What is Life Coaching and how can it help?

What is Life Coaching

Life Coaching is about creating the life that you really want. Coaching is a tool to help you realize the vision, goals and dreams that will lead to a more fulfilling life. Coaching is an active process focusing on enhancing self-knowledge and forwarding individual action toward achieving your goals. Learning as well as forwarding action in the coaching relationship is an effective way to facilitate the learning process so important to permanent and consistent change.

The Coaching Relationship will benefit you by:

Providing Accountability
Structure and focus through weekly contact
Provides a new perspective & feedback
Helps identify your strengths & how to utilize them.
Helping you clarify your values and goals.
Supporting you in reaching your goals.
Overcoming obstacles to change i.e., procrastination, perfectionism, & disorganization
Provides a confidential & non-judgmental place to work on life issues.

Areas of Expertise

Overcoming Underearning
Helping women overcome barriers to change
Women's empowerment issues (self care, setting limits, saying no, positive choices)
Career Coaching
Creating Balance in your life

Types of Coaching

Individual Coaching

Individuals can have coaching sessions over the phone or in person. This provides flexibility and convenience. The initial coaching session is free. ChangeWorks customizes individual action plans to meet the client's individual needs.

Spot Coaching

Single session coaching calls are helpful when your stuck and you need help getting moving again.

Group Coaching

Group coaching is available which is done over the phone through a teleconferencing service. Group coaching is exciting and fun for both the coach and the clients. It is also helpful to have feedback from group members and work with others who are actively involved in the change process.

Telegathering Q & A

Q- What is a free Life Coaching telegathering?

A- Life coaching telegatherings are an opportunity to get some free life coaching over the phone with other callers. Life coaching telegatherings or teleclasses are a common way of providing coaching to clients.

Q- How does it work?

A- You call into the bridge line and enter an access code. The presenter hears a beep when someone joins the call. You announce yourself using your first name or nick name. Sometimes people say where they are calling from. For example, I would say "Hi" "I'm Maureen calling from Virginia"

Q- How many people will be on the call?

A- There could be one caller or several. It just depends how many people call in. This is a new service so it may take awhile for people to call in. The bridge line is limited to 10 callers.


Q- Is there a cost to the call?

A- There is no charge for the actual call except there are long distance charges. The bridge line is usally accessed through a long distance number

Q- What do you do on the call?

A- I will be discussing the topics that are presented in my newsletter. Callers can bring up issues they would like coaching on. It is also a good opportunity to go over the action plans in a structured way to assist you in creating the life you want.

Q- Is life coaching like psychotherapy?

A- Life coaching is not psychotherapy. The Telegatherings are not considered a substitute for therapy. Life coaching is a relationship that is designed to help further action and provide accountability for people who want to make positive changes in their life. Life coaching is psychoeducational but is not intended to treat mental health disorders.

Q- How long are the calls?

A- The call will last 60 minutes. But you can end the call whenever you like.

Q- What are the advantages of doing a telegathering?

A- Telegatherings are very convenient since you don't have to leave your house. It's also an opportunity to learn from others and get some support. A structured call is helpful to further action and keep you accountable to your goals.

Q- What if I miss the call?

A- I will be recording the calls to put on my website. This way you can listen to the call at your convenience. This is also a way to sample the calls before calling in for the first time.

Q- Are the calls confidential?

A- No one has access to the calls except for those participating. I will state the importance of confidentiality on every call. Anonymity is a benefit to telegatherings.

Final Thoughts- I hope you will join me. It should be fun!!!

Myths of Perfectionism

Myths of Perfectionism


Myth 1- Perfectionists are usually happy and content about what they achieve.

Perfectionism does not lead to success and fulfillment. Although some perfectionists are remarkably successful, what they fail to realize is that their success has been achieved despite-not because of-their compulsive striving.

There incredibly high standard prevents them from enjoying their success.

Myths 2- If you want something done well, get a perfectionist for the job.

Perfectionists often have problems with procrastination, missed deadlines, and low productivity. There high standard interfere with completion.

Myths 3- Perfectionist take great pride in their work.

Although perfectionists follow an "I'll-keep-trying-until-it's-perfect" credo, they are especially vulnerable to potentially serious difficulties such as depression, writer's block, and performance and social anxiety.

Myth 4- Perfectionists just have this enormous desire to please others and to be the very best they can.

Perfectionist do have an intense desire to well but this drive is usually based on feelings of low self esteem and strong feelings of inadequacy. These negative feelings do not go away when the perfectionist performs well. These negative feelings remain and only drive the perfectionist toward higher achievements. It becomes a vicious circle.

Suggested Reading

Here are some resources to help if you feel perfectionism in interfering with your ability to enjoy life.

A Guide to Rational Living by Albert Ellis. Wilshire Book Co, 1998 (3rd revised edition).
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns. Wholecare, 1999 (revised edition).
How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein. New York: New American Library, 1996.
I've Done So Well-Why Do I Feel So Bad? by Celia Halas & Roberta Matteson. New York, Ballantine, 1987 (reissue edition). (11/02)

Tyranny of the "Shoulds"

I was reminded this morning about a familiar component of the glass ceiling within- The Tyranny of the Shoulds. Most people have some kind of "should list" running around in their heads on a daily basis. These shoulds are so ingrained within our heads that you may not even notice their existence.

The shoulds run our lives and our moods. The shoulds often have familiar faces and voices. They are the voices of our parents, teachers, grandparents, mentors, employers and even friends. I know there are things that we all "should do" but you should also be compassionate with yourself. Letting the a bad case of the shoulds take over your inner peace and mental health will only leave you feeling exhausted, tired and most likely you won't do anything. Examine your should list and ask yourself the following questions.

Who am I doing this for and why?
Is this a realistic task at this time in my life?
Am I being too hard on myself?

Good Luck!

What is the Glass Ceiling Within?

This is my first blog and post. I wanted to create a blog to compliment by website http://www.ChangeWrks.net which I am currently restructuring. I also wanted a place that I could express my ideas about women's issues and empowerment other than through my newsletter or my website. I also thought it would be fun to get into the blogging world! I decided my first article should help explain my concept of The Glass Ceiling Within.

The best way to explain the glass ceiling within is to demonstrate it. Consider this internal dialog.

A woman sits behind a desk and sees her boss sitting in his office. She has a plan. It is something she has been thinking about for a long time. She goes through the reasons in her mind why she needs an increase in salary. Her divorce is final and her spousal support will be running out soon.
The neighborhood she lives in is no longer safe for her teenage children and she dreams of owning her own home. The children will be going to college in a few years and the child support payments will end. She doesn't make enough to pay for college expenses. There are bills to be paid and she could use a new pair of shoes. She wonders if she is being selfish for wanting nice things,
She has not managed to save for her retirement in two years because of all the unexpected expenses. Who will take care of her in her old age? She envisions herself as a bag lady pushing a shopping cart. She wonders if she will ever have choices in her life or just live pay check to pay check. She closes her eyes and rehearses what she will say. Then a thought comes into her mind. "You know he did mention in your last review that it took you too long to put together your presentations. What makes you think he will give you a raise? She looks over at her boss again feeling a surge of anxiety. There were a few other items he mentioned regarding her job performance but she could not recall what they were. He said some good things too but she couldn't recall those either.
Her feelings of anxiety are turning to panic. She knew she was good at her job. But has she fully corrected her deficits? She looks at her boss and decides it is not a good time to ask. Maybe she should wait until her next performance review. She starts to feel her tense muscles relaxing. She also recalls that his wife had surgery yesterday, and he didn't need to deal with her problems right now. He has always been good to her. She turns her back toward her computer screen and thinks, "The glass ceiling out in the world is nothing like the one in my head. It is as thick as lead"

The Glass Ceiling Within-
"It's me who makes the monsters.
It's me who beats me up"- Paula Cole


The above vignette demonstrates the glass ceiling within. You can see from her internal dialog that she gives in to all of her self imposed limitations such as fear, self doubt and her willingness to put other needs ahead of her own.
I use the image of the glass ceiling to describe this inner process because it is a familiar concept within our culture. It is a powerful image that helps to explain those internal barriers that prevent women from succeeding in their lives. I will be adding articles periodically that will support the lives of women and to assist them in shattering their own glass ceilings.