Coaching – why it helps me to help you
Coaching – what on earth is it?
Animas Centre for Coaching says “coaching is a conversation with someone who believes that change is always possible, who trusts that you can find the right answer for yourself through the power of a challenging but compassionate exploration, who doesn’t claim to have all the answers for you, who cares and is interested, who holds up a mirror for you to see where you are part of your own problem, who helps you think through with clarity and determination what you really want and how you can move towards it.
…. Coaching can serve a life-changing purpose by enabling people to find greater self-awareness, explore alternative perspectives, achieve clarity of vision, gain accountability and make progress towards their vision.”
Why I decided to become a coach…
When I first started my professional organising business in 2014, my motivation was never about ‘the stuff’. I never wanted to create those Insta-ready homes you see on TV. Instead I was always more interested in understanding the person behind the stuff. All sorts of questions began to surface:
“What makes us hold onto stuff?”
“How do I help people to getting stuff done more effectively?”
“What are we assuming that’s holding us back from the change we want to see/ make?”
I noticed that some questions were more powerful for clients than others. They helped clients to make shift in their mindsets, so that they began to make progress where they’d previously felt stuck. Offering advice wasn’t always the right thing to do (even when clients wanted me to give it!)
I quickly learned that worked for me didn’t always work for the client. Rather, my role was support the client in a non-judgmental way to find a ‘them-shaped solution’. This was a much more effective way of creating lasting change. Looking back now, I realise my clients were teaching me how to be more of a coach!
My coaching journey
Although I was working more collaboratively with clients, it wasn’t until lockdown that I really started using coaching skills in online sessions. Now I began to offer online coaching and organising sessions, as well as Access to Work coping strategy sessions to my clients. Strengthening those coaching skills began to feel like the obvious next step in my professional development. So in January 2022 I took the leap and signed up for a 6 month course Diploma in Transformative Coaching with Animas. (This course is fully accredited by the International Coach Federation, the European Mentoring & Coaching Council, and the Association for Coaching).
Why use a coach?
I’ve had a few coaching sessions over the years and those sessions helped me make breakthroughs in my business. After one coaching session I realised I was ready to fit my life around my business, rather than fitting my business around my life. The following year my income had doubled and I haven’t looked back.
I still use a coach from time to time. Coaching sessions help me think issues through from a wider perspective. A coach can help me identify beliefs or assumptions that are blocking me. They give me time to reflect on my work-life balance – what is and isn’t working for me, and they help me make practical changes.
How do I start coaching?
If you are interested in find out more about doing coaching with me, do get in touch to book a free ‘discovery call’. This is an informal chat to talk about what you want to achieve with coaching, as well as an opportunity for us both to decide whether we are a good ‘fit’.
