Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.
- Julius Charles Hare
Frequently Asked Questions
How does it work?
As your coach my role is to :
- Provide a safe, supportive space free of judgment.
- Be a sounding board.
- Address barriers.
- Explore underlying perspectives.
- Empower you to move forward.
- Provide structures for celebration and accountability.
As the client your role is to:
- Take responsibility.
- Open your mind.
- Commit to yourself.
- Do the work.
Together we will:
- Talk openly about whatever is on your mind
- Find clarity, get energized and see things from new perspectives
- Make the connections between your authentic self and your parenting self
- Create strategies for self-care that support you in bringing your best to parenting and life
- Cultivate the confidence to stay positive in the face of negative feedback
Down to the nitty gritty....
- All sessions are conducted over the phone (or Skype if you're long distance to Toronto).
- Sessions are charged monthly for four weekly sessions per month.
- The initial trial session is free.
- Fees include up to two emails per week.
What is Internal Life Coaching?
Internal Life Coaching treats the inner journey as an end in itself. Many life coaches will work on values or strengths with a client as a means of setting goals such as changing careers, advancing their current careers, moving forward in a relationship or achieving work-life balance. In this case the inner work is intended to help you improve your external life. In Internal Life Coaching we work on bringing your internal life into harmony so that you can bring your true self to everything you do. While you may be moved to make changes in your external life, this is more a natural side effect of embracing your authentic self.
How is this different from therapy?
Internal Life Coaching is not therapy. Although the focus of our work is on your internal life and self-awareness it is grounded in the present and looking to the future. One commonly used metaphor is that a life coach is an architect, helping you to design and build your life for the present and the future, while a therapist is more like an archaeologist, digging through the past to unearth the answers for the present.
What is Authentic Parenting?
Authentic Parenting is parenting from who you are rather than from who think you should be. This means knowing your values, knowing your strengths and knowing yourself. When you need to make a difficult decision you draw on this authentic self and ask yourself WWID – What Would I Do?
When you know who you are you can strive to the best parent for who you are. You parent based on your strengths, your values and your beliefs and you raise children who respect and strive for authenticity. You believe in what you do and you develop your own style of parenting without shame or apology. And when you are honest about who you are, you can choose to work with what you’ve got and forget about trying to be someone else. Instead of pretending that you don’t have a temper you can develop strategies to deal with it so that you don’t take it out on your kids (or your spouse!).
In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”
Can I try it out?
Yes! Before committing to paid sessions we will set up a free trial session so that you can get a sense of what coaching is about, ask any questions you may have and get a feel for me and my approach.