What is coaching?

Coaching is an unregulated industry, so there are a lot of people doing a lot of things and calling it coaching. It’s confusing. And, coaching is a conversational service that is not easily described in general statements, which also makes it confusing. How do you explain something that is hard to describe? Let me try.

I describe coaching as a thought-provoking and creative process to curate and nurture sustainable success and wellbeing. As your coach, I am here to help you think through an problem, understand a situation, define your intention, plan for an opportunity or explore why are you feeling stuck.

While coaching is unregulated, there are professional organizations that have established professional standards. I practice coaching based on the standards and codes of ethics established by the International Coaching Federation and the American Council of Exercise.

Every coaching conversation is different and (almost) every coaching conversation follows the same four step process.

1. What should we talk about?

The first part of the conversation is focused on setting the intention, identifying a focus area and deeply exploring that focus area. You, as the client, always get to determine the agenda.

2. What could you try?

The second part of the conversation is focused on exploring every option. This is the opportunity to brainstorm and investigate the things that might be getting in your way or holding you back.

3. What should you try?

We often say there are no bad ideas in brainstorming, and that is true. However, when you take action, some ideas are better than others. During this part of the conversation you get to explore which idea is the best idea for you right now.

4. When? How? What if?

The final step in the conversation is focused on creating a solid plan to move forward. This involves planning for any obstacles and determining how to celebrate your successes.

 

FAQs

  • As a coach, I support my clients as they explore any and all aspects of their success and wellbeing. Some coaches identify with their specialty area, describing themselves as a career coach or executive coach or life coach or health coach. I do not, I am simply a coach because in my experience, nothing exists in a vacuum. Sustainable success and wellbeing requires a holistic approach, not a specialized one, so I am simply a coach.

  • My coaching sessions are generally provided over Zoom. You will need some sort of device with a camera and internet access to participate in a Zoom coaching sessions. If you prefer to conduct the session over the phone or using a different video conferencing platform, let me know.

  • Maybe. Forest and Forward LLC does not have a physical office location and I do not meet in private locations, such as your home or office. However, sometimes I am able to conduct in-person coaching sessions in public, such as the great outdoors or a coffee shop. Please contact us and let me know you are interested in learning more about in-person coaching services. I am currently based in Bozeman, Montana.

  • As I coach, I will facilitate the thought-provoking and creative process that is focused on your goals and desire to curate and nurture sustainable success and wellbeing. As the client, you are solely responsible for you behaviors, success and wellbeing. Given that, I cannot make any guarantees or promises as to the results that may be obtained through coaching.

  • Coaching is not a lot of things. However, coaching is most commonly confused with advice-based or other support-based conversation services like counseling, mentorship or financial planning. Coaching does not provide advice and coaching does not fix people.

    In some situations, advice can be really helpful. However, in my experience, we look for and give each other a lot of unnecessary (and unhelpful) advice. I believe that, in most circumstances, my clients have their own answers. My job, as your coach, is a create space for your answers to emerge. I believe that each of my coaching clients are creative, competent, complete and capable of change. Put another way, I do not think that my coaching clients need to be fixed.

    Just to be clear, coaching is not a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, or other mental health advice. Coaching is not a substitute for mentoring, training, legal, financial, business, health, medical, spiritual, or other professional advice. Coaching is not a substitute for personal advice.