Coaching & Mentoring for a More Mindful Life
(By appointment only. Zoom, telephone, and outdoor in-person sessions available)
Are you curious? What if you focused more on cultivating what is “right” in you – and less time and energy on “fixing” something you think is “wrong”?
There are so many possibilities… Think of it this way – YOU are a seed to be nurtured, not a problem to be solved!
Why not grow as you were meant to and show up in the world in a way that feels right for you? Why Not Sprout?!
Through provocative questioning, we’ll explore different perspectives and ways of looking at things that you might not have thought about before. Most of the answers you seek are already inside you – part of my role is to help you uncover and nurture them! And I’ll help keep you on track and moving forward. My style is a bit of a combination of coaching and mentoring, so we’ll have some back-and-forth. And there will be homework!
How cool is that? And with my warped sense of humor, you’ll hopefully have some fun in the process!
My philosophy likens the role of a coach to that of a gardener. I will stand by you as you turn over your inner soil and shine a light on the seeds of possibility within you. I will help you weed out what no longer serves you and, like a trellis, support you in the direction you would like to grow until you have your roots firmly established. Meet Linda (if you haven’t already!)
If you have exhausted your usual resources (friends & family, reading, googling stuff online) and nothing has clicked for you, then collaborating with a coach might be highly beneficial. Coaches help you shift your perspective, broaden your view, identify patterns that no longer serve you well, and open doors by offering ideas and resources you might not have considered. And through it all they stand by you, providing support, encouragement, a listening ear; they challenge you when necessary and provide an accountability structure if you want one. They usually have many different tools at their disposal they can share with you. And they put “you” firmly in the center of the whole process. They do NOT tell you what to do, when to do it, how to do it – and they do not solve problems “for” you.
While there are many similarities among the different coaching styles and schools of thought, a coach with training in positive psychology differs somewhat by their focus on strengths, values, and positive affect. Research has demonstrated the power of strengths-based and positivity interventions in facilitating successful change AND creating resilience. Negative or painful aspects of life are not ignored; rather, they are accepted, dealt with, and interwoven into the client’s life in a way that better serves them. A greater amount of time, however, will be spent on boosting your strengths and using them to your advantage.
If you coach with me, we’ll spend a lot of time talking about what is “right” with you – not what is “wrong.”
I don’t have a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach; everything we do will be tailored to your specific needs and concerns… and what feels right for you to try. We will NOT be trying to “fix what is wrong with you”- because nothing IS wrong with you!
During our time together, you will…
- explore your core values and strengths, and build on those to generate possibilities and make choices– how you want to “show up” in the world
- gain a deeper understanding of your own thoughts and behaviors, using tools related to mindfulness, meditation, compassionate communication, and interpersonal neurobiology (how your brain works and how we are all connected)
- try activities that are known to improve well-being, resilience, and happiness
- identify resources you already have available to you, and figure out how you can access whatever else you might need
- create a road map to get you where you want to go
Coaching can be seen as more of an “inter-relationship” – a give and take. When appropriate, coaches can and often do share stories from their own lives if it serves to move the client forward. There typically isn’t a deep-dive into childhood issues or past traumas during a coaching session. Sometimes those issues can arise – especially if we are working with a critical inner voice that pops up during the coaching process – but the focus always returns to “here & now” and doesn’t typically delve too deeply into the roots of those thoughts and feelings.
While some therapists can be coaches, a coach is not a therapist. We are not licensed or qualified to treat or diagnose mental illnesses, nor are we equipped to handle clinically disruptive levels of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other traumas, attention deficit disorder, eating disorders, alcoholism/addictions – any of the medically-based disorders that can wreak such havoc on people’s lives. Those are best served by the professionals who are trained to handle them.
A coach can work side-by-side with a clinician as part of a recovery program, under their guidance, to assist with goal setting and visioning. If, at any time during the coaching process, a coach is working with someone who they suspect might have deeper issues, we are ethically bound to suggest a referral. It is not in anyone’s best interest to continue a relationship when we cannot truly be helpful. For coaching to be effective, a person has to believe they have choices. A person suffering from the above-referenced conditions is fairly far down on the choice spectrum and may feel completely helpless; they need more help than a coach can provide.
My Credentials
In addition to my professional experiences, I also draw on the following education and training:
- B.A. Psychology (Summa Cum Laude), Arcadia University-Beaver College, Glenside PA
- Certificate in Positive Psychology, Kripalu & Wholebeing Institute (Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Megan McDonough, and Dr. Maria Sirois)
- Certified Competent Coach – School of Coaching Mastery – Taught by Julia Stewart, MMC
- Discovery Weekend Participant Certificate – Center for Non-Violent Communication, NYC (Thom Bond)
- The Compassion Course Online – Center for Non-Violent Communication, NYC – Thom Bond
- Immersion Weekend Certificate – Interpersonal Neurobiology – Mindsight Institute – an in-person class led by Dr. Dan Siegel, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine
- Interpersonal Neurobiology for coaches – lectures with Dr. Siegel
- Mindfulness & Character Strengths – VIA Institute – led by Ryan M. Niemiec, Psy.D.
- Power of Awareness (online, recorded course by Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield)
Sound interesting? Reach out to me and we’ll set up a time for a free 30-minute consultation*
*Sometimes people don’t “click” – if that happens, I don’t view myself as being in competition with other coaches. I strongly believe that it would be better for you to find a good match for yourself, and I will offer you referrals if you’d like. Just don’t stop looking. As a wise counselor once told me, “every pot has a lid”.
What people are saying…
“I am sprouting and happy about it! I have done the therapy route in the past …and guess what? What I really needed was coaching. I have been working with Linda, and it has been just what I needed, and I highly recommend her! So, if you need some awareness brought to your actions and perhaps some guidance to gain direction and perspective – if you can see your cycles and need to break them but aren’t sure how – this could be for you too!” – Sara