Today I was coached.
I had a coaching call with a new business coach.
I am not new to coaching – in fact I’ve been in three different formal coaching groups over the past decade! I have found immense value in coaching. The accountability provided, the insights gained from others, and the given permission for another person to reveal my blind spots that hinder my goals have led to dramatic life change, always for the better.
In each round of coaching I have focused on something different. First, it was leadership. I was coached as I was leading a team of women so I could more effectively lead them. I knew what kind of leader I wanted to be and this coaching group helped me to make that a reality.
Next, my coaching focus was just on me. I was coached about my thought habits and how my brain defaults to thinking. I gained immense self-awareness and learned myself better. This is a gift not only to me, but to my husband, my coworkers, and more. I pray there will never be a time I stop learning more about who I am.
This present round of coaching is focused on my business. As I am writing more and developing a platform to pursue publishing, I find myself again needing the accountability and view into my blind spots. Learning a new industry is not new to me, but when I am so focused on learning, I can get cloudy on me. I can get so engrossed in learning the business that I am tempted to forget my role in running it.
Usually I have a pretty consistent routine when faced with a new topic to learn. I research the topic, I ask others who have experience in it, I read books on it, I listen to podcasts, I follow experts on social media, and generally gather information from as many sources as I can to learn about it from all angles. And then once I’ve learned, I find more sources and keep learning!
This routine is true of coaching, too. I research myself, I ask others about me, and I read my own journals and prayers. But when I come to a new spot in my development or embark on a new adventure, there’s a new side of me to learn! I love coaching because it allows me to explore myself with curiosity and no judgment.
There aren’t many safe places in the world where we can thoroughly examine ourselves in this way. To be honest, there’s not many people who can be trusted to create space for this!
The purpose of coaching is to grow, and we rarely grow without facing and embracing this risk. Growth happens best when we have safety to explore our discomfort. If you do not have a safe space to be honest with yourself and about yourself, I encourage you to find it. Whether this is counseling, coaching, or something similar, your life will change for the better through this type of self-examination.
Today I was coached. And I encourage you to be coached, too.
Here’s a few of my favorite coaching resources:
- Amy Kemp, Inc.
- Online Courses
- Group Coaching
- Retreat Experiences
- Legacy Roots Co.
- Business & Home Coaching
- Home M.O. Course
- Women Speakers Collective
- Speaker Bootcamps
- PreacHER Academy
- Specialized Cohorts
