Frequently Asked Questions

In the first session we will collaboratively set goals that are appropriate for the coaching process, then I will ask a series of empowering questions to help explore blocks and opportunities, and to close the session we will highlight new awareness and design actions and experiments to move forward with the work outside of the session. The coach and client partner to work through overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. The client is the expert in their life experience and who they are. The coach is an expert in a creative, thought-provoking process that inspires clients to expand their personal and professional potential. The coach believes the client has the most powerful answers already within and the client trusts the coach to facilitate and create the space to learn and move forward.

Therapy is the better form of support when clients are looking for diagnosis or treatment of mental health issues such as moderate to severe anxiety or depression, recent trauma, addiction, and more. If you are unsure about whether therapy would be a better fit, please discuss your thoughts with your coach. Coaching is goal driven and focused on the present and moving forward and not so about processing or understanding the past. In my coaching practice many of research based practices, principles, and tactics I employ allow us to explore thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and impulses which can seem similar to therapy.

The client and coach work collaboratively to come up with goals that are appropriate for the coaching process. It is a important that goals are specific, personally meaningful, and actionable for the client. These are some general themes that show up in goal setting. Goals Individuals Developing and practicing new communication patterns to build better relationships Overcoming avoidance and procrastination so you can take meaningful action Building awareness of self so you are not allowing the opinions and feelings of others to drive your decisions or behavior Letting go of trying to change things you cannot control and refocusing your efforts to make meaningful progress Making purposeful and values driven decisions Identifying blocks, creating plans, and designing strategic actions Gain awareness or clarity about yourself or a situation Shift your perspective to change your experience of stressors Understanding and communicating your boundaries to protect your energy and time Goals Organizations and Teams Cultivating and protecting trust so you can build partnerships Learning how to be in conflict in order to innovate and avoid missing opportunities Understand and practice emotional intelligence and communication skills to support strong and respectful working relationships Understand current culture and make meaningful changes to patterns in communication, rewards, and messaging to support an intentional culture Develop clarity and buy-in so that everyone is commited to the same vision and decisions Build accountability practices that protect trust and support progress Measure progress and adapt to the results

In the first session, we set and clarify goals for our coaching engagement, and we may even get to start working on a goal if we have time. Subsequent sessions have an opening, a beginning, middle, and an end. We start by checking in on action from between sessions to see what we can learn. Then we set a goal for what we will accomplish in the current session and measures for success, we explore the goal, highlight new insights, and design action for between sessions. There are four types of actions that we could co-design: an experiment to try something new, reviewing resources, a to-do task, or a reflection of the awareness and new insights that we develop in session.

A trained coach who abides by the standards of the ICF will not offer direct advice or tell you what to do. ICF certified coaches believe that the strongest and most powerful answers come from within. While I do not offer advice, I have many rabbits in the hat for times when a client feels stuck including brainstorming, offering stories of what other clients have found helpful, offer resources, and other exercises to continue working with the problem. Everything is offered and the client always has a choice about how they want to proceed or what they want to try.

Session for personal coaching are 45 minutes. Group coaching or business services vary by engagement.

Zoom video conference so you can be calling in from anywhere. Of course, please be safe and never call while driving. After booking, you will receive and invitation for a Zoom meeting to your email.

Yes, of course. Julia@lifidence.com