CM: When did you complete the Transformative Coaching Essentials program and what are some of the most valuable things you got out of it?
LG: I went through the program in 2020 – the year of COVID. After just two in-person training days, we had to pivot to online! The year was full of unexpected experiences – and so was the training. I started it thinking I was going to just learn the tips and methods for DOING coaching, right? Instead, Cami talked repeatedly about BEING COACH and it took me nearly half the year to begin to figure out what the heck that meant! For me it has meant cultivating a conscious self-awareness in the moment. Perhaps that is the most valuable thing I got from it – being coach means not just being aware of what the client is saying (on many levels – their words, body language, tone, etc.) but it also means learning to be aware of my own biases, assumptions, triggers, etc. in the moments when I am coaching so that MY things don’t get in the way of a client’s figuring out things for themselves, in their own best way (not my way). The client is the expert on their own life – I am not!
CM: Do you consider yourself a life coach? If no, how would you describe who you are professionally?
LG: Well, yes, I do consider myself a life coach, though in the workplace I just call myself a coach. People talk often about work/life balance, and I like to emphasize that it is ALL part of life. I often quote Gretchen Rubin: “How you spend your days is how you spend your life.” So yes, I am a life coach. I am privileged to be in a workplace that is promoting and educating staff about what coaching is, so I don’t have to do as much educating around that term as I might elsewhere.
Once I discovered that being a coach was what I wanted to do, I have sought out lots of additional trainings – some on my own, but also in large part thanks to the support of my workplace. I love learning, and appreciate how repetition solidifies or reinforces concepts for me. After TCE certification I also became a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, an ACC through the International Coach Federation and have taken additional trainings in Career Coaching, Journal Coaching, and others. Since it is all LIFE, all tips can be helpful for life coaching depending on the topics that come up.
CM: What would you say to somebody who told you they were thinking about becoming a life coach?
LG: I’d probably start with curiosity and ask what appeals to them about becoming a coach. Where the conversation goes from there would depend on their answer. I do often tell people interested in becoming a coach to be prepared for doing as much self-discovery as they do learning of coaching methods in their training!
CM: What is one misperception you believe people have about coaches (whether designated “life coach” or something else)?
LG: The biggest one I encounter is that they expect me to tell them what to do once they’ve presented a problem or issue. When coaching someone new to the process, I generally start by explaining what coaching is – and isn’t. Having worked in the division for many years in an HR capacity, I find I occasionally need to check with a client about taking off my “coach hat” and putting on my “HR hat” if HR issues come up that need addressing. I try to make it very clear when I am stepping out of coach mode.
CM: What is your coaching specialty?
LG: I’m not sure I can articulate a specialty. If people want coaching, I listen for what they want and go from there. I am less likely to coach executives, though I wouldn’t say I avoid coaching them. My heart is more with the average, individual contributor or midlevel manager in the workplace, coaching people who are feeling somehow stuck or frustrated – though that can happen at all levels.
Adaptability is one of my top talent themes in the CliftonStrengths assessment, and it helps me simply determine what is needed by this person in this moment with each of my clients.
I love being surprised by clients – and hearing them surprise themselves with the things they say and discover!
CM: Are you a full-time coach?
LG: No.
CM: What do you do other than coaching?
LG: My working title for my job in Student Affairs at UC Davis is “Staff Development Coach and Consultant” and I do a variety of things: individual coaching – both general and specifically related to CliftonStrengths; Strengths Discovery session presentations (as a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach) and other Strengths-related trainings; trainings on HR Best Practices (having been in HR for 20 years previously); custom trainings and facilitation for small teams; and Group Journal Coaching as new offering recently.
