When, where and how is the coaching provided?
When can you make contact and schedule coaching sessions?
It seems unhelpful to set opening times aligned with a traditional working week, the typical 9-5 M-F.
You have a busy life as it is without trying to fit in calls for coaching, making it practically impossible to do so no matter how much you might want to.
Unless, of course you’re looking for service delivery to your leadership and teams in office hours. Even then, time for an enquiry might be challenging.
My coaching is open as set out below, with a little flexibility – contact me and check if we can’t work a time that works best for you.
Enquiries:
08:00 – 20:00 M-F
Coaching delivery:
08:00 – 20:00 M-F, 08:00 to midday Saturdays & Sundays
Where and how is the coaching delivered?
Physically located in the rural west of Ireland, delivered remotely for the majority of clients. Most of my clients are in Ireland and the UK. If you are in a different time zone, that’s still workable as I have conversations on a semi-regular basis with people in the US.
These days most people are familiar with the use of video calling apps – I use WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams primarily. If you have alternative preferences, we can use those.
If you are based more locally, say anywhere between Galway City and Ballina, Knock Airport etc we can meet in person for coaching sessions.
On-site delivery further afield is possible. Please note it may incur additional travel expenses.
Tips to prepare
Enquiries
As you’re reading this, you have probably started thinking you need a change. You may already have some idea what that change is – perhaps a job move and/or promotion, or more money?
It may be that you want more time to spend on the interests you have outside or work – a better work-life balance perhaps. More freedom? More fulfilment on your own terms?
It will be a good start if, when making contact to see if we’re a good fit, you have some idea of what the change is you wish to gain.
Coaching sessions
Although life can be hectic at home as much as at work, my clients find they gain better results if they can find a place which is free of background noise and distractions. This allows for a much more relaxed space in which to more easily focus actively on the discussions and on the work necessary to make progress towards their goals.
I strongly advise you to find such a space and time in which you can concentrate. If you have family, perhaps early morning sessions may work better? Especially at weekends?
START YOUR NEW STORY
Book a free discovery call
IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHETHER COACHING IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Reasons to consider hiring a coach
Is coaching for me?
It’s not for everyone.
If you have ever had any of the following thoughts, or similar, then life coaching will be of value to you:
- Maybe you want to start your own business, find paying clients and not be under the rules of an employer
- Maybe you want to change careers or get a promotion and feel you need to build confidence in your abilities
- Maybe you simply feel there could be a better way of living
- You are always looking to learn more to improve in some way – yourself, your behaviours, your understanding of others, communicating with them
Why hire a coach since it costs time, energy and money?
Coaching techniques like active, deep listening skills, the ability to ask relevant powerful questions, and guiding people in the process of finding their own answers (ie Client led) can look like “nothing much”.
Each of these is a skill, with vast theory, years of research, and self-practice behind it. As your professional life coach I play multiple roles in helping you attain your life goals: guiding you to discover your best self, acting as mentor to see your outlook on life with different perspective to those around you, motivator, accountability partner and life strategist. The effectiveness and dedication that I bring to helping you quickly achieve your life goals emphasises the idea that you are investing in yourself, in your own success on your own terms.
It is my responsibility to engage you with empathetic, compassionate yet powerful questions – a key part of what I do has always been an ability to ask the questions others are often afraid to ask at the right time, in the right way so as not to unnerve my clients. A delicate balance between getting to the root of a problem without triggering sensitivities. I fully believe I work well with those people who identify as being non-neurotypical is due to my ability to ask questions which have an alternative perspective and insight that other coaches may miss.
The answers and insights you respond with will help me to help you in your personal life and may change your entire life.
One important concept to note here: No professional coach will ever tell you what to do in an authoritative, micro-managing manner. Our role is to guide but it is the client who leads the sessions (aka “Client led coaching”)
Although most coaches will focus on your future and not dwell on your past, your past has shaped you into who you are now. Trying to deny the way in which your past experiences have influences on you now will only lead to further suppression and inevitably more stress. I can draw on my own experiences in dealing with mental health issues* to help you understand and integrate those experiences in more healthy manner that serves to build more sustainable and resilient behaviours.
* please note that coaching is not therapy (see below). Although I am a qualified NLP Practitioner, and some tools I have used with previous clients have had immediate, long term positive impacts on their lives to help understand and reframe life events, I am not a qualified psychotherapist or counsellor and will not attempt anything outside of my own training
I follow the code of conduct and ethics as defined by the Association of NLP, plus absolutely respect the utmost need for strict confidentiality and “safe space” discussions. If any signs arise that may affect the safety of yourself, or anyone else, I will respect my own qualified boundaries and suggest strongly you seek relevant therapy from mental health professionals for those issues.
Signs you might consider hiring a Coach
If you find yourself dealing with any of these concerns in your daily life
- Persistent irrational moments of irritability
- High stress or anxiety
- You don’t know where to start
- You get in your own way – the inner critic (or “inner saboteur” has a good grip on your success)
- Feeling consistently stagnated or bored
- Blocked creativity (thinking, writing, videos, art, music etc)
- Fed up of fighting with your inner perfectionist
- Lack of contentment with social life
- Dissatisfactions at work
- Inability to break bad habits
- Inability to maintain focus and accomplish tasks
- You struggle to follow through on goals or with accountability
- Frustrated with how things are in your life
A short list of benefits of Coaching
The positive impact of coaching is subjective. There have been studies, however, which have demonstrated life coaching can be beneficial in a range of areas such as:
Another concept to consider: Coaching can also help you develop a better relationship with your friends and family.
Although you may reach out to friends, family, colleagues they may not have the time or energy to help hold you accountable to work towards your goals. Yes, they may love us, but how many of them are trained to set aside their own wants, needs and opinions in order to create the conditions for another person to achieve their own success?
This is what’s known as “holding space”, and it’s both an art and a science – not something most people are born knowing how to do without hours, days, years of training. Your coach does this for all their clients.
Choosing to work with a coach takes the weight of responsibility for your success off friends and family, which, in turn can improve the relationships you have with them. Having a safe space in which to offload your frustrations and talk through options with a coach who’s dedicated to your success and has active listening skills
I care about your success
Starting and working through coaching can provide many positive, encouraging and life changing results – otherwise why do it?
It does take an amount of time, mental effort and emotional energy in enacting change. During the process of starting a new story for yourself, you may strive, stumble, fail at times. It can be disheartening, but we will strategize and build a bespoke action plan together. I will guide you to guide yourself to attain the results you want to achieve in your personal and professional life.
Are you ready to commit to those changes?
THE PROCESS
A step by step guide to working with me
BOOK A CALL
Every good story starts with a call to action. Naturally I need to understand your story and why you want a change
TAILORED PLAN
We will create a tailored plan to achieve the results you desire
GET COACHED
Over the course of our agreed time together, you will learn how to unlock your own potential
ONGOING SUPPORT
Even once you feel you’ve learned enough, you can receive ongoing support for new challenges
Things to ask in hiring me
Do we click?
Are you ready? Are you serious about making your desired changes?
Can you make the time and effort on a weekly and daily basis to make real discernible changes to your life?
You have to find time out of your daily life in to commit to change your quality of life – depending on your own personal circumstances this can in itself prove to be difficult, but if you want to realise you goals, something has to change. Ideally, those around you will support be able to give you the freedom to take steps to implement your plan of action.
The period of time we will work together depends mostly on you and your goals. I find most life coaching clients will work with me for two to three months. It is possible to realise change within a month, and 6 months for most individual coaching clients tends to feel too long. As with everything, it depends on your personal circumstances.
Is life coaching like therapy?
In short: No
There are some stark and very important differences between the two, such as:
Life coaching | Therapy with Mental Health Professionals |
| Does not diagnose a client | Diagnoses and treats clients from a healthcare perspective |
| Identifies and describes current problematic behaviours | Analyses their client’s past as a tool for understanding present behaviours** |
| Works on “how” to work toward a goal | Focuses on “why” specific behavioural patterns occur |
| Focuses on an individual’s actions and results by measuring a client’s success with milestones and goals | Helps clients examine and recognise their subconscious and unconscious mind to learn about the pattern and reasoning of their behaviours |
| Works on improving behaviour and communication skills | Help the client to recover from past traumas |
| Can support a client in achieving a healthy work/life balance | Works through depression or anxiety that affect your ability to function at home or at work |
| Helps a client out who has started a new business or is growing a business | Helps the client to survive a divorce or to cope with grief after the loss of a loved one |
** (As an NLP Practitioner, I am able to do a “lite” version of this but will recommend you onto to other more qualified therapists if/when necessary)
