This week, a number of my coaching clients told me that the best thing I do for them is to help them sort out all of the things going on in their heads. They told me that I do it without judgment and without trying to fix them or tell them what to do. Rather, I hold all of the things they tell me and then I feed it back to them in a way that lets them know they’ve been heard. It also helps them to organize their thoughts and get decisive on what actions they want to take. Shameless plug for me!

I get asked all the time about what I do, what coaching is, why it’s different from therapy, etc. Often, I struggle to put words to what I do and to explain the magic that happens in the synergy of two people connecting in a safe space that is focused on the growth of one of those people. It all sounds a little woo-woo and yet, that’s exactly what happens. How many of you have someone in your life who listens unconditionally, doesn’t judge you, doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t try to fix you, and doesn’t tell you what to do?

Most of us don’t have someone like that in our lives. We have people who love us and who listen, but who listen to help, to fix, or to tell us what to do. They do it because they love us and it’s great to have those people in our lives. Yet, what’s most empowering about a coaching relationship is that I believe you have the answers, not me. (Please don’t tell my children I said that because I still periodically like to tell them what to do.) It’s great to have people like this in our lives. People who love us so much that they just want to help. And yet, sometimes that can be really frustrating.

How I Help Clients Find Their Own Solutions

Many of the people that I work with are leaders. They are senior leaders in organizations, people who make big decisions for lots of people all day long. Many of these leaders have told me that it can get lonely at the top. Often, they don’t have a safe space in their life to admit that they are struggling, feeling insecure about something, overwhelmed, stressed, and confused. What happens then is that all of those thoughts and feelings tangle up in their heads and the whole situation gets more stressful and more overwhelming.

Which leads . . . back to me! I help them untangle all of that stuff in their heads. I’m not a “yes- man (or woman)” nor am I trying to fix them or tell them what to do. I help them sort it all out until they are able to come up with the solutions that are right for them and right for the people in their lives. This leads to less stress, less overwhelm, more confidence, improved communication with others, and more powerful decision making. Boom!

I try to limit my self-promotion to only a few posts a year. This is one of them.

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC