What kind of coaching do I offer?

I help individuals, groups and teams create meaningful change in their lives and work. I will support you to develop more awareness (self, situational and systemic), and to use that awareness to become more effective, more fulfilled and more impactful in whatever way will support you for your highest good. My coaching focuses on four key areas, summarised in the diagram below. We start with a deep dive into where you are at right now, who you are, how you have been showing up in your life and work. We then work out together where you want to go on your coaching journey - what is it you want to change in your world and in yourself. This means focusing on both your external and internal realities. The balance here will be different for everyone.

Your coaching journey will be defined by a combination of your external and internal realities, as well as your level of awareness and the choices that are available to you. We will explore all of this together, and I will support you in this in depth and powerful process. Ultimately this is your journey to make, and my commitment to you is to be a partner in your journey, and to walk along side you as you set your intentions, build your awareness, make your choices and take the actions you chose to shift your inner and outer worlds to support the best outcomes for your highest self.

I believe it is important to understand that coaching is often a combination of situational and relational in order to create an overall focus on inner developmental growth. During coaching sessions, we will move between these focuses in order to explore the conceptual while remaining grounded in your reality. The interaction between coach and client is also an important support and source of information / growth for the client. Development (or growth) can be seen as 'transformational' when the client is shifting their way of thinking and their ability to perceive the world in new ways, and 'informational' when they are acquiring new skills or learning to respond to a situation differently. Both of these can be important outcomes from coaching.

To support growth through coaching, it is helpful to explore the three areas of: skills, desire and capacity. Capacity is our potential to handle complex themes, to take responsibility, to understand perspectives and to be able to apply all of this in the different situations that we find ourselves in. However, having capacity alone isn't enough without the skills and knowledge to fulfil this potential. Finally, desire is our motivation to apply the skills and to fulfil our potential in any given situation. Together these form the basis of our success, whatever that might mean to each of us.

While coaching is often about achieving specific goals, it is also about developing the client, both informationally and transformationally as mentioned above. The transformational development can be considered in relation to Adult Development Theory / Constructed Development Theory, which explores how, as adults, we are able to develop more complexity in our thinking, and to move from subjective to objective thinking in different contexts. This can be a powerful outcome from coaching because the client becomes able to handle more and more challenging situations and complexity with more and more ease and composure.

Through experience and research, I have found that it is important to balance our three main centres of intelligence. These are often referred to as: Head intelligence; Heart intelligence; and Gut intelligence. Our head intelligence is focused on rational thought, our heart on feelings and emotions, and our gut on instinct and action. If we are out of balance in any of these centres or between them, then we are likely not o be able to make good decisions, and to suffer in some area of our life. Working with polarities and paradox to be able to hold multiple possibilities and perspectives without being locked into one way of thinking, feeling or acting is the principle way to work with this aspect of being human. Balancing all of this with simply being, and being with our experience of life can be life changing.

There are many different methods and modalities to coaching, however they tend to be based around cognition (how and what we think), somatic (what we feel) and outcomes (what we are trying to achieve); my coaching often integrates these together to support a more holistic approach to your journey. The following are some examples of how we might focus on each of these areas.

Cognitive

Complexity of thinking

Meaning making

Beliefs

Thinking habits

Perspectives

...

Somatic

Emotions

Resistance

Urges and reactions

Intuition

Instinct

...

Outcomes

Goals

Direction

Motivation

External realities

Habits

...

A systemic, or holistic, approach is inherently part of my approach to coaching and change. Without this systemic stance, change is unlikely to be effective or sustainable. I believe it is vital to understand your role, your needs and your ambitions within the bigger picture that you are part of. This includes the relationships, organisations, communities that you are part of, as well as the natural world that supports our lives. For example, how do your career choices affect your health or your relationships? How will changes and goals at work be supported by, or support, the culture? What people have been involved in the past and how does their legacy still impact things? How can you take into account your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs? Without examining the various aspects of the wider system, change will be harder than it needs to be, and unlikely to last over the long term.

I bring a tailored experience to my coaching, combining the best aspects and tools from many different styles and methods. I work with my clients to help them grow themselves through deepening self-awareness. I combine cognitive, emotional, systemic and somatic approaches to give you the most powerful impact possible.

Why work with a coach?

Coaching often leads to a journey of self discovery and personal growth. We will work with different perspectives, values and present moment awareness to help you move towards your version of success. You will gain the opportunity to make meaningful change, embrace your strengths, let go of unhelpful thinking and live with more happiness, more fulfilment and more success. While this journey may be in part possible on your own, it is far more effective, efficient and powerful when you team up with an experienced guide or coach. Examples of coaching outcomes include:

Experience more happiness and satisfaction in your life, work, relationships, sports etc.
Find more motivation, drive and success
Make more effective decisions on your next steps and long term direction
Manage challenging thoughts and emotions in high pressure environments
Create more balance in your life
Develop your sense of identity, values, goals and direction
Build your own self-confidence
Create, grow and develop highly effective, trusting teams that achieve their objectives
Reach your next level and get closer to your full potential
Grow your awareness of self, systems and situations
Create powerful new habits in your life and work
Develop more authenticity and deal with conflict more effectively
Take on new challenges that will stretch you beyond anywhere you've been so far
Lead yourself and others with more trust, courage, authenticity, accountability and results
Develop more effective communication skills and strategies
Improve your relationships, with yourself, others and the world around you
Clearly define and achieve your goals
Deepen your spiritual practice and connection to nature

Who is coaching most effective for?

I have found that my clients get the most from coaching when they have a strong motivation for change. This may be wanting to be different, wanting to achieve something new, wanting a new kind of success, wanting to grow in some way or looking to have more meaning and impact. You will be an ideal client if you are open to new ideas, willing to step out of your comfort zone and motivated to embark on the work that makes up the change process. What’s more, a good client allows the coach to be a partner in that process. My ideal clients reach out for as much help as possible - from me as their coach and from people in their personal or professional networks - in order to succeed. They will also be open and honest about what is working and what is not, and being motivated to actively explore that with me, as their coach. This is about your success, and through coaching you will become the catalyst in your own success.

When is coaching not right?

When what you really need is a consultant rather than a coach to help fix your issues for you
When the cost of coaching can't be justified for what you're looking to achieve
When you don't feel you need to change or receive feedback
When you feel that coaching isn't necessary for you
When you're not committed to the process of leadership coaching