Frequently Asked Questions

While all these approaches are valuable tools of healing and/or self-development they are not mutually exclusive, rather complementary:

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Therapy. Heal, grow, and overcome challenges through professional guidance and exploration of emotions.

Coaching. Overcome internal obstacles, unlock your potential and achieve your goals with personalised guidance and support.

Counselling. Receive guidance, empathy, and solutions given by the expert to address personal or relationship challenges.

Mentoring. Gain wisdom and guidance from experienced individuals to navigate your personal and professional journey.

Training. Acquire new skills and knowledge through structured instruction and practical application.

Coaching is a method of assisting a person to co-create individualized solutions to an issue or problem. Through coaching, the coachee and coach partner in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the coachee to maximize his or her personal and/or professional potential.

While coaching is about expressing a person's inner potential, therapy is about exploring the root causes of often traumatic events that hinder the expression of an individual's potential; therefore, coaching and therapy are complementary in the process of self-development.

The coaching process begins with frustration about a current situation that is unsatisfactory to the individual. The person wants to improve his or her situation but does not know what steps to take or feels alone in the pursuit of his (or her) goal.

There are many types of niches in coaching, but apart from certain specifics (e.g. someone who has training in relationship coaching vs. someone who specializes in positive psychology), most coaches use a similar method with similar tools.

Examples of niches I offer and why I chose them:

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• Mindset & Self-Empowerment Coaching: This is a set of tools and techniques that help unravel the brain fog created by limiting beliefs, self-doubt and internal obstacles that ultimately sabotage any attempt to achieve a significant goal. I have chosen them because they highlight the focus of the activities that will be addressed during the coaching sessions. For example, another way of saying the same thing is Success Coach, where the focus is on your ultimate goal: to be successful in your transformation.

• Career Coaching: Work is where most of us spend most of our lives, whether it is a career in the narrow sense, or being part of an association and developing one's contribution to the world. 

• Career coaching is a broad niche and can include some features of leadership/executive coaching, while the two are not exactly the same, as career coaching has a stronger focus on career path definition, career shifts and transitions. 

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My coaching services for women take place at the intersection of career coaching and major life events (first job / autonomy from parental figures, career development vs. couple priorities / new family balance / mental or physical health issues / divorce, etc...) to address the needs of women seeking a career transformation. 

These women are in need of change either because of a major event that has occurred and impacted their previous career choices/desired path, and therefore they are in conflict with their desires (a fulfilling career) and what's happening around them (in their environment) or within themselves; or they are expressing their frustration with an unfulfilling career in various ways, leading to an adjustment process over time that has resulted in a series of unfulfilling career choices, the trajectory of which the person is now rejecting in one way or another. 

While the process can be frightening as it challenges some of the fundamental choices made in the past, the inner discovery process usually leads to a much greater level of fulfillment in all areas - personal, relational, financial and professional - as these dimensions are realigned. For this reason, my career coaching services could also be called (Self-)Fulfillment or Success Coaching.

These examples illustrate that while labels provide some information, they are not fundamental to choosing your ideal coach.

Career coaching is a process that helps individuals identify and achieve their career goals. It working with a professional coach who provides guidance, support, and feedback to help clients make informed decisions about their career paths.

Career coaching can help you gain clarity about your career goals, develop a plan to achieve them, and overcome any obstacles that may be holding you back. can also provide you with valuable feedback and support throughout the job search process. 

In the section "How many types of coaching styles and niches are there?” has already clarified that Career Coaching can include some of the characteristics of Executive Coaching because of its broader boundaries. 

However, the devil is in the details and there are some fundamental differences between the two that are highlighted below:

Target

• Executive coaching: Senior management, top management, directors

• Career coaching: Anyone

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Objectives

• Executive coaching: Leadership, performance, organisational impact, strategic thinking, driving business results - Oriented to organisational influence

• Career coaching:: Build a sustainable / meaningful career for themselves, personal career, career direction, transition, career shifts, skill development, career advancement, career path - Oriented to a person’s self-development 

Topics

• Executive coaching: Strengths and weaknesses, challenges and opportunities, leadership styles and strategies, focus on organisational influence, align vision / values / objectives with the ones of the coachee’s organisation, relationship management with peers, collaborators and stakeholders

• Career coaching: Skill gaps, career opportunities, exploring interests, passions, potential, find a career path that corresponds to the coachee deep desires, clarify values / skills / preferences, discover new possibilities and opportunities, build a clear plan with a specific outcome for a job, define a framework for overcoming obstacles and barriers that may be encourtered on the way.

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Coach

• Executive coaching: Expert in the industry and/or sector

• Career coaching: Larger experience and expertise of industry and sector than the executive coach, specific expertise in career development and transition.

If coaching labels are important to some extent, as explained in the section "How many types of coaching styles and niches exist?”

Ask yourself why you need coaching and what you want to achieve.

Search for and find the person you feel can help you achieve your goal.

The rapport and trust built in the coaching relationship will have a direct impact on the quality of the coaching experience and the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Look for their qualifications and certifications, their professional network credentials, and their testimonials. The latter are a clear indicator of the quality and type of coaching the coach can provide. If you were referred to a coach by one of your connections, this is also a good indicator of the coach's quality.

Ask if they invest in continuing education, in what areas, and if they are supervised.

Ask yourself if you want a coach who has specific expertise in the area where you need support, or if you are looking for a broader/different perspective.

Test potential coaches and ask for a discovery session to try out their coaching approach or ask for a first session at a reduced fee. 

During these sessions, ask yourself: Do you get along with them? Do you enjoy their style and approach? Do they give you space to express yourself without feeling judged? Are they supportive of your goal and do they champion you when you reach a milestone? Do they allow you a space for silence, pause or reflection during emotional or intense moments for you? Do they keep you focused on your goal, even at times when you feel distracted or lost? Do they provide a clear framework and agreements?

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Compare the coaches you have chosen in terms of their style, approach, methods, availability and results.

In order to assess the type of coach you should be looking for, ask yourself these questions:

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• Are you generally satisfied with your career and organizational environment, and would you like to increase your leadership impact? If not, you may want to consider a career change, in which case you should look for a career coach.

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• Do you need to improve your leadership style or are you looking for career options? In the first case look for an Executive Coach, in the second case look for a Career Coach.

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• Are you facing organizational challenges or are you dissatisfied with your career as a whole? In the first case, seek an Executive Coach; in the second, a Career Coach.

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• Do you have a specific career goal or is there a larger, less defined goal? In the first case, look for a Career Coach. In the second case, look for an Executive Coach.​

Depending on whether the coach is accredited by an international institution, the coach may have to follow a code of ethics, adhere to certain values, and demonstrate the ability to master coaching competencies according to their accredited level defined by the international institution to which (s)he belongs.

It is valuable to look for a coach who is certified by an accredited training organization and who has or is in the process of obtaining their accreditation. 

Regardless of certification or accreditation, the coach must respect the confidentiality of information provided by the coachee during the session or through any support (such as phone messages, emails, etc.).

The coach does not find solutions on behalf of the coachee, but rather holds the space for the coachee to explore his or her inner resources and vulnerabilities, and helps to create the path to find the appropriate and individualized solutions for the coachee. 

In this process, the coachee learns to master their thought process, filter negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, find a personalized way to solve their problems, and ultimately achieve their professional or personal goals.

The coachee determines the best solution and the pace of the transformation.

Examples of how coaching can help:

• Increasing your job search success rate to get more interviews

• Low self-esteem and self-confidence that manifests as shyness: Coaching can help build confidence and overcome shy behavior.

• Conflicted relationships in the family or work environment: coaching can help you improve assertive communication, relationship management, conflict management and conflict resolution.

• You feel alone in your frustration and do not know what to do or how to proceed.

• You bear the judgement of your personal and/or work environment and feel that you are being unfairly made to pay the toll, you would like to overcome this situation.

• You need to overcome procrastination and create new consistent habits to increase perseverance, discipline and success.

• You want to take control of your personal or professional life, but you don't know where to start and how to make it happen.

The coaching process includes specific milestones that set the tone for the transformation process.

The first step is a discovery call, where you and the coach discuss the topic, the process is explained, the logistics are detailed, and a sample coaching activity may be used to clarify the way coaching works.

This is followed by the first session after the coaching agreement is signed. In this first session, you will establish the specific rules of engagement for you and your coach to work together, you will work on deepening your goal, and you will receive your first actions and/or assignments.

From the second coaching session on, the work will be entirely focused on finding the inner resources to help you move towards your goal.

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If the transformation process lasts several months, it is common practice to have a mid-term review session to assess satisfaction, make necessary adjustments, and improve the coaching iterations.

If you wonder how to prepare for the free discovery call and what makes it different to a coaching session. Here some key aspects:

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Free discovery call. A brief conversation where we discuss your goals, challenges and aspirations, and determine if coaching is the right fit for you. It allows you to get a sense of what coaching support I can offer.

Coaching session. An in-depth personalised conversation between us, a place of accountability where you receive help to overcome your challenge, explore, strategise and implement actions.

A coaching session is organized according to a set of criteria (following logistics, and date previous arrangements) and typically lasts about 1 hour, although the coachee or the coach can propose shorter or longer sessions depending on the need/topic to be addressed. 

The session is structured with a flow that allows you to build on previous work and move towards your goal. 

Typically, the coaching session begins with an opening where you state the topic. Clarification may be needed at this stage to make the issue actionable and to place it in the context of your larger goal and progress toward it. The coachee and coach agree on the criteria that will determine the success of the coaching session.

The session then addresses the specific issue of the day through a co-creative and thought-provoking process between coach and coachee. The coach's role is to hold the space for the coachee, to make room when emotions arise, and to maintain the framework and focus throughout the session. A coach will allow some time for venting, but do not be surprised if your coach interrupts you from time to time to bring your attention back to your goal. It is in your best interest not to lose valuable time during the session.

The next step in the session is to review key session takeaways and feedback from the coachee. 

Then, at the end of the session, actions and tasks are identified and proposed by the coach and discussed with the coachee. Be prepared for the coach to stretch you to do more than you think you can do. Negotiation is always possible, but remember, the goal is to stretch you and build your confidence! And stretching is exactly what is needed to help you boost your confidence!

Once you have found the ideal coach for you, it is important that you understand how to go through the transformation work effectively in order to maximize the outcome of your work with your coach. 

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While the coach needs to hold the space for you and bring their coaching expertise to help you get results, the other half of the work needs to be done by you.

These are the key actions you need to take to get the most out of your transformation process:

• Be committed, proactive, and open-minded.

• Set your goals, share them with your coach, and review them regularly.

• Prepare for each coaching session by jotting down your progress, your challenges and obstacles, and your questions.

• Be honest and open with yourself and your coach.

• Be responsible and action-oriented by taking action and completing the homework assignments you have agreed upon.

• Be flexible and adaptable throughout the process, willing to adjust goals, strategies and actions as you move forward.

Those who achieve their goals and achieve great results for themselves are those who are willing to

• Take imperfect actions

• Feel the fear and do it anyway, 

• Practice what they found difficult in the beginning to integrate these skills and habits and make them automatic.

• Reflect and adjust their behavior based on their experience

• Make mistakes and test for failure

• Adopt a beginner's mindset: start with what they have and build stronger and better tools as they go.

• Accept vulnerability and find ways to overcome it by developing compassion for it.

• Learn to enjoy the process

• Understand that just reading and absorbing wisdom from books or articles is not enough to do the work of transformation and ensure a result that can only be achieved through action, like a sports coach.

• Commit to self-development, accept your personal circumstances and take responsibility for themselves.