Ready for Change

Folks are asking how the karaoke course went. In true coaching style, I’m going to reinterpret the course in terms of what it taught me about myself and other people … here goes.

1. I have a whole lot more personality than I’m letting on. When I saw people really rock out to karaoke, I suddenly understood how stifled and repressed we must be in the day-to-day. We have so much more creativity, expression, energy, and humour that we could be expressing. Why does it only come out after a few drinks, late at night, in a bar where no one knows your name? Why doesn’t it come out in your everyday life? When people see that part of you, they fall in love. Here’s to my karaoke rock star spending a little more time with me everyday.

2. It’s not about me. I had this romantic picture of myself crooning away in front of a crowd of admirers… but it turns out that karaoke isn’t about singing well for an audience (as well as the many other things in that sentence that didn’t pan out). Karaoke is about putting on a show and interacting with your audience. It’s all about them.

3. Singing is good for the soul. Along with painting, poetry, dancing, and a million other things that my parents charmingly labelled ” basket-weaving” (i.e. non-essentials), singing is one of those things that could make us all feel a little bit better if only we’d give it a chance. When you spend two hours grooving to music and remembering fantastic songs you had forgotten, it’s pretty hard not to leave feeling better than when you arrived.

Watch here for your chance to get in on the karaoke fun and blow your creative personality out of its shell!

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This month I’m fundraising to support Engineers Without Borders, a fantastic organization that embraces personal and professional development. You can help me reach my fundraising target by donating here.

the fine line of creating space

Over at Jamie Ridler Studios, everyone is invited to participate in Wishcasting Wednesdays. Each week, Jamie posts a different wishing question, and bloggers post their answers.

I’m joining in this week.

The question: What do you wish to make room for?

I wish to make room for creating something new.

I wish to make room for possibility and spontaneity.

I wish to make room for fierceness and gentleness.

I wish to make room for dreaming bigger, and for holding the space for other people to dream bigger too.

The “aha” is a golden moment in coaching. Sometimes it’s quiet and subtle – a shift in tone, a drop in one’s voice, a powerful few seconds of silence. Sometimes it’s loud and blaring: “I can’t believe I didn’t see that!” “Of course I can!” Sometimes a client is surprised when he or she says something that takes his or her own breath away.

A U.K. researcher, Leigh Longhurst, explored the “aha” moment in the model of coaching I use, Co-Active coaching. From the abstract of the research paper:

Findings reveal that the ‘Aha’ moment is experienced somatically and emotionally as well as cognitively, with the striking of many chords across a spectrum of consciousness from body, to mind, to soul, to spirit (Wilber 1989). The more chords it strikes, the greater the resonance and degree of cognitive and behavioural change.

You can download the entire paper here, and read about the theory behind the “aha”.

I’m lucky enough to have a flexible schedule over the next few days, and am happy to schedule free 30-minute sample coaching calls with anyone who is interested in seeing if coaching is for them. If you or someone you know is interested, drop me a line: laurajoanne/at/gmail/com/.

As part of Net Change Week, last night’s event at the MaRS Discovery District brought together a mass of people interested in social change and the wisdom and experience of Ric Young, who talked about (among many other things), the “shock of the possible”.

You can watch a clip from the evening, complete with me (1:58) talking about what I’ll take away from Ric and bring into my coaching work, by following the link here:

Net Change Week: Fireside Chat with Ric Young from SiG @ MaRS on Vimeo.

The sun broke through just before 10am as I set up my coaching booth with my wonderful helper (who brought along homemade ginger snaps, coaching testimonials, and mad skillz in public outreach).

Planet Palmerston was a great success – the final tally is still being totalled, but organizers think they easily exceeded their goal of raising $1000 for Habitat for Humanity.

At the coaching booth, passersby were puzzled, curious, and some a little intimidated at our offers to try a ten minute sample of life coaching. The brave souls who did try it were a real joy to work with: they were willing to be honest and open about things they wanted to change in their life. It was a wonderful experience to coach outside in the sunshine on patio chairs, sitting under the trees, with neighbours walking by. The person at the next house, once he realized we were having coaching conversations, cranked some mood music (jazz – apparently jazz is good coaching music?) out of his window to provide some ambience for the coaching.

My favourite quote during the day came when someone finished a coaching session, stood up, and exclaimed, “That was waaaaayy better than therapy!!”

(Not that I recommend coaching for people who would be better served with therapy – the two practices are definitely different. In fact, I’m training as a psychotherapist too, because I realize it enables a whole other kind of growth).

I’ll definitely be interested to bring coaching out into the public arena more often so that people can get a taste of it and learn about what coaching can do. In that spirit, there’s an upcoming event (June 12) in Toronto where you can try out a 25-minute coaching session for just a $5 donation. Check here for more info.

On a final note, I want to confess that if it wasn’t for the fact that I work with a coach myself, I would never have had the nerve to set up a coaching booth on my own street as part of a community event. Going through coaching training, watching coaching, and being coached have all increased my ability to be visible, put myself out there, and own and share my skills. It’s been an exceptional gift.

The good folks on the prettiest street in Toronto are hosting Planet Palmerston, a street-wide yard sale with a portion of the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity.

You’ll find me there, doing some laser coaching sessions with anyone interested in trying it out! Drop by for a by-donation 15-20 minute sample of coaching, anytime between 10am-12pm on Saturday, just north of the Planet Palmerston headquarters (351 Palmerston Blvd, north of College).

Who knows what richness you might discover in 20 minutes? You’ve got nothing to lose by trying.

There might even be cookies …

Hope to see you there!

Have you ever thought about trying life coaching or professional coaching? Interested in knowing how it works and what it can do for you? On Monday, Feb.23, you can take a half hour to try it out, for free! I’m a Co-Active Coach who works with clients to bring their goals and values alive, and to support them as they work toward a fulfilling, conscious, rewarding life. In some cases, this means focusing on professional goals; in some cases, personal goals; in many cases, both. You might have friends or colleagues who have worked with a coach before, and if you’ve been interested to learn more about it, now is your chance.

On Monday, February 23rd, I’m offering free sample coaching calls on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Here’s what a few of my clients have said about coaching with me:

“I have been seeing the benefits of the coaching conversation ever since . . . Laura definitely helped me focus on the goals and people that are important to me.” – Ian Froude

“Laura gave me the chance to stop and take a look at the full reach of my life and consider what I most want to improve upon. Her coaching allowed me to get over my indecisiveness and finally take the plunge in making some serious decisions about my career. Her professionalism and coaching approach set into motion an important and challenging chapter in my life – and I am better equipped to overcome the hurdles having received her support.” – James Haga

To schedule a free 30 minute session next Monday, contact me at laura.j.mcgrath /at/gmail /dot/com. You don’t need to have a specific issue or problem in mind – you can just bring yourself to the conversation, and we’ll work from there.

I look forward to sampling coaching with you!