Category Archives: Coaching

Straight and Narrow

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perspective, straight and narrow thinking

Life can be perceived through various lenses, each offering distinct pathways and outcomes. One approach is the straight and narrow perspective, which emphasizes adherence to familiar routes, structured routines, and well-established beliefs. This method of viewing life can provide individuals with a sense of security and predictability, as it offers clear guidelines and boundaries to navigate the complexities of existence.

For example, many people find comfort in following traditional career paths, such as pursuing a stable job with a consistent schedule, which can lead to financial stability and a predictable lifestyle.

In contrast, an expansive, open-minded approach to life encourages exploration and the embracing of new experiences and ideas. This perspective involves questioning established norms, embracing change, and considering multiple viewpoints. By doing so, individuals can foster personal growth, innovation, and a deeper understanding of the world and themselves.

For instance, those who opt for this path might choose to travel extensively, engage in diverse cultural experiences, or pursue careers that challenge the status quo, such as in creative industries or entrepreneurial ventures. This approach can lead to significant personal development and a more comprehensive view of the world. Statistics show that individuals who adopt an open-minded attitude often report higher levels of life satisfaction and well-being.

 Ultimately, the decision between maintaining a straight and narrow view or adopting an expansive perspective is influenced by personal preferences and life circumstances.

Each path offers unique benefits and challenges. For some, a structured approach may provide the stability they need, while others may thrive in environments that encourage exploration and innovation. Finding a balance between these two perspectives can lead to a fulfilling and enriched life, allowing individuals to experience the security of routine while remaining open to growth and new possibilities.

Soul based coaching

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soul coachingEach person has a unique soul or spiritual essence. Connecting with this essence can lead to greater fulfillment, purpose, and happiness in life. When you explore and develop your spiritual and inner self it creates the opportunity to live a more heart centred life and create a more fulfilling life.

 

Where to start?

There is a famous saying “Every journey starts with a single step”. There are times where we need someone to guide us on that journey or offer a helping hand to take that first step, to give us clarity about our destination.  Below are ten steps that may help you to start out:

Exploration of Inner Self:

Soul-based coaching often begins with introspection and self-discovery. I work with clients to explore your beliefs, values, passions, and inner desires. This exploration can help you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself.

Spiritual Growth:

Spiritual coaching encourages you to develop your spirituality and connect with a higher power or source of meaning. This can involve exploring different spiritual practices, such as meditation, mindfulness or energy healing.

Alignment with Purpose:

A significant focus of this coaching is to help you to support your actions and decisions with your true purpose and values. This can lead to a more meaningful and purposeful life.

coming out of hibernationMind-Body-Spirit Connection:

Soul-based coaching often emphasizes the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. I may guide you in making healthier lifestyle choices and adopting practices that support your overall well-being.

Transformation:

Through self-awareness and spiritual growth, you may experience personal transformation. This can involve letting go of limiting beliefs and patterns, healing emotional wounds, and embracing positive change.

coachingGoal Setting:

While soul-based coaching is focused on inner growth, it also helps you to set and achieve meaningful goals that are aligned with your values and purpose.

Support and Accountability:

Having someone to provide a supportive and non-judgmental space for you to express your thoughts and feelings makes the process easier. When you are accountable for taking action toward your goals and personal growth, you are more likely to turn your dreams into winning goals.

A Holistic Approach:

Soul-based coaching takes a holistic approach to well-being, addressing the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of a person’s life. Having an experienced guide to navigate this journey makes all the difference.

Tools and Techniques:

The program may use a variety of tools and techniques, such as visualization, journaling, art therapy, guided meditation, and energy healing, to facilitate the transformation process.

AwarenessEthical Considerations:

These are important in soul-based and spiritual coaching to ensure that your beliefs and values are upheld while maintaining professional boundaries.

It’s important to note that soul-based and spiritual coaching results can vary widely depending on your background, approach, and beliefs.

Authenticity in Coaching

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Authenticity is an essential aspect of coaching as it helps coaches build trust and credibility with those who are seeking answers to their current problems.

So what is authenticity?

Discovery SessionsIt is about being genuine, honest, and transparent while coaching someone and maintaining a non-judgmental and empathetic attitude.

Authentic coaching involves being true to oneself and being aware of one’s strengths, limitations, and biases.

Coaches who are authentic are able to create a safe and supportive environment for their clients where they can express their thoughts and feelings freely without fear of rejection. Experience also helps the coach to be authentic. Lived experience allows them to be open to listening to without judgement.

An authentic coach will be mindful of their communication style, body language, and tone of voice. They are also be aware of their own emotions and triggers and be able to manage them effectively to avoid projecting them onto their clients.

Authenticity in coaching also involves setting realistic expectations and goals with clients and being honest about the challenges and potential setbacks that may be faced. It requires the coach to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and help you to develop a plan to overcome your obstacles.

Finally, authenticity is a critical component of coaching as it builds trust, rapport, and credibility between me as your coach and you as a client. It involves being genuine, honest, and transparent while maintaining a non-judgmental and empathetic attitude

Emotional Intelligence

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Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as to perceive and respond to the emotions of others in the moment.

It involves being aware of one’s own feelings, being able to regulate those emotions, and using that understanding to interact effectively with others. This  is especially important when working with teams – either in the workplace or in a volunteer capacity.
Emotional Intelligence has been shown to be an important factor in personal and professional success, as it can help individuals communicate effectively, build and maintain relationships, and navigate complex social situations.

It is also associated with better mental health outcomes and can help individuals cope with stress and adversity.
There are several components of Emotional Intelligence, including self-awareness, stress management, teamwork and collaboration, empathy, and other social skills.

These can be developed and improved through practice and training, and as a Certified Social and Emotional Intelligence  coach I offer regular workshops and presentations to help individuals and organizations build their emotional intelligence skills.

 

Leadership Coaching

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Coaching at balance4lifeWhat a great start to 2023! Feedback from last year’s Leadership Coaching for Women has been great and I’m looking forward to replicating the success with a small group for a company that operates nationally.

It may be my bias, but I prefer coaching to counseling as the focus is on the future and what you do want as opposed to what you don’t want. Combined with Emotional Intelligence strategies, this can make the workplace a much better place to be. Of course results will vary for each person – depending on whether they step up and embrace new ideas. My own experience of group coaching is that often a problem brought to the table by another attendee and the subsequent coaching by the facilitator is exactly what I needed to hear for my  own issues!

A Balanced Life

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With the advent of another lockdown here in Melbourne and face to face consultations postponed, it is timely to introduce A Balanced Life.

Designed so that you can creatively focus on a specific area of your life that you want to improve, it uses a combination of tools to achieve this.

This program is broken into 3 Modules:A Balanced Life

  • WHAT you can have in your toolbox
  • WHY are you running around in circles? A creative exercise to help you relax your conscious mind
  • HOW to choose an area of your life that’s not working right now and apply helpful strategies to turn it around.

 

All for a little less than the cost of a  single coaching session! Plus downloadable resources that you can re-use again. I hope that you will enjoy this journey  and have your own toolbox to create a more balanced life.

You may want to have a few more coaching sessions to debrief and to clarify how to goal set effectively. There’s a choice between  1:1 sessions or group sessions. There is also a private Facebook group once you have done this program that you are eligible to join.

Heavens Above

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We all know about Mercury Retrogrades….. things like electrical equipment go awry with no explanation….. but have you heard of Mars Retrograde? – Retrograde means to appear to go backwards. I hadn’t considered how this may have implications to our daily lives until I started to do some reading about it. The reason a Mars Retrograde isn’t more commonly known is because it doesn’t happen as regularly as the Mercury one. For instance there isn’t one at all in 2021, which could be a good thing as I think we might just be over any astrological triggers for 2020.

I’m not an astrologer, but from the articles I’ve been reading we are just about to enter a period where Mars goes retrograde. September 9th 2020 to November 13th 2020. Rather than paraphrase the articles I have read, this one seems to be the most comprehensive and includes towards the end how it affects your sun sign and your ascendant.

Against the backdrop of the Stage 4 COVID lockdown extension, I thought that this is  an interesting time to be entering into.  Social media is running hot with a myriad of views and conspiracy theories and it seems that there is a “my way or the highway” attitude to having an opinion.

The article suggests that during this Mars retrograde,

“We might stew in anger at times, not finding a direct or straightforward channel for releasing it. This is a time for really getting in touch with what we’ve been accepting on the surface of things, but that has been building inside as emotional slush.”

There are many ways to get in touch with and deal with that “emotional slush” and I have found the combination of applying Emotional Intelligence coaching with hypnotherapy to get to the root cause is the most effective way.

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Embrace Risk

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“Embrace risk and stop worrying about the consequences.
On your death bed, it’s too late.”

This is the first of Five Steps to a Better You in 2020 written by Steve Miller, a hypnotherapist that I follow on Facebook from Birmingham in the UK.  There are risks in staying within your comfort zone when it comes to daily life. The days will blend into weeks, which in turn blend into months of bland “beigeness” and before you know it another year has drifted past and all you have are monotone memories of another year gone by.

Embrace Risk

Can you remember back to a time when you were a child and you did embrace risk? Perhaps it was when you were learning to ride a bicycle. I can clearly remember that moment. I was playing with a friend in the small village we lived in. I was on my friend’s bicycle. My friend’s father was holding the seat and running behind me….. and then he wasn’t. But I didn’t care – I was moving along by myself.  I wasn’t worrying about the consequences of falling off – which I eventually did because I didn’t know how to stop.

Can you remember the frisson of excitement in your tummy when you did something new? That fluttering feeling of excitement, which is so often mistaken for anxiety when we start to get into our head space rather than our feeling space.

To embrace risk is to trust yourself and your inner strengths. Sometimes you need a little shove in the right direction, a little kick up the arse to get the momentum going, but when you do embrace risk – and it can be a calculated risk – then you are more likely to have no regrets on your death bed. Which reminds me of one of my favourite songs…..

 

Where is Spirit leading you?

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You know you are on the right path, when you feel that tingle of anticipation. A combination of expectancy and apprehension….The path ahead may look a little less travelled and there is that brief moment of discomfort as you step out of the familiar (or same old, same old …… others may be blunter and call it a rut) and into the new and exciting future.

Imagine….. that this path leads you to discover some amazing insights and to connect with people just like you. Imagine… as you step into this energy that you know that Spirit has led you home.

Whatever stage you are on your journey, there are guides there supporting you. Some are visible, others may be glimpsed briefly and there may be some that have chosen not to reveal themselves to you at this stage. All you need to do is accept the signs and the help that is offered.

Listening

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Recently I found that I wasn’t listening as well as I should. Quite apart from the slight deafness that has come about after decades of poor fitting motorcycle helmets.

I came to realize that in some of my conversations with colleagues that I was interrupting their conversations. It doesn’t help that my mind races at a million miles per hour when I am in a creative moment, but it is important for me, as a therapist, to correct that behaviour.

When training to become a homeopath, it was instilled in us that “a case well taken, is a case likely to succeed” and this meant not only asking the right questions, but listening carefully to the replies. Or what was not said. In homeopathy there is what is called a PQRS – peculiar, queer(it had a very different meaning back a couple of centuries ago), rare and strange symptom. This will be so different to the usual symptoms of a complaint that it will often lead directly to a remedy.
Similarly in coaching and hypnotherapy, listening carefully to the client will often result in an intuitive response that leads to great insights. Intuition is enhanced by taking time to still your own mind and stop those thoughts or impulsive answers. As the mind chatter subsides you can also become aware of your own, considered responses. Ask yourself “Is my language positive?”

A great acronym to remember is THINK –
Is it
– True?
– Helpful?
– Inspiring?
– Necessary?
– Kind?