What is the primary focus of your coaching practice?
I work predominately with professionals and business owners who are doing well in some areas of their lives but not in others. For example, there are many who are successful in their businesses but find themselves over working, missing out on fun, and disconnected from their families. I also worked with a woman who had tried several times to start a business but met with continual disappointments. Through coaching she was able to identify her roadblocks and create an action plan that launched her into an amazing new venture, while enriching her family relationships as well. Another client was having problems moving ahead in his career. He was continually getting more responsibility in the workplace but not the expected financial rewards. Through coaching, he was able to pinpoint the behaviors that were causing him to repeat the same, frustrating cycle. He learned to set appropriate boundaries and clearly communicate his expectations. In the end, he created an action plan that increased his self-confidence and resulted in a new position with a much higher salary.
Why Integrative Coaching and not some other model?
I love Integrative Coaching because of its holistic approach. Many coaching models effectively set goals and create action steps, but they don’t address the underlying commitments that can keep clients stuck in their non-productive behavior patterns. Integrative Coaching allows clients to embrace the whole of who they are: body, mind, and spirit. It encourages them to explore their spiritual beliefs and integrate them fully into the vision they have for their lives. I believe in the importance of a purpose-driven life and that spiritual connection is not limited to particular religious beliefs. I encourage my clients to connect profoundly with their own higher power and to integrate that connection into their action steps and support structures. This whole-being integration is what makes this form of coaching so very powerful. Integrative Coaching is serious coaching for those who desire permanent transformation.
How does a coaching relationship with you work?
With the Essentials Coaching Program, all coaching sessions are held via telephone. Clients call me at an appointed time each week, and each session lasts about an hour. We begin by discussing the previous week’s goals, progress, and roadblocks and then move into a structured coaching conversation that focuses on essential skills for creating an extraordinary life. Finally, I guide clients to access their internal wisdom in addressing their own specific goals and challenges through a series of powerful questions, leading to the development of action steps and supportive structures. My coaching requires a high level of self-responsibility from my clients. In return, I support them and hold them accountable for creating a vision and an action plan that will make that vision a reality.
What will be the time commitment for me?
The amount of time it takes to participate in a weekly coaching relationship varies with each client’s goals and action steps. At a minimum, I ask clients to be willing to commit to 2-3 hours per week, which includes the one hour coaching session as well as weekly reading assignments. Those who are willing to invest more time in their action steps will often reach their goals more quickly.
For how long do most people coach with you?
The Essentials Coaching Relationship is a structured 16-session program that is usually completed within four months. At the end of the Essentials Program, often clients choose to continue with maintenance coaching, opting for shorter sessions, e-mail support, and/or longer intervals between sessions in an effort to sustain a high level of accountability and continued success. Other clients feel complete after 16 weeks and choose to use the skills they’ve learned to move forward independently. They may check in occasionally when they encounter particular challenges, preferring to be coached on an as-needed basis.
I think I want to coach with you; what’s my next step?
E-mail or call to schedule a complimentary consultation. You will have an opportunity to ask questions as well as experience first hand my coaching style and the methods I use. I will have an opportunity to get to know you, your challenges, and your goals. Each of us will evaluate the potential for a successful coaching relationship. I accept only a limited number of clients each year, choosing to work only with those who demonstrate high levels of responsibility and commitment to their transformational process.
If you have a question about coaching …
Or if you would like feedback on a particular challenge, I invite you to click here to send an e-mail: Ask Coach Barbie You will receive a personal response. You will NOT be added to a mailing list without your consent.