Coach Approach

I just had the most beautiful, presence-filled conversation with a coaching colleague, Joan Leteipa, who was describing her spiritual journey and how she feels while coaching. 

Visualizing the analogy of a pair of scissors, she brought out a real pair to illustrate each point. 

So much of the time we live in the drama of the “muscle end” of the scissors. That space where the thumb and fingers are set through those two large holes. Working so hard. Endlessly and vigorously moving the muscles an…

Do you ever get confused by the seemingly mixed messages around us? Some people firmly and loudly proclaim, “You are perfect just the way you are!" Others are equally convinced of the opposite, "You can do better! Keep striving to improve.”

For coaches, this is more than a philosophical question. Are we loving people just the way they are, or are we helping them to improve?

Some people assume that self-improvement can only come by believing there’s something inherently wrong or flawed within y…

Coaches are so fun and creative. That's our job - to walk with people who are stuck in small, limited ways of thinking about themselves and what's possible to be able to live fully and joyfully.

That's not always easy to do with our puny, little words. So we like to have a whole range of fun, lighthearted learning,  and growing tools available to shake things up a little. 

You can use some of these tools, too, the next time you're feeling stagnant, unsure, turbulent, stuck, or just not as focu…

Have I mentioned lately that you mean a lot to me? Being here together with you in our community brings a big smile to my face. 

I don't know if you've taken the time to peruse the Awaken Coach Institute logo, but you're within it! 

You might have noticed the vibrant, peaceful, joyful blue that makes up the roots, trunk and branches of our tree of life.

This tree is a powerful symbol that reminds me of the moment when I was 28 years old. I was awake in the night, depressed and consumed with a…

What are you living for? What is your purpose?

Rarely do most of us stop to ask these questions when we get busy with all the daily tasks, crises, and demands. But what if you were living out your purpose on a regular basis? 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a way to know exactly what to say yes to and what to say no to, with full permission and joy?

For myself, my purpose is clear. I create communities of grace. 

Now that I know that I'm here to create communities of grace, I know what to spend …

To label yourself a good or a bad person (or any other label - the klutz, the responsible one, the misfit, etc) is to severely limit yourself.

It's far healthier to take a look at your behaviors and see how they're lining up with your core values.

When you choose a behavior that goes against who you'd like to be - honest, warm, connected, kind, calm, etc. - you're likely to feel uneasy, unhappy, unsure. You might even call yourself a "bad" person. "I'm such a bad mom. I yelled at my kids again…

Many people talk about "managing" or "controlling" their emotions. However, emotions are meant to be felt! Once they’re fully felt, a person is in a better position to choose their behaviors and manage their thoughts.

Rather than focusing on controlling emotions, stuffing them, or ignoring them, it’s healthier to focus on acceptance, curiosity, and empathy.

However, many of us are living with the mistaken belief that emotions are HUGE and overwhelming. We think, "If I let myself cry, I might n…

Imagine you are coaching someone who is wracked with self-doubt. What would happen if you could ask a question that would shift their awareness to what they can trust in themselves?

What about a person who is blaming themselves for a mistake; what questions might help them move from blame toward responsibility?

Sometimes people will be struggling with regret, with consequences of the past, and with a nagging wondering about “why”. Others get caught up in their fears, or they make assumptions t…

Have you ever felt that part of you wanted something really badly, and another part of you wanted the opposite? To the extent that your whole being was sending double signals to your conversation partners, and the whole system was in tension? 

That can be really confusing and painful, especially if you think that you should always know just what you want and go for it wholeheartedly. Sometimes things aren't that simple. There's a hierarchy of values. There are systems in play. 

Just this morni…

How do you feel when someone acknowledges you?

How often does someone let you know that they see you, that you are getting the results that you want, and notice what it must have taken you to achieve it? If you're like many people, it can feel that you hear more from others when you make mistakes.

In an ancient parable, the owner of a field tells the servants not to uproot the weeds, ”because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.”

Plenty of people will criticize an…