Frequently Asked Questions
What is coaching?
Coaching is an ongoing relationship between a coach and client, designed to help the client take action toward producing fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives.
My job is to elicit solutions and strategies from the client, providing support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has. Coaching uses a process of inquiry and personal discovery to build the client’s level of awareness and responsibility and provides the client with structure, support and feedback.
How did you get into coaching?
This is the question I get asked more than any other. I was at a crossroads in my own life, unhappy working as a designer and feeling stuck in a variety of ways. After participating in a personal development program, I knew there was no going back. This was a much-needed turning point. I became a facilitator and consultant of the same program. Then I discovered coaching through a newspaper article. It really resonated for me. I knew that on-going support is often the missing link in order for people to succeed with training programs or change of any kind. I knew I either needed a coach or wanted to be one, and as it turns out, both were true. The rest is history.
How did you come to specialize in weight and wellness?
That’s what I care about. I am attracted to everything about mind, body and spiritual health and live my life accordingly. I can’t learn enough about the topic, which is much broader than it first appears. Working towards a healthy weight is a logical application of coaching and a natural result when you look after all aspects of health and wellness.
What happens during a coaching session?
We talk at an agreed upon time, usually via telephone for 30 – 60 minutes. You bring a situation, be it a problem or an opportunity. I engage you with questions and perspective that encourage reflection and shifts in thinking. I listen deeply and help you to remove barriers. Clarity is achieved and the necessary actions or behaviors often become evident. On that note, each session ends with your commitment to action(s) for you to complete before our next session. Each subsequent session begins with a review of the previous week’s successes and challenges. You are celebrated and supported.
When enrolled in a specific coaching program like 12 Weeks to Weight Loss and Wellness, the discussion usually revolves around your experience with the content of the program.
How is coaching different from therapy or counseling?
This is an important question that is really difficult to answer. It is often said that coaching focuses on the present and future for people looking to change or accomplish goals, while therapy deals with the past for people troubled with painful, unresolved issues. While there is some truth to this, it is over-simplified.
I think the biggest difference is in what you want to accomplish from the relationship and the relationship itself. Do you want understanding or do you want to change? Therapists are experts in the therapy/patient relationship and offer treatment. Coaching is more of a partnership where the client is the expert on his or her life and it’s about co-creation. And that’s simplifying it too.
If, during coaching, I feel there is important, unfinished business hampering the coaching or your life, I will refer you to a therapist.
How do I find the right coach?
There are referral sites that can put you in touch with many coaches. Coaching is an important relationship. The bottom line is you need to find a coach with whom with you connect. Regardless of qualifications, if you don’t like, trust or respect him or her, the coaching will likely not be effective.
That said qualifications are important. Coaching is still a relatively young profession and everyone wants to say they offer coaching. I highly recommend hiring a skilled coach, trained from a reputable school accredited by the ICF. It can save you time and money and provide the best experience.
Most coaches offer complimentary sessions, as I do. It’s a great way to get a sense if a coach is right for you.
How long will this take?
The duration of coaching depends on a number of variables: how much you want to accomplish, your stage of readiness, how fast you work. Some people move very quickly, others move more slowly and methodically. There is no right or wrong way, just personal differences.
I encourage committing to coaching for a three-month period; however, there is absolutely no obligation. In that time you are able to get into a rhythm and learn how to put my skills to your best use. Three months also gives you time to experience some successes and build confidence to work from. Some clients stay for much longer and most clients come back now and then.
If I feel you are no longer benefiting from working with me, it is time to move on. It is always my intent to get you to a place where you feel ready to carry on without coaching. I would never allow a dependency to develop.
Is coaching for everyone?
No. Coaching is not for people who:
- prefer to self-solve
- are perfectly satisfied with the way things are
- just want to commiserate and don’t really want to change or stretch
Coaching is appropriate when you are:
- open to partnering and willing to be coached
- ready to take action and possibly do things differently than you have in the past
- willing to commit time, energy and finances to make a difference in your life
Why work with me?
I am a trained, experienced and empathetic coach.
I am passionate about health and wellness.
I am inspired by the potential that exists within each of us.
I am knowledgeable. I read all the latest books so you don’t have to.
What is weight loss coaching?
Believe it or not, it’s not about “what you’re eating.” It’s about “what’s eating you.”
12 Weeks to Weight Loss and Wellness is an excellent program that I use to provide a solid foundation for people struggling with their weight. It helps people to create a meaningful life with healthier coping strategies, thereby reducing or eliminating reasons to overeat or medicate with food.
Clients often say, “It’s not about the weight any more,” because they experience positive change in all aspects of their lives.
How much weight can I expect to lose?
That depends. Every body is different. I don’t guarantee results. It has been said that a healthy rate of weight loss is one to one-and-a-half pounds per week for women, and one-and-a-half to two pounds a week for men. If you’re looking for rapid weight loss I’m not the right coach for you. You are encouraged to measure results in all aspects of your health and your life and remove the focus from pounds lost.
How much does it cost?
See One-on-One Coaching for individual program costs. Otherwise, see costs below for open-ended, non-specific coaching.
$400 (plus GST for Canadians) per month for four 40-minute sessions.
$300 (plus GST for Canadians) per month for three 40-minute sessions.
$150 (plus GST for Canadians) per month for two half-hour sessions.
“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”
―Fran Lebowitz
“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”
―Fran Lebowitz
Weight Loss Wisdom is a weekly blog written just for you, if you’d like to be inspired and supported to be a healthy weight through a balanced, fulfilling life. Imagine – a coach in your corner, week after week!
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