One of my highest values is human connection. I believe that for me, and for many many other people, connection with other humans is one of the most important and meaningful things that we can accomplish. I believe it is life-giving and nourishing to the soul.

I see coaching as an interaction that, if done well, can be a deeply connecting activity which can help someone navigating challenges, changes, or other inflection points in their life. I’m particularly interested in helping people who are seeking to create more purpose and meaning in their lives. I think for many people a natural expression of this seeking is a desire to change careers or vocations – that has certainly been my experience!

I’ve found that this meaning-seeking can sometimes mean seeing yourself in a new way – perhaps seeing a part of yourself that you were very carefully avoiding, but that demands to be seen, finally, and awakens a need for change. I think coaching can be a useful catalyst for this self-seeing in a new way; I think we often are best able to see ourselves, or parts of ourselves, when we can first see that reflected by someone else telling us what they see.

Or perhaps not even telling us what they see, but inviting us to see ourselves from a new angle; saying “hey, what happens if you look from right here, what do you see?”

Selfishly, being able to witness that moment when someone sees themselves in a new way; when they open up to embracing themself more fully and honoring that part of themself that has been hidden or suppressed – selfishly, that’s incredibly gratifying and just plain fun! I like that, a lot.

Less selfishly, being a witness to that opening and connecting with someone as they walk through that is hopefully a valuable gift that can be the start of a new path, a new way of being in the world for that person. This is what I hope for and work toward.