FAQ

1. What's Coaching?

Coaching is a thought-provoking and creating process to improve aspects of life- either personal or professional. By looking at habits, behaviours, emotions and values it brings clients to a clear focus, so that can consciously choose whether to change or enhance them for the future benefit.

Coaching is a great tool for people who are ready to make positive changes and actively looking for solution. It allows a clear overview of life to improve the most important areas and the coach- me will be supporting you on your journey from where you are now to where you want to be. In essence coaching enables you to build on your strengths, overcome your obstacles and achieve your goals.

Coaching…

  • is thought-provoking
  • brings clarity/ different perspective
  • is goal orientated
  • is judgement-free
  • is based on questions
  • allows conscious decision making
  • provides safe thinking space

In coaching sessions you can:

  • focus on step by step plan
  • increase your self awareness
  • think at loud judgement-free
  • find motivation to act
  • realise your true potential and resources
  • find a way to increase your satisfaction
  • specify what you want to achieve

2. Who is coaching for?

Anybody who is ready to take the responsibility for their life can benefit from coaching.

  • are feeling stuck
  • are unhappy with the work
  • are feeling overwhelmed
  • have an anxiety issues
  • would like a fresh perspective on issue you are facing
  • would like to be more confident
  • would like to create an action plan for achieving your goals
  • need help with managing challenging relationship
  • want to increase self- awareness

Coaching can be useful if you...

3. What guarantee do I have that it will work?

Coaching is a fantastic tool that will help you improve various areas of your life. But in the same way that having a personal trainer will not make you fitter unless you’re prepared to work hard, you will not see changes from your coaching sessions if you are not prepared to take responsibility for yourself and your choices.

The work carried out during each session will enable you to put your plan into action, but the real progress happens in the space between sessions. If you are not prepared to put the effort in outside of your coaching sessions, you may be disappointed with the results.

4. How do I know if coaching is for me?

You’ll never know until you try! Getting a coach is like buying a new pair of shoes - you need to make sure they fit before you head to the checkout and purchase them. That’s what my initial chemistry session is for. It is the first meeting/call that usually will take 15-20 minutes. The aim of this free consultation is to explain how the process works as well as provide an opportunity for you to ask any questions or raise any concerns you may have.

This non-obligatory meeting will also allow you to present the subject you would like to work on and specify your desired outcome of working with a coach. It may be that you will decide that coaching is not for you, or that I am not the coach you are looking for – in which case, we will say our goodbyes and that’s that, the strings will be cut (and you won’t receive any spammy emails!). You do not have to decide on the spot. Some people like to reflect on the conversation and advice and come back to me several days later, which is absolutely fine. If you decide you would like to go ahead and instruct me as your coach, I will put together a contract specifying the number of sessions in our agreement and the logistics of each meeting etc. You will need to sign this before we start

5. How long will each coaching session last for?

A typical coaching session takes 1.5 hours.

6. How often will we meet?

Depending on the activities that are planned for between the sessions, we will meet every 3-6 weeks. Sometimes more or less frequent meetings are needed. If this is the case, we’ll agree timeframes together.

You can contact me between sessions if you feel there is a valid need for it. Catch-ups in between meetings will be agreed depending on your specific situation.

7. How many sessions will I need?

How long is a piece of string? The number of sessions you need will depend on your circumstances and want you want to achieve from your time with me. Some clients contract me for 3 sessions and add more as they go, some book in at least 6 sessions straightaway because they know they will need support in the longer term. It may be that after 3 sessions you will be satisfied with the results and decide not to progress… or you may want to work on something else. As a rule of thumb, I do not contract for more than 9 sessions at time, as this may create dependency, and this is not how I work. My aim is to assist you with creating a new reality that allows you to move forward independently.

8. What is the difference between the coaching and therapy or counselling?

In therapy or counselling you will spend a fair amount of time looking at your past. In coaching, we will review what is happening in the here and now, with a clear focus on moving forward.

I like to think about coaching as a moving car. During counselling, you will be looking in the reverse mirror (the past) quite a lot to see how what happened affected things around you (the present). In coaching, you will be spending a lot of time looking around you (the present) and through the windscreen (the future), only occasionally glancing in the reversing mirror (the past) for guidance and context.

9. What if I do not have specific goal yet?

100% YES! In the chemistry session we will discuss your current situation and you can decide whether you think you will benefit from the process or not.

10. Which coach is right for me?

This is a great question, and one that’s often overlooked.

My advice would be to use the initial chemistry session to see if the person in front of you is somebody you can work with. Is your coach easy to talk to? Are you feeling comfortable around him/her? Is he/she trustworthy? If there is no natural rapport, it may be that you need chemistry sessions with some other coaches before you can choose the most suitable person.

As coaching is a non-regulated profession you may also want to ask about competencies and qualifications of your coach, as well as the code of ethics they follow. Make sure that the coach you are looking to work with is under regular coaching supervision. And finally, do not be afraid to ask as many questions you need to be at ease with your choice.

11. What type of coach are you?

I’m definitely a “not for everybody” type of coach! I am performance coach and my strong focus is on delivering results in accordance to your agenda. I will help you to understand how your habits, behaviours and emotions affect your life, and how you can either enhance them or change them for your future benefit. I commit my time and effort to this cause, and I expect the same from you.

I am an Accredited Coach (ACC) of the International Coach Federation - the gurus of coaching. I have completed post graduate studies in personal and business coaching. I use a range of learnt, psychologically grounded coaching frameworks such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Transactional Analysis (TA) to ensure our sessions are not just a casual chat but a transformational process.

So, what type of coach am I? An honest and realistic one. You can expect to hear how it is from me. We will work together to address your ‘here and now’ reality, taking into account your circumstances, obstacles and everything else that is currently impacting your life. I cannot promise you that we will find solution that will allow you to quit your job tomorrow with no negative impact on your life. I can assure you however that we will come up with a personalised plan that is sustainable and that will deliver lifelong changes. I will be supporting you in implementing that plan, step by step!

12. How confidential are these conversations?

Confidentiality is one of the fundamental values of coaching. I follow the ICF (International Coach Federation) code of ethics, which means that the content of all sessions is confidential. The confidentiality clause is also included in your contract.

13. What real issues can coaching help with?

Depending on your investment in the process, the work you carry out between the sessions and the readiness to change, coaching can be a useful tool to:

  • Improve your work-life balance
  • Increase your self-confidence
  • Give you clarity and a fresh perspective
  • Increase your productivity
  • Improve your interpersonal skills
  • Help you communicate assertively
  • Assist with achieving your goals
  • Help regain control of your life
  • Speed up your decision making process
  • Help manage your time effectively

And many more!

14. Who do you usually coach?

The short answer is that I work with people who want to change something in their lives but are not sure how to do it. People who know that by ignoring the issue, going for another holiday, getting another designer handbag or pair of shoes will not solve the problem. Don’t get me wrong - I have nothing against the above, but thinking that a break in the sun or a little retail therapy will transform your life can be delusional and you may be disappointed with the results.

On the other hand, I am a realist and I know that if you have some big commitments (kids, mortgages, people that depend on you), you cannot just quit your job tomorrow and go to Fiji because it ‘might’ make you happy. It’s my job to help you make lasting changes, not waste your time on approaches that are not effective nor sustainable.

So… I work with eye rollers, with head against the wall bangers, with ‘there is more to life than this’ and ‘I cannot go on like this anymore’ thinkers. You don’t know yet how you’re going to change, so we will work on this together. You need to commit yourself to a brighter future. It’s not easy, but it is simple.

15. I don’t think I can justify this cost…

I thought the same way, until somebody changed the way I looked at coaching. Think about it for a minute. How much are you prepared to spend on something that is a treat, like an extravagant meal, a luxury holiday, or a night out with too many cocktails? How long does the good feeling last? A night? Two weeks at the most? Coaching is about investing money into something that could encourage enduring positivity and give you much bigger life satisfaction. Just think about how different your life could be if you finally had the courage to make lasting changes, a clear plan of action to help you reach your goals, and somebody by your side who will push you out of your comfort zone to ensure you achieve everything you want and need. To me, this more than justifies the cost of a series of coaching sessions. But only you can be the judge of that!