You are you and there is no-one else quite like you - there never has been and there never will be!

Ponder on that for a moment.

You are the most unique expression of YOU that there is.

So how do you 'do' you? How do you 'be' the best version of 'you' that you can be?

It can sometimes be confusing in moments of transition, or even simply in everyday life when you're navigating the crazy world we live in today.

You don't want to endlessly talk with your friends about 'you' but you want to be able to fully express yourself with someone who will listen without judgement, hear with compassion and understanding and ask questions to help you reach you OWN conclusions, without imposing an agenda or opinion on you.

If this is you, perhaps a coach might be what you're looking for.

A coach is someone who will partner with you as you explore your hopes, dreams and your life and work.

Why not contact me to find out more at belinda@globalcoach.com.au

Read more below for a brief explanation of the differences between coaching, mentoring, counselling, therapy, consulting and parenting.

What is coaching?

The ICF definition of coaching is, “Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

Essentially coaching is having a frank and fearless real conversation with a real person to provide enquiry and insight into the client’s world to assist them move from where they are now to where they would like to be.

It is a space of deep presence between the coach and the client where all thoughts and feelings are welcomed to be explored, thought about and worked through to produce the best outcome for the client and his or her life and sphere of influence.

A coach does not ever give advice, teach, counsel or provide therapy – a coach is more like a mirror who asks questions, listens deeply, champions a client’s growth, reflects back what they are hearing or sensing – highlighting possibilities, areas for growth, enquiring about underlying patterns or strategies to help the client create what the seek to create in their world.

The coach sees and knows that the client is the expert in their life and that the coach and client are equals in every way.

A coach may work with you to gain clarity around a situation you are thinking about in your life, or to determine goals or visions for your future. A coach may assist you to create timelines or simply stay on track and walk beside them as you navigate your life and events therein. A coach is someone who will be there for you in your allocated time together to focus on what you want to gain from each conversation and walk away at the end of your time together with some further fieldwork to do or some further thinking to do or to have simply had the space to debrief and share your thoughts in a positive environment which is supportive of your growth.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is very similar to coaching and contains all the above qualities, however, in mentoring the client is seeking to explore an area that the mentor has already achieved some success within.

The mentor and client contract to help the client find their own way forward (not just ‘do what I say’ or have the mentor ‘tell’ the client what to do). The client is still the expert in his or her life, and the mentor brings their wisdom to the conversation, occasionally offering methods or ways that the mentor has achieved success in the area that the client is seeking to succeed. However, this will always be handed back to the client to consider and test, to explore how to apply the wisdom to his or her unique situation.

What is therapy, teaching, counselling, consulting and parenting?

We would say that therapy and counselling dwell in the past to bring resolution and acceptance to something which has been preventing a client from achieving his or potential. In coaching, it can be helpful to review the past, however, it is viewed as events which occurred and that the client is now able to let go and move beyond. The coaching acknowledges the events and honours the validity of the impacts, and explores “With that knowledge and understanding, where to from here?”

Teaching is where a person wishes to learn a new skill, close gaps in education or skills and become capable of carrying out a certain task or process. A good teacher will use mentoring, coaching plus they will use teaching skills of ‘do this’ and ‘do it this way’ now let’s review what you learned. Coaching and mentoring differ in that the individual client is seen as able and capable of achieving what they want, however sometimes education or skills gaps are discovered in the client’s capacities – so training would be sought in collaboration with the mentor, coach or supervisor to fill such gaps.

Consulting comes into play where a person or a team is brought into a situation to impart their system or way of doing something to support the organisation or individual to achieve a set outcome. The consultant may use coaching and mentoring, as well as instructing the organisation or individual to ‘do it this way’.

Parenting is where an adult is a figure of authority directly responsible for the wellbeing and growth of a child or a person who is unable to fully comprehend their own safety or wellbeing. Parenting may also use all the strategies of coaching and mentoring, however, the responsibility lies with the parent and there is no true equality in the relationship.