
Defining Coaching
ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:
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Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
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Encourage client self-discovery
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Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
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Hold the client responsible and accountable
This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.

What coaching is NOT
Professional coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organizational support professions.
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Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.
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Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
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Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.
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Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum.
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Athletic Development: Though sports metaphors are often used, professional coaching is different from sports coaching. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behavior of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. Professional coaches possess these qualities, but their experience and knowledge of the individual or team determines the direction. Additionally, professional coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviors that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.

Core Coaching Competencies
A. Setting the Foundation
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Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards
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Establishing the Coaching Agreement
B. Co-creating the Relationship
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Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client
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Coaching Presence
C. Communicating Effectively
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Active Listening
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Powerful Questioning
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Direct Communication
D. Facilitating Learning and Results
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Creating Awareness
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Designing Actions
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Planning and Goal Setting
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Managing Progress and Accountability

Is Coaching For You?
WHAT KIND OF ISSUES AND
CHALLENGES CAN YOU BRING TO LIFE
COACHING?
At this point in our story, are you wondering if you have the kind of life issue that coaching can help with? This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should help you get your wheels turning about the kind of thing a life coach could help with.
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Life in general
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Do you find yourself thinking that there just aren't enough hours in the day?
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Do you want more fun in your life?
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Do you want to find a better balance? between work and the rest of your life?
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Do you find yourself putting up with clutter in your life?
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Do you want more discipline in accomplishing your goals?
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Do you need help in overcoming procrastination?
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Do you want to find ways of dealing with stress in your life?
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Do you need to become more assertive, or firm with your personal boundaries?
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Do you want to increase your self confidence?
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Do you wonder what your purpose is in life?
2
Career and finance
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Do you want to find a career that will truly suit you?
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Do you want to become re-inspired at work?
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Do you want help finding a new or better job
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?
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Do you need help writing a good resume or answering tough interview questions?
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Do you want to get the motivation and put a plan in place to go for that promotion ?
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Do you find it hard to write and stick to a budget?
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?retirementDo you feel you need some direction planning your
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3
Business
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Do you want to start your own business but feel unsure of yourself?
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Do you want to start making more money with your small business?
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Do you want to develop leadership skills?
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Do you want to build stronger teams in your workplace?
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Do you want to make your organization excel?
4
Relationships and dating
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Do you want to be more comfortable meeting and attracting romantic partners?
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Do you want to start making better and more successful relationship choices?
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Do you want to feel more attractive and confident?
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Do you feel your current relationship needs vision or direction?
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Do you feel you could be communicating better in your current relationship?
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Do you want a more harmonious family life?
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Communication and interpersonal skills
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Do you want to get over your fear of public speaking?
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Do you want to prevent misunderstandings?
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Do you want to be able to make winning presentations easily?
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Do you want motivation to finish that book you have been trying to write?
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Do you want to tap into your inner creativity?
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Do you want to learn how to be better understood by others?
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Do you want to make a great first impression, every time?
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Do you want to discover how to be more comfortable at writing emails or reports?
6
Health, fitness and wellness
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Do you want to be more motivated to get and stay fit, or lose weight?
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Do you want to discover ways of maintaining your health, youth and vitality?
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Do you want to start really enjoying exercising and eating right?
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Do you want to embrace a new lifestyle, but find that you keep doing the same old thing?
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Do you lose weight only to put it back on again?
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Do you find yourself comfort eating when you know better?
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Do you want help managing an illness?
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Do you want to find ways to relax?
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Do you find yourself living life on "automatic pilot" instead of being present?
What Is Coaching?
I offer coaching services in the Personal Development spectrum such as Self-Help, Mindset, Growth, and Law of Attraction.
I offer services related to finding a suitable career path, developing good employee/ management habits, starting a home business, and marketing online.
I offer services involved with achieving a healthy lifestyle, combating negative health habits, and the Mind-Body connection.
"Core Competencies." Core Competencies - Individual Credentialing - ICF. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017.
"Is Life Coaching for Me?" Life Coach Hub. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017.