8 questions and a special video interview to help navigate leaving the pandemic behind, for us, our clients and for the coaching field
I was preparing for an interview recently and thinking about these questions:
1. Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, what are your hopes and dreams for the future of coaching and field of personal transformation?
2. What do most practitioners overlook when it comes to transformation on a granular level from coaching session to coaching session?
3. What are you working on these days that gives you the most hope and excitement?
After contending with the intensity of quarantine and the many critical social movements of the last 18 months, I was a little taken aback at the emotion I felt thinking these things through. What was that all about? After a few breaths, I landed on it…
”Yes Andrea,” I told myself, “it IS time to start lifting your head up from the road in front of you, your family and your clients, working on how to pivot, survive, and thrive through the pandemic. It’s okay, and it’s time to widen your field of vision, time to get back to your biggest dreams, fiercest hopes. It’s safe to shift to ‘beyond pandemic’ thinking and feeling and dig in. You are up for it, you have the support you need, and you can…stop waiting.”
Maybe you can relate to this wee pep talk?
I also realised I’d love to know what YOU think about this in-between season, and that maybe there’s a set of coaching questions that can help us move forward together. Questions like:
- What’s next for you as you walk yourself, and the people you care about, out of the thick of the pandemic? And what happens if you allow yourself to be wholly and completely surprised by your answer?
- Will you have your own version of the “Roarin’ 20s” the next few months? Will you try to preserve your sense of sanctuary, just more from choice, less enforced? Or something else entirely?
- Do some things – relationships, projects, occasions, or things – seem that much more precious or mundane? Or maybe you’re just taking it a day at a time, feeling your way through.
I confess, the question I’m looking at most with clients is this one:
7. What support do you need to exhale what’s not useful to you now, to keep the good and create a way forward?
No doubt we’re all eager to let this be a “shake the Etch-A-Sketch” moment where we reset. The deep upset, horror and yes even disgust we’ve felt has been a heavy weight. As someone who used to travel almost monthly and hosted in-person workshops for over a decade, I certainly miss going through this more together. I miss closer connections, and I miss you, honestly. I can definitely feel that when we next get the chance to be eyeballs to eyeballs, I will take it for granted not even a little bit.
On the road to more connection, I’m excited to share a rare video interview based on the first three questions above.
In its seriousness and goofiness, watching it is a way to prime the pump about what your hopes and dreams are for next, as well.
As for who’s in the video with me? So exciting! It’s someone I respect a lot as a teacher and contributor in the coaching profession— Joanna Lindenbaum. She teaches advanced practitioners how to go deep with coaching clients, and when people ask me who I recommend to get next-level skills in a fun and rich container? It’s Joanna. I hope you give what she says a listen, particularly for THIS question:
8. Is the coaching and transformation world finally ready to go beyond cognition, move past worshipping the brain above all, and embrace the other levels of transformation?
I wonder if Joanna’s right, that all that we’ve come through and are still trying to change about our world, THIS may be the moment we’re ready to go beyond the brain. In fact, maybe it’s one of the ‘gifts in dirty paper’ to emerge from the pandemic. I think we’re ready, and I hope we are, to be more than ‘brains on sticks.’
I’d love to hear your thoughts (and feelings, and sensations, too.) 🙂
A couple of admin type notes: If the above doesn’t play properly for you, go here instead to watch in your browser.
If you prefer to read, a transcription is available in the first comment. Please share and add your thoughts as you wish! And if you’re inclined to go deeper into how to help clients transform with the easiest, best use of USD $47 I can think of? If you’re interested in learning how to move forward from where we are today, to tackle the societal problems we have ahead of us as coaching practitioners, definitely check out The Art of Client Transformation, Joanna’s experiential retreat this week (June 10-12.) Perhaps I’ll see you there – I’d love that. <3
Finally, here are all 8 of today’s coaching questions in one spot, which I hope makes it easier to use in a self-coaching session, to bring them to the next call you have with your coach OR to use them with one of your clients.
1. Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, what are your hopes and dreams for the future of coaching and field of personal transformation?
2. What do you feel most practitioners overlook when it comes to transformation on a granular level from coaching session to coaching session?
3. What are you working on these days, as we move into life beyond the pandemic, that gives you the most hope and excitement?
4. What’s next for you as you walk yourself, and the people you care about, out of the thick of the last year? And what happens if you allow yourself to be surprised by your answer?
5.Will you have your own version of the Roarin’ 20s the next few months? Or will you try to preserve your sense of sanctuary, just more from choice, less enforced? Or something in between?
6.Do some things – relationships, projects, occasions, things – seem that much more precious or mundane? Or maybe this is all too thoughtful and you’re just practical about it all.
7. What support do you need to exhale what’s no longer useful, keep the good and create a new normal?
8. Is the coaching and transformation world finally ready to go beyond cognition, move past worshipping the brain above all and embrace the other levels of transformation?
#DoOneThing #DoingTheImpossible #PostPandemic #WhatsNext #Coaching #Leadership #Transformation
Mmm….what else is new this season, you may be wondering…
For me, I’m looking forward to lots of writing (a thesis and book), a new website (finally after 5 long years!), and some fantastic new coaching adventures! In fact…
Are you looking for a coach to navigate post-pandemic waters with? I’m excited to explore that with you.
Just hit reply and let’s book a time to talk strategy and your heart’s vision.
Hint: yes, you can achieve your vision, disrupt the status quo, make money AND not make a train wreck of your life or health. #PinkySwear
Andrea has a unique combination of being a philosopher with a business brain, and there are not very many of those animals around. She knows how to do the stuff that no one can put into words and she knows how to make money from it.
—Indrani Goradia, Founder, RAFTcares.org
Photo credit top to bottom: Parul Gupta and Jakob Søby on Unsplash