A Room of My Own

February 11th 2014

Years ago, in one of my first coaching classes, a beloved Master Coach asked me to describe my future office where I would do meaningful work. I could see it clearly in my mind’s eye: an open window letting in a warm breeze, a green view of trees and grass, a hint of blue sea in the distance. This week, ...

The Leap

February 10th 2014

“I took a leap of faith this morning,” a favorite coaching client told me. I held my breath. “I took it,” he said. I started dancing around the living room. I’ve been working with this client for the past three months on a career transition. He’d been in corporate marketing for most of his career and wanted to move into ...

AND

September 23rd 2013

A coaching client is moving to Myanmar. (Which is not what usually happens with my clients.) This client is an adventurer. If he’d been born in the 19th century, he’d have set off with Shackleton. If he’d been born in the 24th century, he’d be off colonizing new planets. Since he was born in the 20th century, he’s moving to the other ...

I’ll Show You

September 19th 2013

The Colman Pool swim test loomed large all winter. If you’re a little kid, you can’t go down the slide or the diving board unless you pass the swim test. And it’s a long way. You have to swim the crawl stroke all the way across the pool and back, without stopping. My 7-year-old daughter Z really wanted to go ...

I Got It

September 18th 2013

“I got it.” That’s a nice email to see in my inbox. A coaching client has just landed a job doing work that matters to him at an organization you’ve heard of and respect. (It can be done.) “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me,” my client emailed. “I would have never have done what I needed to do to ...

Wild Girl

August 20th 2013

“I’m tired of being good at camp,” my 7-year-old daughter said. That got my undivided attention. “What do you mean?” I asked her. We were driving to the kids’ first day of wilderness camp, one of a string of camps this summer. “I always stay by the counselor, do what they say,” she mumbled, looking out the window. “What if you ...

Networking Primer

June 17th 2013

I don’t know what they teach kids in college these days, but it sure isn’t the basic professional survival skill of networking. The Seattle Times selected Trevor, an out-of-work Millennial, as a “career makeover” candidate for a feature in the NWJobs section of the Sunday paper. And the Seattle Times selected me as a “networking expert” to coach him on ...

Foop Foop, Part 1

June 17th 2013

A favorite coaching client is playing small. She’s a top performer, professionally driven, highly capable – “But anybody could do what I do,” she says. This is a manager who gets top performance reviews, has a staff that would follow her anywhere, is widely respected and admired and liked – and who wants to play big. “What does that mean ...

Training for the STP

April 3rd 2013

Note: This is a blog series I’m writing for the Cascade Bicycle Club blog. Week #1 of CTS Training: 28 Miles, 1160’ Elevation Week #2: 35 Miles, 1200’ Elevation Week #3: 43 Miles, 2000’ Elevation Week #4: 55 Miles, 2387’ Elevation Week #5: 67 Miles, 1849’ Elevation Week #6: Skipped It to Go Running Week #7: 76 Miles, 3500′ Elevation Week ...

Group Coaching

March 13th 2013

I offer group coaching to explore the question: How do you want your life to evolve by the end of December 2013? The content of the group coaching model follows my Heart’s Desires curriculum: We explore the pieces of your life that you want to pay attention to. You have changes you want to make, experiences you want to add, energy drains ...

2013 Desires

March 13th 2013

A friend asked me what my goals are for my coaching practice. I looked at her blankly. “I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe you should think about it,” she said archly. Of course I have goals for my business. But I wasn’t paying attention to them, other than the financials. They weren’t written down. I wasn’t tracking them. I began ...

The Chilly Willy

February 25th 2013

I can now ride a bike further than I can run. I can say this because I rode the Chilly Hilly, a 33-mile ride around Bainbridge Island, this weekend, which is further than I have ever run. Or ever biked. Seven-year-old Z calls the ride the Chilly Willy, which seemed apt as we were waiting to disembark from the Seattle-Bainbridge ...

The Art of Bragging

February 23rd 2013

I like it when my coaching clients brag. In fact, I make them. As an athlete, I figure anything that tough has to be good for you. I recently asked a favorite client to brag. He squirmed in his chair. “Well, I think I’m okay at…” I jumped down his throat, the poor man. “That’s bragging?” I cried. “Try harder!” ...

Interview Hypocrite

February 12th 2013

I was coaching a client recently on prepping for an interview.  I asked him to practice his personal narrative, to answer the question, “So tell me about yourself and why you’re interested in this position.” I drifted for a moment as I listened to his answer. I recently interviewed for an executive coaching gig. And I paused and stumbled over ...

Blues Antidote

February 8th 2013

A friend teased me, saying dismissively, “You think going for a run is the answer to everything.” It’s bugged me ever since, because, well, it’s true. Yesterday I woke up blue. Maybe it was the weather, maybe I was fighting a bug, but I woke up despondent. I had a headache. I wanted to curl up on the couch and ...