How is coaching different from other forms of help? – Despite having a lot in common with other helping professions such as consulting, mentoring, and therapy, coaching is a distinctive approach. In essence, coaching is a collaborative, non-directive process between a coach and client, focused on helping the client identify and work toward a goal or new insight. In contrast, consulting and mentoring are more directive and focused on advice and guidance, and therapy is primarily problem-oriented rather than solution-focused.
What does a typical session look like? — Sessions are 60 minutes in duration. Typically, we start a session by reviewing progress and learnings since the previous session and agreeing on a topic and goal for the current session. We then explore that topic and find ways for you to make progress towards your goal. We conclude by summarizing and agreeing on a set of next actions that you can work on between sessions.
When and how do we meet? — We meet via Google Meet or Zoom, Tuesday to Friday at 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 3:30 pm CET (convert to your time zone). Given my various commitments and the fact that my coaching practice is typically near or at capacity, I am unfortunately unable to offer other times at present.
How often do we meet? — We meet at the cadence that’s right for you, given your goals for the coaching and other commitments. I see most clients roughly every two to four weeks.
How many sessions will I need? — This depends on what you want to achieve with your coaching. Typically, 3-4 sessions will give you a taste of the potential results. 9-12 sessions is usual for people who want to create significant change. My coaching engagements are open-ended, and the duration is determined by you. You do not need to commit to a fixed number of sessions in advance, only to doing your best for yourself.
What does it cost? — My fee for each 60-minute session is €100 for personally funded clients and €150 for corporate-sponsored clients. The first session is free. If you really want to work with me but money is an obstacle, please let me know on the form. I would love to hear from you and find out how we can both meet our needs.
How can I pay? — You can make payment via bank transfer or PayPal. I bill on a quarterly basis.
What is the cancellation policy? — You can reschedule your sessions up to 24 hours in advance. Later cancellations will be charged the full cost of the session.
Do you have a waitlist? — I currently don’t maintain a waitlist for new coaching clients. However, if I’m unable to work with you at present, I may reach out to you in the future when I have more capacity to take on new clients. My selection process is guided by where I feel I can make the most significant contribution, both to the individual’s development and to the broader world.
How do we work together? — The following agreements have proven helpful to manage how you and I interact and what we can expect from the coaching relationship:
- Your answers: People are complex and the world is messy. Any answers that I might have for you will therefore miss something important. Instead of giving advice, I focus on helping you discover the solutions that are right for you. I’ll share my perspective where I think it’s appropriate and helpful.
- Your agenda: It’s up to you to determine what you want to work on in our coaching engagement and in every individual session. I’ll help you prioritize topics in a given conversation and keep a focus on the overall goals for the coaching.
- Learning orientation: Coaching is a short-term intervention. In our complex and volatile world, we need to nurture a learning mindset and develop effective learning strategies to maintain progress after the coaching has ended – to prepare for the next challenge, not just the current one.
- Confidentiality: I’ll treat everything we discuss during sessions as confidential, including the fact that we’re working together. I might share some anonymous information from our sessions with my coach supervisor to explore challenges and learn from them.
- Transparency: Coaching thrives on openness and vulnerability. I invite you to share whatever seems helpful in the context of our work and find out what level of transparency feels appropriate to you.
- Acceptance: You don’t have to perform for me. You can rely on me with your failures and uncertainties as much as with your achievements. I won’t condemn or judge.
- Distractions: It’s important to have a quiet space for calls where there will be no interruptions or eavesdroppers and where we have turned off our email and phones.
- Notes: I’ll take high-level notes during the session. Additionally, you can gather your own notes if helpful.
- Contact between sessions: I’m available to support you via email between sessions. I invite you to send me regular updates to keep the momentum going.
- Commitment: Individual change is a process, not an event. It takes time and energy to learn and develop. There are usually no quick fixes or hacks. Let’s make sure to pick coaching goals that are worthy of your efforts.