Two years ago, in November 2021, I frequently asked myself, “When do you become a coach?”.
Is this the time you enter a coaching school?
When you finish your first coaching module/course?
Or maybe when you get your first paying client?
Could it be when you finish school?
Maybe when you get certified?
When is the actual moment you become a coach?
In November 2021 I just 6 weeks into my coaching training and was only beginning to understand what coaching is all about.
I was learning about the coaching process, the partnership between client and coach, the power of practice and play in coaching. It was all with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, but my dream was still to become a coach. At that point I didn’t feel like a coach. I still had a strong voice in my head that challenged my progress almost daily.
But in the end that’s the question, isn’t it? When do you become a coach? What’s the moment when you can say “I’m a life coach”?
For me from two years ago, and for all of you who are now embarking on this journey of becoming a coach, I want to tell you about my experience. It’s a story about discovery, becoming and most of all rewriting lifelong beliefs. It is an 8-act play at the end of which I discovered the true colours of my rainbow.
What’s more, I discovered how I can use my superpowers and make them available to other coaches, and if you want to find out what it’s all about go straight to the end of the article and join my #coachingtribe.
From “I dream of becoming a coach” to
“I’m a coach and I can’t wait to play together!”
First lesson – “Curiosity”.
It happened in a session with a client who was working in a field totally unknown to me. Each session came with a lot of emotions. With the pressure to “deliver” a result. To “understand” what he was sharing with me in order to offer a new perspective.
In fact that was exactly the problem! I was holding myself accountable for my client’s results instead of being there for the client with curiosity and presence. When I realized this, I think it was our 3rd session together. I felt a a shift in me and in that moment, I sat back in my chair and became 100% present to the person in front of me. Just me and the curiosity to discover him.
I wasn’t looking for the solution, or even for it to be a solution, I was simply listening and genuinely curious to learn about how he thinks and how he perceives the world.
Step two, ease in observing
Initially it came with a lot of self-judgment. I blamed myself for not being 100% present with my clients, for going into my own situations. How can I coach them if I haven’t resolved my own issues.
The shift happened when one of my mentors shared that “PCC” (aka Level 2 Coaching Certification) does not stand for “PERFECT Certified Coach” but “Professional Certified Coach”.
That’s when I realized that when you work with other people, you’re actually working with yourself and what you can do is enjoy every situation you notice about yourself because it’s a gift. Then you can take that situation and bring it to your own coaching and mentoring process and grow.
Then came other lessons that turned into superpowers which I use every day and in every session with the people who choose to work with me.
Responsibility -the refact that my transformation process is directly dependent on me. On how much I am willing and able to invest in myself.
Courage to try every day, to not give up and especially to stop looking at how others are doing, and instead have the courage to try the way I FEEL. For myself and not for others.
Being human in the sense of accepting the less beautiful parts of the world, and even the dark parts. Discovering what it means to be human in myself and in others has come with an appreciation of human nature and a true appreciation of all that implies and especially all the emotions.
Pure Joy for the process and not just the results came with a lot of ease and took away the pressure to do things a certain way. There are many more avenues to explore than we think when we do it with joy.
Assessing the journey to reconfigure the route ahead. To evaluate is not to blame yourself for what you didn’t do but to celebrate each milestone regardless of the outcome and realize that … we are all UNIQUE. This was actually the most latest colour which settled into my rainbow, but it certainly won’t be the last.
I absolutely love what I do.
I love every coaching session and every single person I get to create this coaching relationship with, and I want to support you so that you can do that too.
So I invite you to co-create with me and other coaches a safe space for self-expression, professional and personal growth.
Simply put, a tribe. A tribe of coaches.
Here you will find people just like you, awesome coaches interested in personal growth, but also in improving their coaching skills so that they become better coaches with each day and each session.
We will share challenging situations from coaching sessions where you can discover new directions with the support and experience of others. We will look with curiosity and a desire for understanding at the skills and competencies that are at the heart of the coaching process and together, we will create a space based on collaboration and contribution, full of play and a great desire for knowledge.
So do you have a tribe?
If not, would you like to join my tribe of coaches?
This is the invitation I told you about at the beginning of the article. I invite you to get together every month (online and/or offline) and grow together professionally, but especially personally. So, if you want to know more details about the logistics of these meetings and what we will actually work on, I invite you to sign up below. In a couple of days max I’ll get back to you with an email with more logistical details. Meanwhile here are the the fees for attending:
100 lei for online meetings only (a useful option, especially if you are not from Bucharest)
and 270 lei if you want to attend both online and offline meetings.
The last detail is a personal celebration.
I’ll be donating the proceeds from the December meetings to an organization I believe in very much, the Anais Association is a counseling center for victims of domestic violence for which I’ve raised money on other occasions too.
So after signing up, you will receive details of how you can donate this money via the GalantOM platform directly to the Anais Association. This way everything is transparent and we can celebrate together every participant who comes into out #coachingtribe
This is my way of celebrating my journey so far and honoring an important component of my dream.
Basically, we’re making a gift together. You make a financial donation to the Anais Association, and I donate to you my time and expertise with the biggest smile you’ll ever see
The first online meeting takes place on December 5, and the offline meeting takes place on December 16. You can sign up for just one or both.
So what do you think? Do you accept my invitation? Would you like to join my tribe of coaches?