REFLECTION - STORYTELLING

Challenge and Selection:

I am a Life Coach and certified in Relationship coaching. I started coaching since the days no one had a  clue about what Coaching was, apart from the students’ coaching classes for studies or sports. It used to  be very difficult to make people understand what it actually is. In order to make them not just know  what it is but also in some way what Coaching could do to and for them, I started using Storytelling tool  of Design Thinking.

My target audience, in the initial day, were women who have been away from home for various reasons  and have their own challenges to work around. They were women who were no more sure of their  capabilities and were lacking confidence and self-esteem. In order to help them in any way, they had to  be ‘opened up’ and given assurance that this is a safe container and they can trust this process.

Fortunately I had my own story to share, to begin with, which was starting from B.Sc Maths to Masters  in Computer Science to now being a certified Life Coach. I had so much to share in terms of what I  became and how I transformed with every change in my life.

The women I was working with were skeptical to any change in their life, even if for their good. They had  not seen life in any other way than just the way how it was moving forward.

During my certification I had done some sessions as a part of the course and there I saw some amazing  results. Those stories were shared to make people know about coaching and also motivate them to see  it in a different light for them to take the 1st step towards their bright future.

When shared those stories, with full anonymity, one related to them and started sharing some bit of  theirs and also gained confidence in the process.

Application:

I was mostly inclined towards women during the start of my Coaching career as they were my reflection  too. I was coming out of my 5 years of sabbatical and exactly knew the fears I went through when I got  back.

I used my story and another very favourite transition story to tell people how one can explore their  fullest potential by just having some honest conversations with a coach. The Coach does not make you  change anything or does not tell you what to do but only helps you to introspect and get to know  yourself and needs better.

I shared my story from being in the peak of my Digitial Marketing career when I became a mom and how  I took a back seat to take care of my child and then did not loose hope to get back to work. I explored  my need better by going through a Coaching session and realized Coaching was my calling. I studied to  be more authentic in this field and got a certificate to carry my practice. It has been 4 years since I  changed my career and not one day I have regretted. Doing what I like doing has helped me improve the  quality of my family interactions and bond too.

Insight & Approach:

My story did comfort the women around that I am not only coaching them but I have also walked the  talk in my own life too.

With this I witnessed women opening to me easily and they had less apprehensions of being judged or  ending up wasting their time.

Some wanted to know more about my life and how I got the confidence at such an age to start from  scratch and also pursue it with passion as a career. I attracted women going through the same situation;  taken sabbatical and want to do something more meaningful this time when they go back to work.

I had another brilliant story to share which was such an eye-opener for me too.

One Coachee had come to me for coaching because of a break-up. She was not in a good emotional  state. We had a few sessions where she expressed a lot and we moved from one goal to the other in the  process of Coaching for 6 months.

The transitions we went through from our 1st sessions to the end were just brilliant.

Break-up to wanting to do something else than the Content writer she was, to make-artist to hair-stylist  to free lancer fashion consultant to now a certified and successful Yoga instructor!

This story had made a great impression on people, of how Coaching can be used to explore your highest  potential.

I realized that my story and this favourite one of mine has impacted a lot of coaches of mine in the right  way; made them open up, have confidence in themselves and also strive to reach different heights.

This  tool surely is my favourite has it has helped me in educating people about Coaching in a more  authentic and trustful way.

I am so grateful to it and make a point to use this tool to touch people genuinely and deeply

-A Coach’s attempt always!

