and service? Ever? Imagine where it could take you! Coaching is an invaluable process for meeting your highest aspirations, that helps remove uncertainty and fear, address challenges and maximize opportunities.

What coaching is not

It is not training, advising, directing or mentoring – though these skills can help accelerate the process and I do utilize them. The process of coaching is first and foremost about focusing on you, working with you on YOUR unique situation and helping you address what YOU actually need to put in place to get what you want. Coaching is not like the many canned self-directed programs that take your time and may be interesting, but simply provide information or teach you about concepts you may never fully implement.

Coaching is also NOT therapy. It is focused on the past, mental health or trauma, and resolution of deep-seated emotional distress that interfere with daily functioning. It may well be needed, and is encouraged if so. Rather, a coach is your partner whose job is to show up for you, help you discover what seems hidden from your view, brainstorm ideas, ask questions to deepen your insights, and help you make decisions, shift and pivot when needed… so you actually get DONE what you need to get where you truly want to go. Everyone experiences obstacles, of course, but instead of working through why a block exists, the coaching process focuses instead on how to overcome it to help clients bypass resistance and maintain forward momentum.

With a coach, you have a partner whose job is to show up for you, to help you discover what seems hidden from your view so you actually do what you need to get DONE. Along the way you also get someone to support, teach, advise, and direct you to specific resources you need!

Evidence From Major Universities

Evidence shows being coached by a trained professional is effective in many arenas: sports, dance, personal training and fitness, as well as executive development, entrepreneurship and business, health and other personal matters. Coaching works because it maximizes the potential inherent in each individual, helps you identify your unique talents and abilities and apply it all to whatever you choose to accomplish. Consequently, universities in the U.S. – like American University, Case Western Reserve, Columbia, Georgetown, Northwestern, Rutgers, St. Thomas, UT Dallas and the Universities of Pennsylvania, Miami, Wisconsin-Madison – as well as, internationally – such as American University of Sharjah (UAE), Université Lyon III Jean Moulin (FR), Royal Roads University and the University of British Columbia (CAN), and more – all now have some form of coach training program, and there are dozens of other private programs that have been accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) since the 1990’s. Research and literature published by Harvard Business Review (HBR) and various Harvard University departments support coaching as an effective tool. Rather than a remedial fix, that research points to coaching as a proactive driver of professional growth and behavioral change.

Where to go from here

Curious how coaching could work for you? Come to a New Direction Clarity Consultation, a complimentary, live conversation – just us, or a small group up to six – where you can see how my Masterful Life Redesign program works and ask questions to learn more about group and private coaching.

Not ready for a conversation yet? Start with a free guide:

• Feeling stuck? Download “Two Masterful Practices to Get Unstuck, Stay Unstuck and Keep Moving Forward” 
• Work’s OK, the rest of life not so much? Here’s a resource: “The Fulfilled Life Mindful Action Planner”
• At a choice point? Review some “Key Factors to Consider”
• Want the big picture first? Get “The MLR Roadmap Guide”