=================================== TODAY's COACH Your News and Information Source for the Coaching World Volume 2 Issue 5 December 2000 =================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Coaching Careers Evolve from Curious and Interesting Paths - Cancer Survivor - Diplomat - Energy Healer - Jack of All Trades - Job Seeker - Litigator - Marketing Consultant - Medical Doctor - Musician - Nanny - Non-Profit Director - Optician - Plant Breeder - Recruiter - Sabbatical - Teacher (Elementary School) - Teacher (Pre-School) - Therapist - Wall Street Trader 2. Technology Today 3. Calendar 4. Contact the Staff at steve@coachu.com ------------------------------------ 1. Coaching Careers Evolve from Curious and Interesting Paths In this year-end issue of Today's Coach, we spotlight the curious and interesting paths that have led people to the field of coaching. We believe that many of you will find something in common with the coaches you read about here. You may even discover through your own life experience, that you, too, have gained the special, and sometimes unusual aptitudes that would make a fine coach, and you may decide that it's time for you to get professional training as a coach yourself. In putting this issue together, we were inspired by the many stories you're about to read about the fascinating, often challenging journeys that have molded and prepared the people that make up this special profession. We'd like to officially thank those who have contributed their stories. Whether we were able to include your story in this issue or not, we acknowledge and appreciate your willingness to share so much about yourselves. Coaches are significant contributors to the human family, and we are happy to be able to present some of their stories to you here. On behalf of the Today's Coach staff, we'd like to wish you all a safe and fulfilling holiday season. We'll see you again early next year! Oh and by the way, did you notice our new look? We've been circulating for around 18 months now and the staff felt it was time to upgrade our style. What do you think? We welcome your input, ideas, and preferences. Please, let us know by e-mailing your comments to steve@coachu.com. ----------------------------------- From Cancer to Coach Rochelle Togo-Figa My path to coaching started many years ago in quite a unique way. In 1993 I discovered I had breast cancer. Once you're faced with your own mortality, and how tenuous life can be, one's view of life changes dramatically. That's what happened to me. While I was recovering from this disease I did a lot of soul searching and decided that as long as I was on this earth, I was going to commit myself to making a difference for others. I didn't know what it was going to look like but I knew that my journey had just begun. The following year I married the wonderful man I had been dating during the time I was ill, and a year later I completed the Landmark Forum (a personal self-growth weekend program). This program was very powerful for me. I continued taking their programs, completing their entire curriculum. I then began coaching within this Landmark. I loved coaching at Landmark because I saw the difference coaching made in other people's lives. People produce incredible results when they're supported by another and held accountable to keeping their promises. As their coach, I was committed to each and every one of them, and always held their vision even when they didn't. Many whom I coached gained more confidence, started new businesses, changed their careers, and quickly moved past areas where they'd stopped in the past. From this experience, I realized that coaching is my way of making a difference. Earlier this year, I left my job as a sales training consultant and started my coaching practice. My journey of self-discovery and the desire to make a difference for others led me to becoming a coach. I'm clear I've found my passion in life. I'm so excited about what lies ahead, and it's only just begun! ~ ~ ~ Contact Rochelle at MarisRhino@aol.com or visit her website at http://www.rtfcoaching.com/. ----------------------------------- Diplomat Turned Coach Vera Nicholas "It's taken me nearly forty years to find coaching. But the Personal Coach I am today is also a meaningful reflection of my life experience. The long and winding road that is my life experience led me through many adventures and challenges. As a child, I spent ten years in the far north of Canada, in "polar-bear country" as I often put it. I would later make my home in the "tropics" of southern Canada, before leaving there, a young woman in her mid-twenties, to take on the world. Periods of study abroad, a desire to make a difference, and a natural curiosity for far-flung cultures naturally led me to a career as a diplomat. As a Foreign Service Officer, I served in such diverse capacities as supporting member of Canada's seat on the United Nations Security Council in New York, as a consular official in Athens, and as a multilateral trade negotiator in Geneva, Switzerland. I went on to continue my work on trade issues at an international organization in Paris before coming home to North America. Then, children came into my life! Now two and four years old, my two little daughters brought new passion and perspective to my professional "achiever's life." They have been the inspiration behind my commitment to Personal Coaching for Women and the momentum behind my own creative growth as a writer dedicated to evoking the beauty and richness of everyday living. These defining life experiences shape who I am today as a coach. The gifts of my past mean that international clients and the women on my street feel equally at home with me. The gifts of my present -- an abundant life -- mean that I want the same for all people in my life, be they friends, family, or clients. ~ ~ ~ Contact Vera at vnicholas_gervais@yahoo.com, for visit her website at http://www.soulgoals.com/. ----------------------------------- Energy Healer Turned Coach Maya Lassiter I came to coaching from a ten-year career in Energy Healing. Energy Healing is working with a person's energy field to create changes in their emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and physical body. When I found coaching, I had been looking for an additional way to support people in creating lives they love. Coaching was a good fit for me for several reasons. First, the coaching model is strongly energy based. For example, Irresistible Attraction and the CleanSweep use energetic principles at their heart. Second, there is a lot of overlap in the skills needed to be a good healer and a good coach, such as making authentic contact, clear perception, and intuition. While energy healing is available to everyone in the simple act of putting your loving hands on the hurt place (moms do this automatically), energy healing at its most powerful involves a lot of training and development, honing one's skills in energy perception (such as clairvoyance) and energy control. At the same time, the healer must continually work to develop him/herself, personally and spiritually. As a faculty member of the International Barbara Brennan School of Healing, I train people to bring out their unique healership and develop their innate healing talents. As a life coach, I work with helping people bring out their unique life masterpiece and develop their innate talents. The two careers have blended perfectly for me, healing focused a little more on the inner life and coaching a little more on the outer life, the two forming a complementary set of skills that I use every day in my practice. My "Strange Past" has turned into my "strange present" -- a life and a career that I love and am passionate about! ~ ~ ~ Contact Maya at mayalassiter@mindspring.com or visit her website at http://www.mayalassiter.com/. ----------------------------------- Jack of All Trades Turned Coach Jilly Shaul My first seven careers were actress/dancer, secretary, MOTHER, conference administrator, recruitment consultant, trainer and outplacement counselor. Coaching is the EIGHTH! I live in the UK just north of London. I'm officially a senior (an OAP - Old Age Pensioner). Personally I prefer the new title I've given myself: IMP - Independent Mature Person! I'd been retired more than three years when I picked up a magazine at the dentist's office and read about Life Coaching. I begged permission to borrow the magazine and without hesitation sent off for details of the training offered by CoachU. Three years later, I'm a graduate with a thriving practice and a certified teleclass leader for CoachU. A colleague of mine here in the UK recently said to me, "Jilly, don't you realise that having raised a large family (I have five kids and now five grandkids), you're uniquely qualified to be a business coach?" I didn't realise it, but I've thought about it a lot and, he's right. All of my past careers have equipped me as a Coach. Actress and Dancer meant I learnt all about creativity, tenacity, fitness and self care. As a Secretary, I learned how to take instruction, use my initiative, keep my head when all about me were losing theirs. As a Mother, I learned to nurture, listen, encourage, educate, praise, and heal. A conference administrator is an expert juggler and she knows about good teamwork. As a recruitment consultant I spent years fitting square pegs into square holes, I learned the colossal benefit of creating rapport. As a trainer I worked face to face with groups and honed my presentation skills and as an outplacement counselor, I became at times a shoulder to cry on, a sounding board, an advocate, an instructor, a motivator, and above all, a Coach. I recognise today that all my previous careers were just milestones along the journey and now I've reached my destination: I'm a Life Coach. ~ ~ ~ Contact Jilly at lifematters@btinternet.com. ----------------------------------- Professional Job Seeker Turned Coach Sheila M. Allicon I spent the last 20 or so years trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I come from a background in Human Services, and worked as a counselor for juvenile offenders. In dark and dirty working conditions, overcrowding, and kids who did not want my help, I left the field to venture in new directions. I learned how to cut hair, got my barber's license, and managed a large hair salon for about 6 years. Bored with deciding which size perm rod would make the best curl, I began looking for other ways to express my creativity. I began reading the book, "What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard Bolles which helps you to determine your best career. On my days off, I began the process of self-assessment, self-discovery and trying to figure out what to do with my God given gifts and talents. At this early point, I was feeling frustrated and lacked direction. Little did I know at the age of twenty something, I would begin a life-long search for meaning and fulfillment in my career. My next job was in Public Relations. Well, I called it that, but it was just administrative work building databases for a PR firm. Next, I moved into sales, selling everything from aerial advertising, fruit and produce, office supplies, software, and then myself. I hired myself out as a nanny, then developed an in-home day care curriculum because I had become a single Mom and wanted to raise my daughter. I haven't even listed all the jobs I've had looking for the right fit. It's too embarrassing! Finally, I made a decision (again) to discover what the heck I am supposed to do with my life...and this time, I wouldn't quit until I figured it out. I had a broken heart at this point, and would pull out the rest of my thin curly hair if I had to look through one more want ad or send out another stupid resume! I pulled out Richard Bolles' book again, and began a safari of the soul. Then one day, I found a person and number in the yellow pages that answered my prayers. He was a coach, and I didn't even know that such a thing existed. After speaking with him, I knew I was home. I'm now a Career/Life Transitions Coach, and guess what my specialty is? Helping people discover their calling. My first workshop is coming up in January and I finally know what I am supposed to do with all this! ~ ~ ~ Contact Sheila at Sallicon@aol.com. ----------------------------------- From Litigator to Listener Michael Vaio, J.D. After receiving my degree in business administration, it was off to law school, with little thought about what career would be genuinely satisfying to me. I entered law practice with the same lack of introspection. As a trial lawyer, I was a natural: smart, articulate, insightful about others' motivations, and with an uncanny ability to manage details while never losing sight of the big picture. In eleven years of practice, I never lost a jury trial. But I also never (or at least rarely) felt satisfied, beyond the short-lived ego boost of winning. As I began to examine my career choice, it became clear that I wanted to help others in a significant way (rather than suing the pants off their enemies) and that I really enjoyed being in real conversations with people about things that mattered to them. I completed two years of graduate-level study in counseling psychology and did some clinical work, before realizing that wallowing in the mires of why people are the way they are is not necessarily a powerful tool for change, let alone a positive experience for the listener. Then I discovered coaching. My first coach was a real catalyst for change. In the five months we worked together, I got clearer about my true calling than I had in the prior two years on my own. He served as a resource, sounding board, and cheerleader for my success. His genuine caring and dedication to service set the benchmark for service professionals. In short, he did for me what I really wanted to do for others! I've started training at Corporate Coach U, and am beginning to build a coaching practice, working with professionals and entrepreneurs to define and attain goals that are in alignment with their deepest values. "Evoking excellence," I call it. The process is so exciting and deeply satisfying to me that I could never return to the cold adrenaline rush of the courtroom. ~ ~ ~ Contact Michael at mvaio@ix.netcom.com. ----------------------------------- Marketing Consultant Turned Coach Debrah Rafel It was 1996 and I was part of the team opening the new International Terminal Building at the Vancouver International Airport. 100,000 people came to visit over a week-long extravaganza: 2,000-person black tie dinner; "open house" for the community, VIP ceremony. We worked twenty-hour days toward the end of that amazing two-year contract. My responsibility was to manage most of the airport's printed material. Translation? Juggling up to 20 projects at a time, each with its own deadlines and teams of personalities to orchestrate with some degree of grace and dignity. I was in my element. Adrenaline running, telephone in hand, chomping down chocolate-covered almonds while racing for the FedEx plane. When it was over, I collapsed in a quivering heap. It took me over a year to recover. Even though my life's passion was (and still is) holistic health, I was not a shining example of "life balance." I picked myself up, dragged myself off to a Mexican spa and lay panting on a chaise to contemplate my future. I loved my 15 years as a marketing and communications consultant "event and project coordination, graphic design, writing, amazing people, gratifying projects" but, it "burnt me to a crisp." By the time I had enough strength to raise my head, coaching too, was raising its profile. I discovered an article in early 1997 and, in rapt fascination, contacted every resource listed. The rest is history. Coach U became my training ground. I began coaching in September 1997, then developed my own model based on yoga principles studied during a three-year yoga teacher's training and my own experience as a holistically-oriented entrepreneur and business woman. Today, I live my passion and purpose through teaching yoga, offering Personal Integrative Coaching and leading women's retreats. Often I sigh with great contentment and deep gratitude… now this is life balance! ~ ~ ~ Contact Debrah at drafel@istar.ca, or visit her website at http://www.Success-by-Design.com/. ----------------------------------- Medical Doctor Turned Coach Susan E. Kersley I was fed up with not being valued by "the powers that be." People were making decisions about funding without consulting anyone directly involved. After a year of feeling unsettled, I decided it was time to find out what life had to offer outside of medicine! I was a Senior Clinical Medical officer working in inner city Birmingham, UK, in the Family Planning and Women's Health Service. Before that, I worked in Genito-urinary medicine and General Practice. I've also completed several Counseling courses including a Masters degree in Psychodynamic counseling. I'm married to an Orthopaedic Surgeon and have three grown up children. I felt that there was a creative part of me that had been suppressed most of my life! So about three years ago at the age of 54, I took early retirement. I feel as though a great weight had been lifted from me. Now I live by the sea in Cornwall, writing a novel, walking the cliffs, going to the beach, reading, meeting people and ...then about a year and a half ago, I read about Coaching and knew that's what I wanted to do. So I joined CoachU and hired a coach. Wow!! My life is so exciting and I'm having such fun! Strangely I don't miss the stress and strain of medical practice. I have a wonderful new profession which I can do while living the life I want! ~ ~ ~ Contact Susan at coach@youcanchangeyourlife.co.uk, or visit her website at http://www.youcanchangeyourlife.co.uk/. ----------------------------------- Musician Turned Coach Mary Wright My path to the coaching profession led through the world of music. I taught piano for over twelve years, beginning at age sixteen, then studied with a concert pianist for seven years as an adult. I performed in a variety of venues, including classical, sacred, and pop. At a turning point in my personal life, I awoke to the fact that while I loved music, teaching people to play the piano was not particularly satisfying to me. I began a quest for a better career fit. I took every assessment I could get my hands on and began to piece together the elements of what I thought would make an ideal career for me. As the pieces fell into place I created a vision of a company in which I did speaking, writing, and something I called "personal development consulting." As I shared this vision with others, people were not particularly encouraging, particularly about the "personal development consulting" piece. "Who would pay for that?" many asked. "Are you sure there is a market for something like that? I've never heard of anything like it." I decided to set an appointment with a career counselor who was current with trends in the world of work. She took one look at my vision proposal and informed me that the job I thought I had invented was known as coaching, a rapidly growing profession. She pointed me to the CoachU web site and within a month, I was enrolled as a student and on a fast track toward building a coaching practice. Over the next couple of years, as my coaching practice grew, I often experienced sadness over the investment of twelve years of my life and many thousands of dollars in an entirely different career. If only I had known about coaching earlier, I thought, and invested in that instead. Yet surprisingly, I've discovered a large number of parallels in the two professions. Teaching piano taught me so much about mastering a skill, about making progress, about reaching goals and dreams, about discipline and determination and so many other topics that come to the forefront for me now as a coach. Not a single year of that experience was wasted. All of it contributed to my rapid success as a coach and my skills as a business owner. ~ ~ ~ Contact Mary at Mary@liveintentionally.com or visit her website at http://www.LiveIntentionally.com/. ----------------------------------- Nanny Turned Coach Kathy Brandt I began my career in childcare at the ripe old age of 10. I ended up taking care of my brother and sister when I was entirely too young to understand the development of children. I continued to work with children because that is all I knew how to do. I worked in many daycare facilities and in private homes and constantly saw that the problem between parents and children was they didn't understand each other. I did well in the field because I saw both sides. Next I began "nannying" for a family of coaches. They took me into their family two years ago and in doing so provided a place for me to learn, grow, and heal. I've been searching for as long as I can remember for a job that would fit what I know instead of one that I would have to fit into. I believe that there is a huge need to bridge the gap between parents and children and my goal is to build self-esteem, help break down walls, open the lines of communication, and build bridges between family members. Working as a coach will help me heal wounds by helping others and constantly working to be an example of what I can provide for my clients. The opportunity to attend CoachU has been an incredible gift that I will share for as long as I live. If you believe in what you are, believe in what you want, and you will find a way to get there. ~ ~ ~ Contact Kathy at ktiee@hotmail.com, or visit her website at http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/innerimage. ----------------------------------- Non-Profit Director Turned Coach Anne-Marie Rennick I was drawn to non-profit as a way to significantly help other people. My career started with the Canadian Red Cross where I was a recruiter for the Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry. I was able to travel Eastern Ontario speaking to groups of 5 or 500 about placing themselves on the registry to save the life of someone with leukemia or aplastic anemia. I also was selected as a Red Cross Disaster Relief Worker after Hurricane Andrew and spent a month in Miami helping families cope with the disaster. I left the Red Cross and went to work for several other national charities including the MS Society, the Cancer Society, and finally, for Hostelling International as an Executive Director. My work with these organizations and the thousands of people I met gave me an appreciation for the courage of the human spirit. It also gave me a strong sense about how each of us needs to find our own way in the world -- with a little help. When I read about coaching in a local paper I knew that this was the next part of my journey. Packing up my knapsack full of the things I learned in my years at non-profits -- things like passion, collaboration, purpose, universality, humanity, independence, and a deep respect for people -- I set off down the path of coaching. It's been an incredible adventure, filled with wonderful people, and wonderful insights. I am awed by the power of the human spirit that I experience during each coaching session as I see people crack through their current self-concept to create something new for themselves. It is my pleasure to be a coach, to touch & be touched deeply by the spirit of others. ~ ~ ~ Contact Anne-Marie at amr@learningbyphone.com or visit her website at http://www.learningbyphone.com. ----------------------------------- Optician Turned Coach Wendy Wein After an early stint as a teacher and some time out to raise a couple of children, I found myself back in the work market in the optical field. I worked in this field for twenty years, most of them as a nationally certified optician and manager of either an optical shop or ophthalmologist's office. During this time I discovered that many of the patients just liked to sit and talk to me about their "vision." These talks often involved the direction of their lives. I was often asked for feedback about their problems, dreams, etc., and they continually told me that I truly helped them to "see clearly." I decided to relocate from the East Coast to the West and hired a coach to help me figure out what I would do when I grew up. (I was then in my early fifties.) In the meantime, I again took a job in the optical field, knowing it was not what I truly wanted to do, but fearful of having no income. Shortly after I started working with my coach, I lost my optical job and was not able to get another one in that field, despite having a very impressive resume as well as great references. My coach congratulated me and explained that I had said I no longer wanted to continue in that field, and the Universe was supporting me in that wish. After working with my coach for a while and changing many of the negatives in my life to positives, my coach fired me as a client and asked me to work with her as a coach. She identified, even before I did, what I was and how my past experiences contributed to my abilities as a coach. Needless to say my "vision" of my life has cleared. ~ ~ ~ Contact Wendy at wwein@aol.com. ----------------------------------- Plant Breeder Turned Coach Jane Gerloff My original career goal was to "Feed the World." I first heard about the Green Revolution when I was in college, and was appalled that it was not taught in every high school curriculum in the country. This combination of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, coupled with advances in agricultural genetics, had dramatically increased food production in some developing countries and held great promise of being able to end starvation and malnutrition within the foreseeable future. Why wasn't everyone talking about it, I wondered. I was afire with enthusiasm. I decided to become a plant breeder because I believed this was the most environmentally wise way to make further progress. After nearly 10 years in the field, including earning my doctorate in plant breeding, I realized that I needed to put some focus on my personal development. One day, I prayed to become a truly compassionate person, and in a dramatic moment of inspiration I said I was willing to give up anything that stood in the way of that goal. Within the year, I had left my career because of increasing allergies to the plants I was working with and moved to the East Coast -- not knowing what the future held. Over the next 14 years, I did a number of things, but mainly academic administration. In my new life, I was able to devote a great deal of time to my own growth. I was exposed for the first time to life-changing ideas: "My beliefs create my reality." "We are One." "Anything is possible." I focused on experimenting with following my intuition more boldly. I saw that "feeding the world" could have both literal and figurative meanings. Two years ago, I realized that coaching would allow the perfect blending of my desire to be of service with my analytical and intuitive abilities. Everything I learned through training as a scientist, and various employment and personal growth opportunities, is brought to bear in helping my clients integrate their left and right brains; their practicality and their vision. One of my favorite quotes is from Rumi. "Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." I see that there are likewise hundreds of ways to feed the world. Coaching is my way. ~ ~ ~ Contact Jane at gerloff@breakthroughcoaching.com, or visit her website at http://www.breakthroughcoaching.com. ----------------------------------- Recruiter Turned Coach Ingrid Adams I come to coaching from a background in Human Resources, specifically Recruitment, Selection and Assessments. I've worked in advisory and management capacities in large corporations, and my disillusionment with corporate life eventually led me to abandon the gains of industry for the allure of travel. With little more than a backpack, a shrinking budget, insatiable wanderlust, and my saxophone to accompany me, I left South Africa for London, arguably the traveler's paradise. After a few months exploring foreign cultures, I settled in London. My work assignments ranged from latte making and managing in my local Starbucks, to recruiting executive managers for a leading e-HR company. During these adventures I discovered coaching and avidly researched the profession, all the while recognising that my professional interest, personal skills, and natural ability had found its "home." Coaching is the profession I was born to do. I have no doubt. My research into coaching led to me CoachU and after interviewing a couple of coaches, and enlisting her services, I signed up for the CTP. The ease of the teleclass scheduling as well as the incredible wealth of information and quality people in the CoachU community makes the CTP a lifelong learner's dream. After more than 2 years of living as an expatriate in London, I recently returned to my home city of Cape Town. The tropical climate and laid-back lifestyle is the perfect environment for my intrepid spirit. The transition of my coaching practice to the South African market is my current focus and I am already experiencing client interest after one week! I credit CoachU for harnessing my mission to influence my world by colliding with destiny! ~ ~ ~ Contact Ingrid at http://coachinginfo@yahoo.co.uk/. ----------------------------------- From Sabbatical to Coaching Ellen Anthony I came to Coaching via India. In 1997, I lived for nine months in an Indian ashram and when I returned to Cape Cod, my life didn't fit me. Very soon I was introduced to a coach and I began making big changes. I quit my job as Children's Librarian and enrolled in the training at CoachU. The process of integrating what I learned on spiritual retreat into my daily life is ongoing. Recently, I developed a service called Sabbatical Coaching to address that need for others. People who want to create a Time-Out for themselves can explore, plan and maximize the possibilities with the support of a coach. Other aspects of my background have been weaving in and out of my coaching practice. In 1991, through an inspiring string of coincidences, I played Joan of Ark in a local production of The Lark. It so happens that this was the play that launched my father's directing career on Broadway. (Julie Harris was Joan that year!) Since the only obstacle besides incompetency (I'd never acted before) was terror, I proceeded. To make a long story short, my leap of faith opened the doors to several new habits: trusting the Universe, pursuing my visions, accessing the power of focus, and facing down my inner critics. In the next few years, I created, produced and performed my own multi-media experimental theatre pieces, drawing on skills from another career in TV documentary production. Well, all things being intertwined... beginning in January 2001, I'll be offering a Teleclass called The Joan of Arc Seminars: your vision, your courage, your allies, your path. ~ ~ ~ You can contact Ellen at ellen_anthony_@hotmail.com or visit her website at http://www.OpenDoorsCoaching.com/. ----------------------------------- Teacher Turned Coach David Bentley My path to coaching has been rich and interesting. Born and raised in the Deep South, I graduated in Business Administration and Finance. My first career with a large hospital holding company began as an Assistant Financial Manager in a 28-bed hospital. I was promoted to the corporate office and worked as a Budget Analyst and an Internal Auditor before returning to the field as a Hospital Comptroller. Tiring of corporate life and deciding that I really wanted to work more closely with people, I left the hospital business and went back to college to complete a B.A. in Elementary Education and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. I taught public school for 13 years in both traditional and multi-age classrooms at rural, neighborhood, and inner-city schools. While attending university between my hospital and education careers, I managed a college cafeteria, a bookstore, and a burger shop. I have also been a summer camp director, a hospice volunteer, a telephone crisis intervention counselor, and the facilitator of numerous workshops. I now know that I had actually been coaching employees, students, parents, hospice patients, and others for years but only began calling it "coaching" when I discovered that it was a legitimate career field and became associated with CoachU. Some people have asked me if I regret having wasted all that time in my various jobs prior to coaching. My immediate answer is, "of course not!" All of those years were the rich training ground in which I got to see the world through different sets of lenses. I am constantly amazed at how often I am able to relate to a particular client because of some experience from a previous career. ~ ~ ~ Contact David at dbentley@interisland.net, or visit his website at http://www.interisland.net/dbentley. ----------------------------------- From Block Room to Board Room Meg Bentley It seems to be a long way from teaching pre-school to coaching. But let's look at it from a different perspective. In my work as a pre-school teacher, I helped three, four, and five year olds learn how to "use their words" to get what they wanted. The curriculum had the children PLAN what they wanted to do during Activity Time. Then, they were encouraged to follow through and DO what they had planned. At Snack Time, a teacher would REVIEW with them what they had done. "How do you feel about what you've done?" "Are there any changes that you've made -- or wished you'd made -- in your planned activity?" Identifying their wants and using their words to get what they wanted was the mainstay of the curriculum. As a coach, I help my clients put words to their wants. I help them PLAN, follow through and DO what they say they want to achieve. During our next coaching session, we REVIEW what they've accomplished: How did they feel about what they had done? "How do you feel about what you've done?" "Are there any changes that you've made -- or wished you'd made -- in your planned activity?" So for me, 14 years teaching pre-school was the perfect training for coaching. Pre-schoolers and coaching clients are both encouraged to PLAN, DO, and REVIEW. Whether the person is very short or much taller, I help people put words to their wants and find actions to bring their words to life! ~ ~ ~ Contact Meg at meg@organizedcoach.com, or visit her website at http://www.organizedcoach.com/. ----------------------------------- Therapist Turned Coach Ethelle G. Ames, M.Ed. I pride myself in saying I'm a recovered therapist. The other day a former client called and said "I need a shrink!" My immediate reply was "we don't have shrinks here anymore. We have enlargers. Will that do for you?" The energy my clients and I feel after coaching is not even comparable to the energy I lost and the little bit my clients gained after a therapy session. Of course what brought clients to therapy is quite different from what brings clients to coaching. There will always be a place for therapy. It's just not where I want to be anymore. A lot of the training I received as a therapist carried over into my coaching practice. I believe it's made it easier for me to coach with purpose. I use a lot of Transactional Analysis and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) in my corporate coaching practice. These are great theories that actually shed a lot of light on any coaching situation. With a counseling degree in Education, coaching is a perfect fit for me. I have a chance to offer teleclasses, do presentations and training for my corporate clients, and travel. I believe that inside every successful business person is an even more ambitious one trying to get out, and I want to be there to celebrate with that person when they come out. My business tagline is, "put a new show on the road," and I believe I have the "map" and "directions" to get them there. ~ ~ ~ Contact Éthelle at Ethelle@TeamworkCoaching.com, or visit her website at http://www.TeamworkCoaching.com/. ----------------------------------- Wall Street Trader Turned Coach Maria Marsala Wall Street Trading and Manager. That was my title. Never had to say more than that to anyone. The titles spoke for themselves. Yet by 1990 I started looking at the volunteer work I was doing and decided that working with at-risk teens would "make my heart smile." I worked with teenagers who were perplexed when they found out what I "used" to do; they couldn't understand that having lots of money wasn't everything. I enjoyed what I did and had an office with a view of the Ferry and NYC. Then in 1994, a car accident left me unable to work at either. With no career and a great deal of back pain, I embarked on a process of self-discovery. I identified certain skills and aptitudes I possessed but which had not been part of any traditional job or volunteer activity: helping others get ahead in life, teaching what I learned, organizing, motivating, mentoring, socializing, connecting with others on a deep level, writing and having fun! From all of this came my article titled "Top Ten Steps Towards Finding Your Ideal Career," which was recently published on nbci.com. I looked for a career that included all these things and that would enable me to work for a few hours at a time to accommodate my back pain. Initially, I found no such career. Then in 1995, I came across an article about Thomas Leonard and coaching -- I should say the article jumped off the page at me! At the time I wasn't Internet savvy, nor was I confident that I could own my own company. I put it aside and every once in a while I'd come across it, read it, get excited and then put it back in my resume folder. In October 1996, another article jumped out of the newspaper at me. In December 1997, I registered at Coach U. I hired my first coach in April, Edie Periera Hulbert, then Judi Talesnick in 1999. The rest is her-story. ~ ~ ~ Contact Maria at maria_coach@prodigy.net or visit her website at http://www.coachmaria.com/. ----------------------------------- 2. Technology Today StarBand Communications recently announced its two-way, high-speed satellite Internet service. DISH Network announced that it will also offer StarBand Internet service through over 2,000 select DISH Network retailers nationwide. The StarBand service will be offered in conjunction with DISH Network satellite television programming from a new, single dish antenna. The new dish is oval shaped and about 18" in width. I understand that a special price of $99.99 per month will be available for customers who subscribe to StarBand service and America's Top 150 programming package. I have played with a beta version of the Dish system and must say it was a solid performer. There are several other companies coming out with similar systems in the next several months so it might be smart to wait and see what shakes out before jumping on the Dish system. For rural users like myself (it's a "powder day" here in the mountains of northern New Mexico!) this new capability is just what the coach ordered! For more information about StarBand Internet service visit http://www.starband.com/. The site seems to be in a "beta mode" itself so if you want additional information you might also try calling 800-333-DISH. I haven't yet heard about international availability but I would presume it's around the corner as well. ------------------------------------ 3. Calendar of Events International Coaching Skills Evenings February 22 & March 22, 2001 Edinburgh Thursday, 22nd February Apex International Hotel Birmingham Thursday, 22nd March Quality Hotel 166 Hagley Road The skills building evening: 6.30pm till 7pm for networking/greeting. 7pm till 9.30 pm will be skills building. The evenings are for established coaches as well as those interested in either hiring or becoming a coach. The 2.5 hours will be in the form of an interactive presentation - you will be practising coaching skills, developing your coaching muscles, and looking at new ways to develop your practices. We will also be tapping into the experience of all the coaches present, to discover what works best in practice structure and system. For more information, call Sue Wakeman at +44-0-121-502-6352 or visit http://www.coachlive.com/. ~ ~ ~ Coaching 2001 in Kona, Hawaii June 27-30 Sharpen your skills, connect with the coaching community and pamper your soul at this intimate (only 500 attendees) coach training conference. For details about the conference and to register visit http://www.coaching2001.com/. ~ ~ ~ Millennium Coaching Offer An Opportunity is being provided through the support of hundreds of Coach U trained coaches who have volunteered to provide a month of free coaching at no obligation to anyone interested in receiving coaching. If you are interested in this offer, go to http://coachreferral.com/ for details. ~ ~ ~ Go visit Thomas Leonard's latest project, CoachVille.com, the coaching industry web portal. Whether you are a veteran coach, a new coach or someone interested in hiring or becoming a coach, CoachVille.com offers hundreds of tools, tips, and resources, and over 5,000 coach-oriented links. Review and subscribe to the Coaching Scoop at http://www.coachingscoop.com/, the official ezine of CoachVille.com (http://www.coachville.com/). ------------------------------------ 4. E-mail the Editor with your comments and suggestions. steve@coachu.com Subscribe or unsubscribe at: http://todayscoach.com/ Happy Holidays!