Prior to 2007 when I left my “day job” to become a full-time yogini, I enjoyed twenty fascinating years in various management positions at Time Warner and ESPN. In that capacity, I oversaw many challenging projects, including managing staff reorganizations, setting up an onsite newsroom at the Barcelona Olympics, and being the founding Managing Editor of ESPN the Magazine. My final publishing title was VP, Business Operations of a 400-person division of ESPN.
The process of digging into a daunting project could be intoxicating. The stakes were always high, the results dramatic, at least from the perspective of the various business plans. But for all the drama, over time I realized that I derived much deeper satisfaction from the parts of my job that touched others in a more meaningful way–recruiting, hiring, managing, training, and mentoring. This became all the more evident when I earned an executive coaching certification from NYU and began working with staffers in a coaching capacity.
At this point I was already teaching yoga in my off-work hours. I could no longer ignore the increasingly insistent voice in my head. Ironically the louder that voice became, the more I could hear it beckoning me to a quieter place. I began to see clearly that it was time to trade in the super-big picture stuff in favor of my passion, helping people bring about positive change in their lives, to improve their conditions. and achieve their goals.
Not familiar with coaching? In a nutshell, it’s a present- and future-focused process that is action-oriented. The coach assumes the role of facilitator/cheerleader/accountability partner in service to the client. Starting with the premise that the client is perfect, does not need to be “fixed,” and already possesses everything necessary to achieve a stated goal, a coach can help in these areas:
- Clarify the goal and break it into manageable steps
- Assess change readiness
- Develop and implement an action plan
- Identify obstacles and put strategies in place to overcome them
- Define benchmarks and key success markers
- Overcome resistance from internal and external sources
- Recognize, celebrate, and create tools to maintain new status
No longer willing to help others heed the call toward change while ignoring the desire to make a radical shift in my own life’s direction, I made the sanest decisions I could: I hired a coach to help me navigate the scary waters of change. Just as Viniyoga brought me out of 8 years of constant pain, I have personally experienced the effectiveness of the coaching process. Otherwise, you would not be reading this!
As a coach, I love bringing the full range of my training and experience to the process. Whether it’s change management, organizational or project management, professional development, and not least of all the considerable tools of mindfulness, yoga and meditation, we’ll employ whatever it takes to move you toward realizing your goal.
If you are feeling stuck, craving a change, or have been putting off a daunting project, coaching may be for you. A typical engagement lasts six-ten weeks, during which we focus heightened awareness on the what, why, when and how of your goal. And don’t worry about geographic location; most coaching takes place over the phone!
If you’re interested, contact me. I’m clearly passionate on the subject and love to discuss it.