There and back again
It’s been almost a year since I restarted my business and committed fully to working as a coach.
You probably know that I do other work too.
Team coaching
HR consulting
Facilitation
Group workshops (like the Reading Room)
Retreats
I enjoy all these other work activities, but at the core of everything I do is coaching.
The power of simply listening, getting curious, and asking a good question is fascinating to me. I grew up being told that I talked too much, and I truly never met a microphone I didn’t like. But when I’m coaching, it feels easy to stay quiet, hold space, and focus completely on the other person. Some of the questions I use most often include:
What’s the smallest step you could take right now?
What’s the most challenging thing you could do here?
In a year from now, what do you want this to look like?
One of the most impactful courses I took in the last year was the facilitation training I did with Robin Parsons. I love a good framework, so learning how to structure focused group conversations and consensus workshops was fun and so useful. I now try to incorporate ORID (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, Decisional) into the things I do with groups.
I always get nervous when the date for a retreat draws near, as is the case right now. My next retreat is starting on May 5, only seven weeks away. I start to worry that I won’t have enough people (the right people always show up) or that I won’t give them what they expected (the best parts are always unexpected) or that the magic won’t happen (it always happens).
Despite all of this, I’m compelled to organize events. I can’t help myself. I’ve just organized a paint night for the women in my family on PEI in April, for heavens sake!
I love to be part of giving people experiences.
I’ve been reassessing the activities in my business, and this blog was on the chopping block. I felt like maybe I’d said everything I have to say right now. It was starting to feel boring. But as I type away here, I realize that I don’t really want to stop doing this every week. But I might let the boundaries loosen a bit, and start writing about things that aren’t directly related to the work I do. I need to make it more interesting for me and for you.
Spring and fall are the times when I’m most itchy for change. This idea of taking stock, of stopping some things and started (or re-starting) other things is motivating for me. I’m hosting a casual Sunday morning Zoom session next week (March 26) for people who want to get re-inspired for the intentions they set at the new year. Or they might not have set any in January, and they want to use spring to re-set (just like I am).
All of this to say: Hi! I’m still here. I’m going to keep writing. I might go off the track and take you on some paths through the woods or along the shoreline. I hope you’ll stay for the journey.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” JRR Tolkien