So this blog is a bit of fun really. I thought what could I write about this week and I came up with doing an A to Z of Arbori Coaching. Hopefully it provides a bit of a light-hearted but informative list of things that are important to me when it comes to my coaching style and what my clients get out of the experience.
A
A is for ACCOUNTABILITY — A fundamental outcome for my clients to ensure that I keep them accountable for their actions and goals on their coaching journey.
B
B is for BUSINESS — After a degree in Business and Marketing and 20 plus years working in business and marketing, I count myself as a highly experienced business coach. I love to support my clients with their business planning and help them build their business and their dreams.
C
C is for CHAMPION — I see myself as my client’s champion. I will hold your hand along the pathway of life and your business journey and I will be there to champion you and support you every step of the way.
D
D is for DOWN TO EARTH — A lot of my clients would describe my coaching style as ‘down to earth’. I am real and I will hold the space for you to do the work you need to do — but let’s have an enjoyable experience while we’re doing it.
E
E is for EXTERNAL FACTORS — Is your happiness dependent on external factors? Most people’s is, fundamentally. I will work with you to ensure that whatever is going on externally, you can find happiness internally.
F
F is for FLEXIBILITY — I would say that the coaching experience with me can be pretty flexible, because these are your sessions and you need to make them work for you. A lot of my clients switch between business and life coaching, depending on what they need at the time. As long as you define what you need, I am very happy to be flexible with my coaching style.
G
G is for GOALS — Setting goals is an essential part of working with a life or business coach. Agreeing goals will ensure we keep you on track and eventually start living the life that you want, or building that dream business.
H
H is for HONESTY — I am a pretty honest and direct person. That is what most of my friends and family say about me and this does spill over into my coaching practice. I will support you and I will commit to being honest with you — and sometimes you might not want to hear what I have to say. But coaching is about self-development and moving forward, and I will certainly help you do that in a supportive and honest environment.
I
I is for INTUITIVE — I am an intuitive person and my coaching style sits firmly in this area. I like to be in the moment, actively listening to you, and I will rely on my intuition to help guide the questions I ask to help you move forward. Having your intuition turned up is truly an important gift that we all can work on.
J
J is for JOURNALING — Journaling is a proven tool in my coaching toolbox that I often suggest to my clients. I have kept a gratitude journal for quite a few years now and setting my day up by journaling what I am grateful for really does help set my positive mindset up for the day.
K
K is for KINDNESS — Kindness is such an important quality and value in life, and often we only think about it in the context of being kind to others. The one thing that comes up a lot with my clients is being kind to themselves. Many people struggle with this — but it is truly the starting point for real self-confidence and self-worth. Start being kind to yourself today!
L
L is for LIMITING BELIEFS — Limiting beliefs are really the thing that seem to hold most of us back. A limiting belief is something we believe to be true about ourselves or our lives that shapes and limits how we live. When you find out what that limiting belief is and redefine it, that is where a lot of people make truly fundamental change.
M
M is for MOTIVATION — Motivation is a key reason why a lot of people work with a coach. People often struggle to stay motivated and accountable when working on their own — so I promise to support you, motivate you and keep you accountable to meet your life or business plans.
N
N is for NATURE’S CYCLES — Over the last few years, I have felt more aligned to nature’s seasons and following its lead on actions to take. Spring signifies when growth starts again above the ground and trees and plants are bursting into life and blossoming. So after a long winter, I see Spring as a time to put those thoughts and ideas into action. It’s time to start bringing a project to life, perhaps, or making physical changes to a situation you are not happy with. How are you springing into life?
O
O is for OBJECTIVE — Having a coach gives you someone to work with who is completely objective. Often people talk to their partners, family or friends — but all of these people have involvement in your life. I am objective and have no invested interest in your outcomes.
P
P is for PRIORITISING — Prioritising is so important when working out your values, your objectives or what actions you want to progress. Sometimes it’s hard to prioritise your time and resource, but the coaching experience can support you in developing this skill.
Q
Q is for QUESTIONS — Coaching is about asking good questions. I pride myself on being in the moment and asking good but challenging questions that will help you move your coaching journey forward.
R
R is for RE-DESIGN — I believe that everyone can re-design their life, whoever they are. It may take time and effort, but it is truly important to live your best life — and working with me can help you re-design and start living it.
S
S is for STRATEGY — I am an experienced strategic marketer and businessperson, so I will work with you to develop strategies you can work towards and build upon to meet your business goals.
T
T is for TRANSFORMATIONAL — Transformational coaching is the type of life coaching I practise, and my diploma is from the Animas Coaching company, which focuses on this style. We work on helping you live a better life and make the changes you desire — and also on shifting the way you see yourself.
U
U is for UGLY FROG — The ugly frog theory is to pick the big ‘horrible’ task first (the one you’ve been putting off) and get it done. When you manage to achieve it, you will feel great about your achievement and will generally be more efficient in everything else that follows.
V
V is for VALUES — Values are probably one of the most important things a person can work out. When you discover what your fundamental values are and change your life to align with them, your life becomes happier and easier.
W
W is for WORK LIFE BALANCE — This is one of the most popular things I work on with my clients. Most people struggle to achieve a good work-life balance, but it is important to be honest with yourself — and when you do manage to get a good balance, life is genuinely better.
X
X is for EXCITING — I love what I do and I do get excited to support and help my clients — whether that’s dreaming up and building a business, or building a life they love. It is really important to my values to support others and contribute to society, so coaching you is very exciting to me.
Y
Y is for YOGA — Yoga is a way of life that is very important to me. It supports me every single day and I have learnt so much from my yogic experience over the past 20 years. Best not get me started on the subject — I will bore you to death about it. But it really should be on the curriculum!
Z
Z is for ZERO REGRET — I like to live my life with zero regret, and I truly believe that everyone can build a life or business that they love. And if it doesn’t work or something happens, at least you gave it a go. I don’t think any of us want to sit there in our 80s with regrets that we didn’t try something. Go for it.
I hope this was an informative and fun read. If you’re interested in working with me, I’d love to hear from you.