The FAQ's of Coaching

I snapped this pic earlier this week while on a walk along Crane Beach, one of New England’s finest beaches. I had just stopped for some hot cider and apple cider donuts at a local orchard – one of my favorite fall traditions!

There’s so much to love about this time of year, isn’t there?

I love the scents of fall, the crispness in the air, the vibrant foliage that delights the eyes and that the Northeast is known for.

And you better believe that my curls love the less humid weather. 💁‍♀️

But separate from that, I appreciate what fall represents energetically. It’s a time for shedding and letting go. Also, it’s a time for gaining clarity around what’s ahead and what we want to carry forward into the new year.

This is one of the aspects I most appreciate about our work at Unbounded Potential™. We help our clients gain clarity for themselves and then take action in alignment with it.

We often mistakenly believe that clarity is something we either have or don’t have. (Does black or white thinking sound familiar to you?) In reality, gaining clarity for ourselves is much like peeling back the layers of an onion. As we lean in and explore what we want, we naturally gain more and more detailed clarity about the answers to that question.

I’ve been in many conversations recently with folks who are brand new to coaching and they’ve been asking some great questions that I thought you may find interesting and useful as you consider when and why coaching may be helpful for you.

Today’s newsletter is a bit of a Q&A in that regard. We’ll dive into some of those questions that coaching-curious folks tend to have. Without further ado, here are 3 FAQs you want to know the answers to:

Can we start with the basics, what is coaching and how does it work?

Coaching is a partnership between coach and client that supports the client in continually accessing a deeper understanding of who they are, what they want and what’s in the way. The coaching process supports the client in taking action and being held accountable to living their life in alignment with that additional clarity.

A coach leverages the power of asking compelling and thought provoking questions that helps the client gain consistently more access to their own self-knowing. The coach essentially serves as a thought partner to mirror and reflect back what the client is saying in a way that calls the client forward to take a different approach, response or action.

As a former economist, I tend to think in formulas and of the foundational ones in coaching is:

[Insight + Action = Result]

[New Insight + New Action = New Result]

The process of coaching supports a client in consistently gaining new insights and awareness for themselves both on and off coaching calls, and then creating practices with their coach to help integrate the new aha moments, learnings and awareness into the fabric of their lives. In doing so, coaching is a transformational approach to growth and change, extending far beyond the bounds of what initially draws someone to coaching.

One of the reasons coaching works so effectively is because it consistently empowers the client through helping them gain clarity and direction about what they want. When we become more committed to what we want rather than all the excuses, dramas du jour, and problems around why we don’t, can’t, shouldn’t or are not capable of having it, that’s often where and when the path forward begins to illuminate itself.

Naturally, the effects of coaching impact the client far beyond the bounds of the coaching relationship. Hear below what a former client reached out to share about her life more than a year after completing coaching (shared with their consent):

“I am so grateful for you coming into my life when you did. I feel like a completely new person and often reflect back on the big changes you supported me in making that continue to bear fruit in my life now.

I still follow all your podcasts and newsletters and love the little reminders of the practices you instilled. I’ve found your series on business to be highly applicable to creating a work life even in a more “traditional” job. I’m happy to say that I’m working much less than I used to and making more money with greater impact. I find I’m often alone in this mindset in government and I feel sad for those around me who are tackling the biggest issues of our time and who muddle through in ways that they don’t have to. It makes me curious about what the state of social justice here and globally would be if those working in it cared much more for themselves.

I’m also happy to share that by the end of this year I will have taken more than 6 vacations 😱 (including 2 weeks in Hawaii and 1 in Curaçao to try scuba diving for the first time) and 40 days off (not including weekends). There’s so much behind these numbers as you know – makes me wanna cry tears of joy what a difference you have made in my life! Thank you!

This year, I’ve also been able to sort out a number of health issues that I’d neglected for a while, and am on a path to enjoying the physical well being that this new fun life calls for.

All this to say – thank you again for being you and sharing your gifts with me at a time when I really needed to make a change.”

– Former Client

When should I consider hiring a coach?

One of my favorite quotes about change comes from Dr. Michael Beckwith who says “the pain pushes until the vision pulls.” You may consider hiring a coach when you are resolved to change. A coach can certainly support you in developing that sense of resolve as well. You may come to that place of resolve for yourself through getting inspired by a future vision you see for yourself and feel compelled to change, or you may also get fed up with the status quo and feel called to do something different.

More specifically, coaching can be supportive in times of transition, evolution, growth, and change in your business, your career, your life, your well-being and relationships. Coaching can be helpful if you are:

Launching or scaling a business

Overcoming money blocks so you can charge more for your services and price yourself competitively

Vying for a promotion and wanting to improve your executive presence

Changing jobs, careers or wanting to do so

Desiring to get off the hamster wheel of the achievement epidemic we live in and find peace and fulfillment from a different source

Committed to growing your confidence and overcoming imposter syndrome

Wanting to be in a romantic relationship and recognize you need to be more emotionally open and make some changes

Ready to commit to your health and create a sense of work life balance you can live with

“Cat is an incredible coach (and I have had a number of coaches)! She is warm, insightful, and loving as hell. I know I can bring my deepest vulnerabilities, and they’ll be met with care. At the same time, she can nudge when needed to help me step into my fullest expression and claim what I most want. During our partnership, I have exceeded my income goals, created a business I love, and prioritized my well-being. Cat brings business acumen, love, structures, and wisdom. Cat is an incredible partner, and I feel deeply grateful for our work together.”

– Rebecca Arnold, Founder & CEO, Root Coaching & Consulting

What’s all this hype about possibility?

Possibility is at the core of what coaching is all about. Webster’s Dictionary defines possibility as, “the state or fact of being likely or possible.” Essentially, if we don’t believe something is possible for us, we will not take sufficient action towards realizing that goal. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Why would you:

Start your own business if you didn’t believe it would be successful?

Double your rates if you didn’t believe you could sell your packages at those prices?

Apply for your supervisor’s role after she’s announced she’s leaving if you didn’t believe you were capable of supervising well?

Be emotionally available while dating if you didn’t believe finding love was possible for you?

In my experience, possibility is the magic of coaching. Coaching helps you deepen your felt sense of what is possible for you. It expands the bounds of what you believe you can accomplish, achieve, declare, actualize, manifest, and call into your life. Your relationship to what you believe is possible grows, elevates and transforms. You naturally become more comfortable taking risks, and leaning into your growth edge. You become less impacted by detours and bumps along the way. And you recognize they’re temporary and don’t mean anything about you and your possibility. You become committed to being and doing what it takes to achieve your goals when you believe your goals are possible. Coaching helps instill that belief in you.

“I’ve been working with Cat for a little over two years and WOW, I cannot imagine how different my life would be without her. Not only is my company headed towards 7-figures (from basically zero), but even more special, magical, and impactful has been my personal growth through our work together.

I’m such a happier, honest, bold person and I’m becoming every day more “myself,” a transformation I couldn’t have anticipated or dreamed of, but the most priceless benefit I’ve gained working with Cat. She’s actually pure magic, home, love and kindness, and I’m continually inspired by her. I can’t wait to see what more quantum leaps this year will bring.”

– Liz Rohr, Real World NP

If you enjoyed today’s blog and learned something new for yourself about coaching, hit reply and let me know! I’d love to hear from you. If you have additional questions about coaching, let’s hop on a call and connect. I’m passionate about coaching and the difference it makes. It would be an honor for me and my team to support you.

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Catherine is a Master Certified Coach and bestselling author of Belonging: Overcome Your Inner Critic and Reclaim Your Joy.