Coaching is a journey of reflection, discovery and heightened self-awareness combined with action and growth. Coaching is non-advisory, solution focused and designed to move you forward rather than dwelling on the past. It’s a powerful method to help you grow in your personal and professional life by learning new skills and techniques to manage life more effectively.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership. We all have goals we want to reach, challenges we’re striving to overcome and times when we feel stuck. Partnering with a coach has the potential to change your life, setting you on a path to greater personal and professional fulfillment.

But you really need to experience coaching to understand it’s potential. It can completely change the way you see your world, the way you feel about yourself or the way your relate to other people. 

Simply said: 

• coaching and mentoring are primarily oriented towards the present and future, while therapy is predominantly focused on the present and past
  
• mentoring and therapy are more directive than coaching. A coach will ask you powerful questions that lead to self-reflection and open-ended questions to get to your own solutions. This approach is based on the belief that intrinsic motivation is strengthened when an individual derives their own insights and determines their own path, as opposed to being told what to do 
• coaches are trained in the use of coaching tools and techniques, whereas a mentor primarily draws on their personal experience
  

• to challenge you. I will look past your limiting beliefs and look for your full potential. I will guide you into a state of mind where you don’t say ‘I can’t do that’ or ‘I should do this’. This might feel uncomfortable at first but you will be surprised how quick your vision expands. 
• to hold your vision and to support you. Even when you don’t see any sunrays behind dark clouds, I will be there to champion you, to remind you of where you want to go and to keep moving you forward. And believe me, those times will come. Our brain always resists change because we have survived up to where we are now and we are still here, so we must be doing something right. Resistance in the coaching process is actually a good sign because it means something is changing. 
• to be honest. Of course I will communicate with respect and it is never my intention to offend anyone, but I will use my intuition and share with you what comes up for me when you talk. When I feel you are lying to yourself, I will tell you. 
• to customize our sessions. I know a lot of models, theories and tools. I will bring into our sessions what I believe will serve you and your story best.
• to make our sessions fun! Yes there will be serious topics and there will be emotions. But we must not take ourselves too seriously. Try to see everything in perspective. You are on a positive path forward!

You will get good results quickly if you:

• are willing to be honest with yourself and with me.
• are willing to challenge yourself and if you are open to try new things and different ways of thinking.
• are 100% committed to the coaching. This includes showing up on time, preparing for our sessions and working on yourself between sessions. You will learn during our sessions but your biggest changes will happen between our sessions when you translate insights into your life. 
• feel a good connection with your coach.
• see the money you spend on coaching as an investment in your future instead of a ‘cost’.

If you are not fully satisfied after two sessions, I will refund your money, no questions asked. 

I offer a free exploration call before we start working together. I will only start working with you if I feel we are a good fit, if you are in the right frame of mind for coaching and if I’m confident you will get results.

The coaching profession is an unregulated profession. This means that anyone can call him-/herself a coach. So how do you know if someone is a good coach with the right training?

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the leading global organization that is dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high standards. The coach certification training I followed is an ICF accredited program and after completion and an additional exam I got accredited by the ICF (ICF ACC status). With this registration I also committed to following the ICF Code of Ethics. 

I was trained by the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) which is recognized as the ‘gold standard’ coach training and certification in the industry. My certification program included 200 training hours, 9 hours of supervision, hiring my own coach and 100 hours of coaching paid clients. With that I earned CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach) status. 

I have also almost completed a second Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. This means I have a comprehensive background in both coaching skills and behavioral concepts. In 2010 I completed a Masters degree in International Business.  

When you are looking for a coach I recommend that you try a (often free) sample/exploration/discovery session with a few different coaches. This way you can find out with whom you have the best connection and ask any questions you have about coaching.