How To Reach Me
Whether you are leading a non-profit, or advancing from colleague to supervisor, I can help you lead with confidence. All I need from you is an openness to change, the willingness to reflect on yourself and of course, the enthusiasm to trust the magic of new beginnings.
paula@aiyanacoaching.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time investment of coaching and how long is the coaching process?
How often you meet with me, is up to you, but I generally find that twice a month to start is a good amount. Sessions typically are one hour, but we’ll start with a two-hour discovery session so that we can really understand what is happening is all parts of your life. Most of my clients will purchase 10 sessions and spread them out over about a 4-to-8-month window.
As for the coaching process – it all depends on how willing you are to be open, vulnerable, and to look at your own thoughts and how they might be affecting your results. “Doing the work” and truly digging into what you want for yourself, your life, your leadership role, is the important part. Sometimes it takes time to uncover the layers, but often, there’s a big light-bulb moment in the first session! And, taking action on what you want and following through is part of the equation too.
What does it mean to be a certified coach and why is it important?
For me it was vitally important to really understand what it means to be a professional coach and how to help someone when they are stuck in the muck. It isn’t just about advice-giving. My job is to really listen to how you say something, what thoughts are triggering feelings that make you do or not do what you want to do, to notice what you are not saying, and to help you see things that you cannot see for yourself. I also walk alongside you as you make changes in your life – supporting you and encouraging you to do things you choose to do that you may never thought possible for yourself.
Obtaining a certification from the International Coach Federation (ICF) is a commitment. Certification requires that you first need to be certified by an accredited school (at least 60 hours – I did 125). You then need to coach for at least 100 hours (and 75% needs to be paid hours). You also need to go through 4 two-hour sessions of group “fish-bowl” coaching – where you coach another person in front of your peers and master coaches and then receive feedback. After that’s complete, you record 30 minutes of a coaching session with a real client, transcribe it and go through it with a master coach for feedback. This has to happen three times with at least 2 weeks between sessions and you must show improvement on the areas that they recommend. Once that’s done you have an in-person, verbal test with a master coach on ethics and case studies. Once you pass all of that you are cleared to sit for the 150-question on-line test of the ICF that you must pass at 75%. This is what is required to receive the base-level certification from the ICF – the Associate Certified Coach. I have achieved that and also achieved 500 hours of coaching for a Professional Certified Coach designation.
Whew! I did say that I really want to know what I’m doing so that I can help you in the best way I know how!
What are the benefits of coaching and can I change through coaching?
Creating the life and career you want and being the best you can be are the benefits of coaching. And YES! You can change. I’ve seen many clients change in profound ways. They’ve had goals, ambitions, concerns, challenges that are likely similar to yours and I’ve seen the trajectory of their life shift in ways that allow them to live the life they always dreamed of.
What is the difference between coaching and therapy, consulting, or mentoring?
Professional coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organizational support professions.
Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.
Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.
How do I know coaching will be right for me and when should I invest in coaching?
To determine whether you or your company could benefit from coaching, start by summarizing what you would expect to accomplish in coaching. When you have a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, a coaching partnership can be a useful tool for developing a strategy for how to achieve that outcome with greater ease.
Since coaching is a partnership, ask yourself whether collaboration, other viewpoints, and new perspectives are valued. Also, ask yourself whether you or your business is ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes. If the answer is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way to grow and develop.
What should I look for when selecting a coach to work with?
Ask yourself what you want out of a relationship with a coach. Do you want the coach to focus on actual business or leadership concepts or do you want someone who will help you see your own blind spots? Do you want a coach to help you understand what is holding you back from becoming more successful, to help you understand how your thoughts are affecting your results? Would you like someone who can help you hold yourself accountable to achieving what you set out to achieve?
If yes, look for a coach who understands the value of coaching and is coached themselves. For me, I see a coach regularly and I know that I need to do my own work. I can only take a client as deep as I am willing to go myself. Therefore, I do my own work. Look for a coach who does their own work.
Overall, be prepared to design the coaching partnership with the coach. For example, think of a strong partnership that you currently have in your work or life. Look at how you built that relationship and what is important to you about partnership. You will want to build those same things into a coaching relationship. Here are a few other tips:
- Interview more than one coach to determine “what feels right” in terms of the chemistry. Coaches are accustomed to being interviewed, and an introductory conversation of this type is usually free of charge.
- Look for stylistic similarities and differences between the coach and you and how these might support your growth as an individual or the growth of your team.
- Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach’s specialty or the coach’s preferred way of working with an individual or team.
- Talk with the coach about what to do if you ever feel things are not going well; make some agreements up front on how to handle questions or problems.
- Remember that coaching is a partnership, so be assertive about talking with the coach about any concerns.
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