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What is
coaching?
Life Coaching is a continuing partnership in which the
coach provides support, asks questions, and offers perspective to help
the client make the positive changes he or she wants to make.
As your coach, I will ask well-placed, focused questions.
I will encourage, challenge, empower, and support you in uncovering
your truth and getting what you want. You set the agenda and ask for
what you want.
With patience, compassion, excitement, and awe, I support
your effort to improve your life. I am curious, accepting, and practice
reflective listening. I celebrate your wins.
Call me today at (608) 572-0084 or e-mail me.
How
do you coach?
Each coach has a unique approach
to coaching. Here are some of my approaches.
1. I love my
clients!
You honor me with the opportunity to coach
you. With patience, compassion, excitement, and awe, I support your
desire and attempts to improve your life. I listen deeply with acceptance
and
curiosity, I practice reflective listening,
and celebrate your wins.
2. I encourage
and empower.
You have limitless potential and can accomplish
your dreams. Your dreams are noble and exciting, and I will cheer you
on to victory.
3. I ask tough
questions.
One of the greatest tools of coaching is the
well-placed, focused question. These questions bring out your truth
about what you want, how to get it, and what gets in your way. You know
what’s best for you.
4. I offer suggestions.
From years of leadership trainings, facilitating
growth in others, and my own personal growth work, I have a bag of exercises
and tools to share with you. Some of these exercises or stretches
you will do between sessions. If you don’t want to use my suggestion,
let me know! I prefer that you come up with your own practices to improve
your life. You are responsible for your decisions and the resulting setbacks
or successes.
5. I challenge.
I want to bring out your best! Sometimes that
means challenging you with questions or calling you out when you don’t
do what you say or when you appear to be stagnant. I point out the big
picture. I also recognize that sometimes we need to pull back to integrate
learning or rest. Please let me know when you need to rest or if you
think that I’m pushing too much.
6. I sometimes
seek advice.
Each life coach has her or his own life coach.
My coach helps me become a better coach and will share his opinion about
my clients’ situations so that I can better help you. I will not use
your name.
7. My clients
set the agenda and ask for what they want.
You decide what you will do and at what pace
you will do it. If you want to change what we’re doing, let me know
as soon as possible. If you have ANY problem with me, please let me know
as soon as possible so that we can have a clean, unencumbered relationship.
I will do the same. If you want, I can coach you on clean ways to clear
up conflicts.
8. I expect you
to use me, not depend on me.
Ultimately, I want my clients to learn to coach
themselves. Over time, you will learn to ask yourself the tough questions,
know what you want, and achieve goals without my help. You will build
a network of friends, experts, and support. Then, you will seek my
help only on occasion.
9. I am a resource.
I can coach you to improve virtually any area
of your life. I am not a therapist nor an expert in health or investments.
If I think you need an expert in any area, or you ask me, I will refer
you to experts. If you are addicted, I will recommend a 12-step group.
If you need a therapist, I will recommend one.
If you think I am not holding to these
approaches, please bring it up with me. Also, please let me know if
you need something else from me.
How
is coaching different than therapy, career counseling, mentoring, or
consulting?
Therapists, career counselors, mentors,
and consultants all provide important services. Here’s how they differ
from personal and business coaches.
A THERAPIST heals the past and helps people suffering
from depression, addiction, and mental disorders. I am not a therapist.
Coaching is not therapy, nor a substitute for therapy or a twelve-step
program. During our sessions, we may visit the past briefly to understand
where certain patterns came from, but we will not spend much time here.
There may be some similarity between coaching and cognitive therapy,
which seeks to change behavior and reaction to stressors. Coaching focuses
on improving your present and future, and can delve into many areas that
therapy does not, such as career development. If you are in therapy or
a twelve-step program, you should talk to your therapist or sponsor about
being coached. If I think you are need of these services, I will provide
you with references.
A CAREER COUNSELOR provides suggestions about what
work you could do, with recommendations about how to go about getting this
work. Both coach and counselor work with you to create career goals and
steps, and keep you on track toward these goals. Coaching differs in the
starting place of this process. We will look at your long-term career as
an aspect of your overall life purpose and mission, and look to balance career
with other parts of your life. What you choose to do and how you go about
it is ultimately up to you. The coach acts as a guide, and asks tough questions
to make sure that the road you go down is in alignment with your values
and mission.
A MENTOR and a CONSULTANT
both have expertise in a particular field and offer advice and resources
in the field. The mentor teaches and provides support in the field,
while the consultant provides a plan for achieving goals. The coach’s
expertise is in asking great questions, and bringing out your truth.
A coach may make recommendations, but your course is your own choosing.
The coach helps you look at the broad spectrum of your life and helps
you work through blocks to what you want. As a CPA, I may provide consulting
in business and finance, when requested.
What
qualifies you to coach?
I received my training from Coach
U, the largest coaching institution in the world, and I am a certified
coach at the ACC level by the International Coaching Federation.
I've received and continue to receive expert mentoring, and I've been
coaching for over three years now. I've faciliated personal growth work
for over seven years, having led workshops, retreats, and other personal
growth work. Read about my Coach U training here. See testimonials from those who
have benefited from my coaching here.
How does group coaching
work?
In group coaching, 3 to 8 people
commit to at least eight 90-minute sessions of coaching together. Members
commit to confidentiality. Participants call into a conference call line.
Each person has a chance to briefly check in with where they are, then
there is time for two people to get coaching for about thirty minutes each.
While Steve leads the coaching, other members are encouraged to ask questions,
use reflective listening, and share their collective wisdom. We end with
a brief check-out and commitments to action steps. In addition, members
are asked to pair up with a buddy and to check in with that person between
sessions, to lend support and accountability.
Groups can be formed around certain commonalities, such as a career
development group or a nonprofit professionals group, or the group can
be an open forum. Groups will be formed when there is enough interest,
and times will be determined from a poll of those interested. If you would
like to participate in group coaching, please e-mail me
with a description of your interest.
What are the different
coaching options and prices?
The first 50-minute session is free. Coaching
can be done in-person at my home or a place of your choosing, and can be
done by phone. My working hours are between 8:30am and 5:15pm Monday through
Friday.
Coaching now on a sliding scale!
Now through the end of 2009, I'm happy to offer coaching
on a sliding scale so that most everyone can afford the benefits of coaching
during these difficult times. Read more about the sliding scale here.
Current clients grandfathered in: If you are already
a client, you can choose the new pricing or stay with our current agreement
until further notice.
Refer someone and get some free coaching! If
you refer someone who becomes my client and provides $200 or more in revenue,
I will credit you for $70 of coaching. You must let me know that you referred
the person. If I already know the person or more than one person refers
the same client, then I will likely give some credit that is less than $70.
Payments can be made by check (contact Steve for
his address) or by credit card or bank transfer using PayPal. See the Sliding Scale Pricing page for the PayPal link.
To discuss any of the above or schedule a session, call
me today at (608) 572-0084 or e-mail me.
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“Steve is a meticulous and compassionate listener.
He has a knack for asking enlightening questions that reveal new possibilities
and help to draw out authentic needs and wants.”
– Stephen Wald,
PhD
“Steve helped me to set better boundaries, to
take responsibility for my own actions rather than blaming, and to lighten
up about other people’s reactions. Now I’m feeling happier and relieved,
like a weight is off my shoulders.”
—Toran McCoy, Personal
Chef
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