How I work to support you

I am a trained coach. It is a term that is misinterpreted and misunderstood.

If I said I was a GP or a therapist you would understand but many people don't understand what this means or, unhelpfully, come with innacurate preconceptions.

In this article I will explain what matters to my clients.

But first I will dive further into the labels.

There are life coaches, business coaches, performance coaches and work coaches.

I have recently discovered resilience coach which I would be more comfortable using to answer the questions

what type of coaching do you do? or what type of coach are you?

I coach people and that impacts different areas of their life. I don't focus on business, work, performance or life. I focus on what matters for them, often where they feel stuck and may well be given themselves a negative label (e.g. procrastination, lazy).

The change or growth people experience may well ripple throughout their life and work. They understand themselves better and develop their own tools that support them when, for example, they get trapped in negative thought spirals.

Some coaches (e.g. business or work) come with expertise which they will then teach you. This is fine if you have paid for and value their expertise.

The problem comes when they say 'do this' and you say

I don't want to do that

or, even worse, you just do it but find it a struggle and keep it to yourself.

There could be a multitude of reasons for this and all of them are opportunities for growth. In fact, not only are they oppportunities they are part of your path of growth which is unique to you.

I come with a lot of experience in business. I know what good marketing looks like. There is also much I have to learn.

There is a significant risk in employing experts who don't understand real coaching but use the label carelessly (i.e. they haven't been professionally trained as a coach).

Their reputation rests on your success. If you don't do what they say you won't be successful and you will limit their success.

Your success depends on following their advice.

Trained coaches know how to navigate this.

This is why I don't offer my expertise. In fact I never position myself as an expert. I share my experience of what has worked for me and what hasn't when I have received expert advice. I have been doing that recently in the Earthaconter Community Nature of Business monthly virtual sessions.

We support people to be successful on their own terms not someone else's formula.

We are developing the structures and processes that support people to find success on their own terms.

We are all customers. There is no hierarchy, no experts.

This doesn't mean we reject expert input but we hold it lightly.

We follow this principle to avoid burnout, or blaming which are all possible outcomes when you follow or argue with the expert:

We are creating businesses that both nurture you and are nurtured by you

It may take longer to establish commercially successful businesses but is is sustainable in the deepest sense for the human beings who are involved.

So what matters to my clients:

• being able to trust me
• confidentiality
• learning to trust themselves (sometimes it is useful to share practices)
• ability to share intimate details of their lives (I will share details if this helps build trust)
• being able to decide the purpose of the sessions
• learning how they are part of nature (and what that means in practical terms)
• my commitment to their growth
• my focus on their objectives and supporting them to find their own path
• having been through the same growth and challenges that they are facing

I do mention learning because I will explain sometimes or provide examples from my own life. This is unfamilar territory for my clients so sharing stories makes it more relatable and can provide a way forward.

What unites them is a desire to make a positive impact in the world; to enjoy and make progress in their work and life. This might include starting a business or it might be something that is important in their personal life. The changes often ripple into other parts of their life as they get to know themselves and their strengths better.

I hope this helps. Do you have any questions?