Frequently Asked Questions

What is coaching?

Coaching is a very effective technology of personal and professional development based on concepts from sports, business, spirituality, psychology and organizational development. It's for passionate people who want more from their personal and business lives. At the foundation, a coach helps them:

set larger, more rewarding goals
develop a strategy to achieve them, and
provide support throughout the process.

It's not unlike having a personal trainer (which I am) or an athletic coach, but also in a business and personal sense. The achievement of goals is something that comes more quickly as a result of the coaching partnership.

Why and how does coaching work?

Coaching works when there are two factors present:

A person/client desires and is willing to grow. This is HUGE!
There is a gap between where they are now and where they want to be.

That may sound like a lot of people, but successful coaching clients know the value of sharing ideas with someone who not only understands them, but is subjective enough not to want "it" more than the client, AND is also objective enough not to be biased or self-serving.

Coaching works because of three unique features:

SYNERGY: Client and coach become a team, focusing on the client's goals and needs and accomplishing more than the client would alone.
STRUCTURE: With a coach, the client takes more actions, thinks bigger and gets the job done, thanks to the tools and accountability the coach provides.
EXPERTISE: The coach knows how to help people make better decisions, set the best goals, develop new skills for communicating, and restructure their professional and personal lives for maximum productivity.

Where do I start with a coach?

Most coaches begin with a special client meeting or call to get to know each other. The coach wants to hear about the client's goals, needs, and challenges. The client wants to get comfortable with the coach and feel a sense of hope and connection. In the end, they both want to know that they can work together, that the client can get the help they need, and that the coach knows they can truly serve the client well. This takes trust.

You say you work with women in leadership. How can a Manager/Executive use you as coach?

Most of my clients are either preparing for, are uncomfortable with, or exploring another level of leadership. They may have lost themselves in their role, or they have lost themselves and don't know how to show up in their role. Some want to avoid, others are already experiencing health issues or concerns that can impact their ability to show up...well.

First, my coaching creates an environment where there is freedom from judgment and freedom from expectations that leaders experience according to typical corporate mandates. It's important for my clients to understand and experience an environment that is safe. It is safe to question, to appear vulnerable, to observe, to explore, experiment, to learn AND to change. That allows them to use our time together to...

gain clarity in who they are as a person that is not tied to their roll
take care of their greatest asset (themselves)
uplevel their confidence so they show up "well" and "whole"
orchestrate personal and business for best results
set boundaries and the priority that guides them
turn a difficult situation into possibilities and opportunities
manage personal and business challenges with clarity and confidence
manage personal and business relationships from who they are
establish their leadership lifestyle
reach new levels across their life

How do the coaching sessions work?

My coaching services are almost always done over the phone. In addition to allowing frequent, regular contact, it makes it easy to stay in the "coaching relationship", since the client can call from their office, home, car or hotel.

The client completes a coaching call strategy form prior to each call to prepare. This allows them to express good things (gratitude), describe the current challenges (their reality), and the progress they've made since the last call (acknowledgment). This gets them thinking, and helps me understand where they are, and prepare.

The focus of the call is determined by the client, while the purpose of the call is in line with the coaching path they are on with me. I, as their coach, help them to view the problems and make the most of opportunities. When they are missing a principle or distinction, we draw one so they can see a whole lot better. When they are taking on a large goal, I help them design and project and provide the support and structure needed to make sure it gets done. But in the end...the client must do the work.

My base coaching is three 40-minute phone sessions per month, scheduled every 7-10 days. This allows for great action steps on the client's part between sessions. We supplement with coaching in their private client log as needed. My most successful clients make great use of their logs! It almost guarantees forward movement.

You get a process to maximize your internal motivation, as we work on mindset first. I help you take your Glass Half-Empty conversation, and turn it into Glass Half-Full possibilities that move you forward. I help you train yourself internally (beginning with training the mind) to be more focused on solutions rather than problems (to train the body to act!). You’ll be able to collect resources that move you forward during the process.

Together, we bring out your best. I'm here to offer insight, help you strategize, keep you accountable, AND celebrate the wins with you. During most sessions, you are given a formula, new perspective or a challenge to try something in a new way. That forms the basis for the next call.

It's all step by step.

What does your coaching provide?

A path and a process to help you achieve your greatest lifestyle. The step-by-step process I use will allow us to take one area of your life or business at a time, and I help you understand the possibilities and the dynamics of change there. Clients describe it in words like:

challenge
accountability
inspiration
support
direction, and
confirmation/validation.

Okay, some say "kick in the butt" but you didn't hear that from me. I call it "truth in love" coaching.

In the end, we’re solving problems because we're after specific results that make an impactful difference in your life. I call you a VICTOR as we begin to manage your abundance!

What happens when I begin an agreement with you as my coach?

Let's start by defining our roles. We have a partnership in life-changing strategies. I’m there with you as your coach to keep you on track, and to help you change what isn’t quite right yet. You are there to do your weekly and daily actions… to be doing more and more of what works. The whole time we’ll monitor your progress and evaluate your performance, staying in forward motion. And fear not! We will take care to celebrate your successes.

During a contract, or we'll call it a partnership:

You take yourself and what you want more seriously.
You take more effective and focused actions immediately.
You stop putting up with stuff that gets in your way, or that you put in your way.
You create momentum to achieve more, are more stable, and develop more powerful life management skills.
You set personal goals that are clear and meet your needs.
You identify and eliminate the barriers that get in the way of the achievement of these goals.
You communicate about what you need and want from others in a more responsible way.

Can I work on anything I need?

Yes. As long as you are serious about making life changes in that area, are are willing to work hard to be a VICTOR. What matters is that you are willing to work on the whole of who you are. That means, we will start with that "thing" you need, and we'll move into other areas of your life as we go on your path. We want to bring about success in most areas of your life during our time together.

How long would we work together?

My signature ALIGN Lifestyle Package is for 12 months. Why? Because life happens, and if you're limited to 3 or 6 months, you can be side-tracked or distracted by life happening, and not feel accomplished. With the time of 12 months, I'm there to keep you moving forward, and manage life along the way, bringing you back to what you've discovered, learned, implemented and achieved success with.

After a coaching program is complete, I suggest to my clients that they stay with me as long as they l-o-v-e the coaching and the results!

But seriously. Lifestyle transformation is a 3-year process. Not kidding. I ask clients to step into 1 year with me for themselves, to experience discovery, defining, aligning, practicing, purging, pruning, processing and the ups and downs of life along the way.

Even my Lifestyle Nutrition and Fitness for Life programs are 12 months. It just works!

What is in the private client portal and how is it accessed?

As a client, after you login, you can:

access your private client log
update various forms (such as Client Profile, Goals, Discovery, Evaluations) we will use in the coaching relationship
process your monthly payments, if you are on an installment plan
schedule & re-schedule your coaching appointments (I don't always have this available)
enjoy various documents and materials posted for your use
review archived newsletters
complete your Call Strategy Form prior to the coaching session
complete your Post-Session Recap Form after the coaching session
access the recording of your coaching session

To log in, once you go to my website, simply click on LOGIN in the upper right corner of the Welcome Page. You will know you have successfully logged into this area when the webpage welcomes you by name.

What if I lose my password?

Not a problem! When you go to the home page of my website and click on the “Login” link at the top right, you will be able to enter your username and then click on the “I FORGOT MY PASSWORD” button. My system will automatically send you an email with your password included. Should you misplace your username, simply contact me via email and I will send you your username to reset your password.

What if I have to re-schedule an appointment?

You can cancel/reschedule an appointment easily outside of 24 hours of the appointment without losing that session. Contact me immediately, and we will work out the details through the calendar. If it is inside of 24 hours of the appointment, still contact me immediately, but please understand that your appointment will be counted as used toward your total calls.

What happens if I miss a call due to an emergency?

No worries, if in the emergency, you are unable to contact me, contact me as soon as possible. Please, take care of your emergency first. Then, we can do laser coaching right in your client log until our next scheduled call. If you give me 24 hours notice I will do my best to reschedule your appointment as usual. If you simply don't show up....you miss that call, and it is counted toward your total calls. With accountability comes responsibility. That being said, I coach with grace.

How soon can I get started?

How soon can we have a conversation? But really. If you believe that coaching is for you, or if you're still a little unsure, I offer a 30-minute Lifestyle Bridge to Breakthrough chat, that is totally complimentary, and of great value. Together we can get clear on the bridge you're facing, what's in your way, what's possible, and see if us working together is your next step forward. You have to be willing to do the work. I can't want this more than you. We'll both know if we can work together. If my schedule is open for new clients, you can get you on the schedule ASAP.

You can schedule your Bridge to Breakthrough call HERE.