Tomorrow's
Life Coach In This Issue:
Tomorrow's Life Coach (TLC) is a monthly online journal from the Institute for Life Coach Training (ILCT) that nourishes the intellect, intuition and inspiration of the personal and business coaching community. Pat's Ponderings My wife and I just returned from my 6th National Wellness Conference in Steven's Point, Wisconsin, where 1000 wellness professionals (clinicians, medical staff, health care coordinators, personal trainers, and coaches!!!!) gathered for this health-focused conference. There were over 90 hours of ICF approved sessions for Coach Continuing Education (CCEs). This year's theme was Creating and Sustaining Wellness Cultures and included three presentations by me, one by Dr. Doug McKinley of our ILCT faculty and several presentations by Dr. Michael Arloski and Rebecca McLean who teach advanced wellness-coaching courses for ILCT! I highly recommend this event if you can stand dressing in shorts and sandals all week, enjoying the outdoors, great presentations, a smorgasbord of wellness activities available like yoga, tai chi, walking, biking, swimming, nature trails, golfing and very fun and friendly people from all over the world. Next year's theme is on Creating Global Wellness and promises to be really inspiring. Check it out at www.nationalwellness.org Health and Wellness coaching are becoming as prominent as life coaching; although I believe they are different labels for the same thing, i.e. to support and assist people and cultures to live and work purposefully, harmoniously, and as powerfully fulfilling as they can. Paul Zane Pilzer in The Wellness Revolution (2nd Edition 2007) states: "the emerging wellness industry is as much a reaction to the tyranny of sickness....as it is to every person's desire for the freedom wellness offers. Wellness is the next natural step forward in our destiny and in the advancement of humankind. By extending your years of strength and wellness, you can accomplish those things you want to accomplish." And I might add this then allows people to participate in an individual legacy and the greater legacy of our planet. We know we are on a collision course with change, which will produce many different outcomes. We must first embrace wellness within ourselves, then expand into our communities and throughout our planet. We have choices to make each day, many of which support our individual wellness and, at the same time, global wellness. Those choices occur in the food we buy, the companies we support, as well as the politicians and decision makers we elect. Life coaching or wellness coaching has been identified as the missing ingredient in creating lasting lifestyle change. Coaching supports results becoming sustainable over time. In other words, the accountability and the co-creative conversation that happens with a coach enables people to make lasting changes toward living well. The coach is a wellness ally that clients often need to make lasting lifestyle changes. Many clients have been challenged for many years to adopt new behaviors and change unhealthy lifestyle habits. The coach can actually help clients move through the change process, utilizing the coaching relationship, which actually deepens the commitment of the client. Pilzer calls Wellness the next Trillion dollar industry. People are spending willingly on alternative medicine, integrative and holistic treatments or services. Life and Wellness coaching are services many will also seek if they know where to find you. Consider this niche for your business. It cannot only be financially sound for you, but the coaching you do with clients will have an impact on them that could spread out like a virus. Now that would be a good virus! To learn more about the wellness classes that we offer, please click here. Have a healthy and fulfilling month!! Pat Patrick Williams Ed.D., MCC Monthly FREE Introduction to Coaching Calls: Have you lost the passion you had when you entered the profession of being a therapist? Are you on the fast track to burn-out or are you already there? Do you want to add another income stream to your existing practice? Do you want to set your own fees and get paid what you are worth? Do you want to revitalize your work, reclaim your passion, and find joy in doing what you love? Join us for a free one-hour class that will introduce you to the wonderful career of Life Coaching. We want to share our excitement with you and give you information that you can use to help you decide if Life Coaching is for YOU. Topics to be discussed:
Dates: Aug 10th: Click
to register or August 24th: Click
to register Pat's Coaching Forum Pat's guest will be Jim Strohecker, President and Co-Founder of HealthWorld Online (www.healthy.net), the first healthy living/wellness-oriented Internet network. They will be discussing Jim's Wellness Inventory Certification Course, which will be offered at the Institute beginning September 12th or 13th. The Wellness Inventory is an online assessment and life-balance tool that focuses on the whole person in 12 key dimensions of wellness. Pat's other guest will be Lisa Kramer, who will be discussing ILCT's new coaching track - Relationship Coaching Specialist Certificate (RCS). This program is for coaches and other professionals who are interested in developing a specialty in relationship coaching. The first course in the Certificate program begins September 11th. Date: August 28th This is a FREE call. Click here to register. Free Coach Referral Service This list is being offered as a free service to assist individuals in identifying and selecting coaches best suited for their particular situation. Click here for more information. News & Features
Dr. Patrick Williams' Coaching Symposium In Sorrento, Italy ILCT Students Discount - learn more! This four-day seminar is designed to provide professionals an understanding of the theory, history and practical methodology of professional coaching as a field. The seminar will clarify the distinction between therapy and coaching. Participants will learn skills that are transferable from the field of therapy and identify skills that need to be "unlearned" in order to be an effective coach. Dr. Williams developed this workshop specifically for mental health professionals who would like to further understand the field of coaching and how they may incorporate coaching into their practice, or evolve their practice into one entirely focused on coaching. Live and video demonstrations, audio sessions, practical experience, and interactive worksheets will be utilized extensively to illustrate these principles and techniques. Live coaching and video demonstrations, audio sessions, practical experience, and interactive worksheets will be utilized extensively to illustrate coaching principles and techniques. Enjoy this interactive seminar, in a beautiful part of Italy, have fun and (if your tax professional agrees) write off the cost of the trip!!!! Date: Sunday, September 30th to Friday, October
5th, 2007 (six days, five nights)
Do you want to:
If your answer is yes to any one of these, you need to read this book! Those who choose to travel the road of success must also travel the road of continuing education. Success is about being prepared. Every time you read a book that contains the experiences of successful people, you are advancing on your own personal road to success whatever that work means to you. The authors in this book will help you expand your horizons and gain a whole new perspective on how to achieve success! PURCHASE Speaking of Success - World Class Experts Share Their Secrets
With his bestselling Therapist as Life Coach, Pat Williams introduced the therapeutic community to the career of life coaching. Now, Williams, founder of the Institute for Life Coach Training (ILCT), and Menendez, senior trainer at ILCT—both master certified coaches extraordinaire—reveal all the basic principles and crucial strategies that they have taught to thousands of coaches over the years. Beginning with a brief history of the foundations of coaching and its future trajectory, Becoming a Professional Life Coach takes readers step-by-step through the coaching process, covering all the crucial ideas and strategies for being an effective, successful life coach, including:
Purchase Becoming a Professional Life Coach New Class: The Art of Mindful Coaching Taught by Doug Silsbee, PCC October 8-10, 2007, in Asheville, NC. ILCT now offers a residential retreat for in depth exploration of mindful coaching. Based on the 2004 book, The Mindful Coach, this retreat is designed for coaches who are committed to developing presence and authenticity in their coaching. Experienced coaches as well as those relatively new to the field will experience an integration of mindfulness practices with a practical methodology for holding learning conversations that really work. This experiential workshop is built around extensive practice and feedback. The retreat also provides the opportunity to experience coaching from the client perspective. Participants will receive extensive coaching on a topic of their choice, and will leave with a development plan for moving forward. Read full description and register. Mindful Coaching: Choosing Your Coaching Voice by Doug Silsbee In a previous article (Recognizing Habits of Mind; TLC, July 2004) we explored the means by which our unconscious tendencies and habits can subtly undermine our capacity to serve our clients. Here, we see how a set of distinctions between different coaching Voices can be of immense help in making intentional choices in our coaching. Any decent model provides distinctions that allow us to observe ourselves in action. As a simple example, having the distinction between "sitting" and "standing" allows us to observe, name, and choose between these two body positions. In mindful coaching, knowing the distinction between the condition of distraction and the condition of presence allows us to know when we’re present and when we’re not, and to come back into presence when we’re distracted. Similarly, we can come to understand the range of coaching Voices that are available to us. By observing ourselves as we coach, we become more skillful at choosing the particular Voice that best serves the emerging needs of our client in the present moment. For example, a lot of coaching consists largely of questioning. So, we can distinguish the Investigator as the coaching Voice who asks questions. Further distinctions elaborate subtler differences: there are questions oriented toward shifting the clients’ view of their current situation, accessing a clear vision of how things can be, or identifying concrete action steps to get there. Knowing and practicing these distinctions allows us to feel oriented in a coaching conversation. We become more able to choose what we are asking, grounded in an understanding of why it is helpful at this moment in time. I’ve articulated seven distinct Voices in my work. These contain twenty specific aspects that, taken together, provide a roadmap for the coaching conversation. Other Voices include the Reflector (providing feedback and encouraging self-observation,) the Teacher (challenging a client’s thinking process, and offering expert information,) the Guide (encouraging or suggesting action,) and the Contractor (working through client doubts and resistance.) Supporting these operational Voices are the Partner (establishing trust and structure in the coaching relationship,) and the Master. The Master underpins all the others with a mindful, compassionate presence that is able to choose the most effective Voice in the moment. On one level, the Voices can be seen as providing a roadmap for the coaching conversation. The distinctions between the Voices provide guidance for what to DO as a coach. Each Voice, in particular moments, provides exactly the right support for the client’s forward movement. In another moment, a different Voice will be more useful. Together, the Voices form an architecture that generates creativity, possibility and commitment to action. More importantly, the distinctions allow us, the coach, to observe ourselves in action. They inform how we can BE as a coach. "Where am I in this conversation?" "What is important to ask now?" "What attachments, or energies, am I experiencing right now as I ask this question?" "And, am I asking this question to feel good about myself, or because it will really serve my client?" These questions help us to stay present, to orient to ourselves and to the client. Mindfulness in coaching takes practice. Initially, we allocate a portion of our mind to observe ourselves in action. By considering these kinds of questions, we move into knowing ourselves, and to being curious about the client and what she needs. With practice, the questions disappear into the background, and we become more and more able to rest in a calm and centered presence. In this presence, we are simultaneously fully available to our clients, and fully aware of ourselves. The constant practice of making conscious choices about how to serve our clients in every moment leads to mastery. Three day retreats in the Art of Mindful Coaching allow participants to experience a solid basis for bringing mindfulness and greater presence into your coaching. For experienced and relatively new coaches, retreats offer practice and feedback in using the seven Voices, and the valuable experience of being coached through the Voices as well.
Doug is offering a three day live training on Oct. 8-10, in Asheville, NC. ILCT and ICF certification and renewal credits are available for this retreat through ILCT. More information / registration ILCT Alumni: Spotlight on Christina Van Pelt The year was 2002. I had already spent two very frustrating years training as a financial advisor with a major brokerage company because I was convinced that this was the way for me to help people reach their goals. I am not a numbers person, but the software and resources made my job easy in that manner - the pounds of paperwork and the economy did not. My biggest challenge of all is that I was a 26 year old female in a male dominated industry. Just barely able to pay rent, car payment, and eat. It would take 4 more years for me to admit that I was in the wrong business. In one of my favorite magazines, there was a writer who regularly advised on personal topics - boundaries, living life to the fullest, being unforgettable - and I really liked her style and matter-of-factness. I finally decided to check her bio - Life Coach, it said. Huh? What the heck is a life coach? (This is also the most common response I get from potential clients when I tell them what I do!) So like any Gen-X'er I looked it up on the Internet. Wow! I couldn't believe what I was reading! I had been through a lot in my young life, and would have paid good money for honest feedback and perspective. Now you can get what you are missing from those in your life who are either completely oblivious or unwilling to risk a relationship by being totally honest with you! I had considered many times getting a degree in psychology or counseling. But after interviewing many who had already done so and were still practicing - it wasn't quite the fit I was looking for. Something was missing. I did not want to work with clients who frequently did not want to help themselves, and I certainly did not want to work in a field where many clients were viewed as having a disease to be treated. What about just planning for life? Getting a different perspective? Being accountable? And once recovered from a 'disease' or 'issue' - then what? They are on their own? I recognized that because I did not have training as a counselor or therapist that I needed a program that would help me to understand the very clear differences between psychoanalysis and coaching. From 2002-2005 I continued as a financial planner, supplementing my income by writing plans for other advisors. I also began to notice a few things about the clients that I did have: 1) They were not reaching their goals, and 2) They were not coming to me for financial advice!!! I realized that most of my clients were not reaching their goals because 'life' was getting in the way, and I was only able to see them about once every six months. This was not enough contact to help them stay focused on their long term goals , and frequently we had to start over at every meeting. I wondered why these people were continuing to pay me thousands of dollars each year - so, I began asking. The responses were the key to finding the confidence to leave my day job. My clients, one by one, would tell me that I was worth every penny to them because I didn't talk over their heads, they felt truly listened to and believed that I cared about their goals as much as they did, and did not make them feel guilty for having made mistakes or suffering setbacks. The lights went on. I began talking with friends - they said similar things. So, in 2006 on my 30th birthday - despite the rather dubious look on my husband's face - I announced that I would begin training as a life coach and leave financial advice within 24 months. We began searching for schools with a particular criteria: affordability, phone classes, evening times, focus on coaching (and not sales), business training, technological savvy (my husband insisted on this!) and clarity of purpose. The Institute for Life Coach training possessed all of these and more. My choice was clear and I signed up that same day. Not knowing what to expect and being the youngest in my class by at least ten years, I was a little intimidated. Most of my classmates had Masters in this or PhD in that. The intimidation didn't last long. The concepts were easy to understand, the classes were delightful, and I looked forward to each class even after a long hard day at the grindstone. The application of the concepts that I learned proved to be more difficult, but I had encouragement and feedback every week! I remember the last day of the Foundation course, and recall feeling disappointment that I would not be talking with everyone once a week as I had become accustomed. I followed the suggestion of the teachers and hired my own coach the very next month. I am very proud to say that I left my 'day job' in December of 2006 - a full 15 months ahead of my goal. I now enjoy the flexibility of schedule, enjoy my work, and make twice the income. It was the best decision I have made other than marrying my husband. I still struggle with finding a niche, refining the processes and continuing to make myself visible to potential clients, but the training and support I received at the Institute has given me the confidence to know that I will get there. I am still on track to have 36 clients this year, and am working with my husband to integrate eco-consciousness in both our lives and work - a dream for both of us. Coaching has been the launching pad for so much positive, permanent change in my life, and being able to share it is a gift. Christina Van Pelt, Personal Coach
FREE Teleclasses Relationship Coaching Specialist Certificate Join Lisa Kramer on Thursday, August 9th at 4:00 p. m. Eastern OR Monday, August 13th at 12:00 Noon Eastern (please select one time only) to learn more about an exciting new program – the Relationship Coaching Specialist Certificate (RCS). This program is for coaches and other professionals who are interested in developing a specialty in relationship coaching, and is being offered in two tracks. Lisa will discuss:
Date: Thursday, August 9th Date: Monday, August 13th Falling Awake Success Strategies I and II Join Susie Strauss on Tuesday, August 28th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern for Falling Awake Success Strategies I and II, based on Dave Ellis' Falling Awake: Creating the Life of Your Dreams, this course will be a creative and hands-on exploration of Ellis’ Success Strategies and tools which can be used to assist clients to move forward with their dreams and desires with purpose and intention. A total of of 12 Success Strategies will be covered over the two courses. Susie Strauss, MSW, ACC is a Licensed Social Worker, Certified Life Coach, and Founder and Executive Director of One to One Women Coaching Women, a non-profit which provides pro-bono Life Coaching to deserving women across the United States and Canada. She also has a private life coaching practice and was a therapist for over nineteen years before she devoted herself to assisting others to have the lives of their dreams through life coaching. Please bring to the call 3 x 5 index cards and a pen. These will used during the call. Susie’s six-week course, Falling Awake Success Strategies , begins on Tuesday, September 11th at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. Whether you plan to take the class or not, Susie hopes you'll join her on August 28th to learn more about assisting clients in creating the life of their dreams! Date: Tuesday, August 28th Expand Your Business! Deepen Your
Coaching Skills!
Coaching Applications & Specialties
Additional classes, details and online registration at our course section. Some schedules may change; check listing or contact Edwina Adams, Administration/Registration, at edwina@lifecoachtraining.com. Where In The World Is Pat Williams? September 30th - October 5th October 12th - 14th October 27th - 28th October 31 - November 4th What Pat Recommends
Tomorrow's Life Coach™ Patrick Williams, Ed.D., Publisher If you wish to use any of our content in a newsletter, magazine or other media (whether public or internal), please request permission. |
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