Frequently Asked Questions
What is your role as coach?
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I am a partner on your journey. I believe that you are already whole and perfect, and have all the answers. My role is not to tell you what to do - that is the job of an advisor or a mentor (which I also do separately, but that's not coaching!). I don't have a set a curriculum and I don't set the goals or agenda for our sessions - it's critical that our work is guided by what you want to achieve and change, and figuring that out is itself part of the coaching. Rather, my role is to create a safe, supportive and accepting environment, ask challenging questions, and hold up a mirror to things you cannot see, to help you figure out the answers yourself and build your own skills along the way. That being said, I do bring my own experience into my coaching - it helps me get up to speed with your reality much faster, ask difficult questions, and challenge the stories you tell yourself more effectively.
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What is coaching and how is it different to therapy?
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To put it very simply, coaching is about figuring out where you are now, what you want and how to get there. To get there effectively, we have to look in the rearview mirror - we will spend some time understanding where you've come from and how your past has shaped who you are, but our primary focus is taking responsibility for who you are today to get to where you want to be. Therapy tends to focus on healing the past. Coaching is tactical and goal-oriented, whereas most forms of therapy other than CBT are longer-term and open-ended. I do have some training in psychotherapy and trauma work (I completed the Foundation year in Integrative Psychotherapy and short courses in Internal Family Systems, and am currently doing Gabor Maté's Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training), so I go deeper than your average coach, but I am not a qualified psychotherapist and will refer you to one if needed. ​
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What does an engagement with you look like?
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My typical engagement for 1:1 coaching is bi-weekly sessions over 6 months - I believe that is the optimal frequency and duration to drive real change. My sessions are online and last 60 minutes. I am open to discussing other formats, but 3 months is the minimum commitment to be able to see results. We start by establishing an accurate understanding of where you stand and setting concrete goals for our time together. We will also set a goal for each session and arrive at tangible actions and next steps. I tend to give you "homework" consisting of readings and exercises to support your development and processing between each session, and am also available for ad hoc support if needed.
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How do I know if you're the right coach for me?
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This will be a function of my skills, experience, approach, and interpersonal chemistry. Referrals are of course important, but everyone is different so I encourage you to try multiple coaches and make up your own mind. You can book a free Discovery call to learn more about me and experience my coaching for yourself.
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Why did you become a coach?
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I've written a post about this here, but the short answer is after a very intense 5 years at ZeroAvia I took some time out to figure out what's next, and realised that while I really enjoyed building a climate tech business, my real purpose is creating the leaders that we badly need - ones who operate from love and compassion rather than fear and anxiety, and as a result take big risks and make bold choices to make the world a better place, rather than optimising around the edges.