Coaching Stories

Here are some real life coaching experiences from my practice—real people going through real transitions.

Zach - who had lost touch with what he really wanted to do workwise at a time when he was considering what his pre-retirement and retirement might look like...

Laura - who worked far too hard but learned how to make the most of her time off to consider how to make her next career and life moves meaningful...

Jim - who felt so stuck in his work life he didn't know where to turn or what to do.

Renegotiating Roles- Zach
Zach, a 53 year old overworked attorney, felt torn by the need to choose between his current legal career, alternative legal work, or a family business he’d left years ago in order to declare his independence. The more he thought about it, the more his indecision settled in. In addition, he was worn out from struggling with a persistent, puzzling medical condition. Zach was very skeptical about coaching, but since he’d reached the point where he "had to do something," he was willing to give it a try.

As we got down to work, we discovered Zach had totally lost touch with himself – he had no idea what he really wanted from his life. He had spent too much time thinking about what he should do. Our coaching sessions gave him the time, space and tools he needed to rediscover what really mattered to him at this stage in his life—in work and out of work – something he claimed he would never have done on his own. He discovered he wanted to change his job, have more time to himself, and "give back" to a community project he supported.

Zach made an extraordinary change. Once we clarified his desire to return to the family business —that’s where his heart was—he had the energy it took to undertake the task of getting there. The process had it's share of ups and downs but we kept his eye on the prize and took it step by step. Zach made the return to the family business on his own terms—he completely renegotiated his position there giving him autonomy, well-defined roles, and enough free time to pursue other important interests.

We stay in touch periodically. He’s doing well and is happy with his move. His former turmoil has been replaced by an ease and a confidence. He finds his work very satisfying, his medical issues have greatly diminished, and he is giving a lot of pro bono time to a community project he cares deeply about.
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Burn-Out to Balance - Laura
Laura was a 55 year old top-level educational consultant who loved her job, but felt "burned out." We figured out that though she loved her work, her boss’s demands were excessive, leaving her no time for herself. After attempting to address this with her boss and learning nothing would change, Laura impulsively quit. And promptly panicked.

We made some very important discoveries, very quickly. First, Laura actually needed the time off to explore options in her field so she wouldn’t again do what she was most afraid of—getting stuck in a bad job situation again just because she was afraid to be without work. Second, with her new free time, she re-discovered her many non-work interests and how important they were to her. She began "to feel like herself" again. Because of money concerns, she took on a couple of time-limited projects.

Along the way, I helped Laura clarify what she loved most about her work, what made a job truly rewarding. And also what made her life really rewarding. When examining various job possibilities, she used that information as a useful touchstone. Then when a great position came along, she easily recognized it. It offered not only great work, but also left her the time she needed to enjoy the interests and pleasures she’d refound during the process. She’s working three quarters time, doing some volunteer teaching, and enjoying amateur theatre. And she "feels like a new person".
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Getting Out from Under - Jim
Jim, a successful systems analyst in his late forties, began working with a personal coach (at the urging of his wife) because he simply felt "stuck," but couldn’t figure out why. Our first session led to an important insight: he was so overwhelmed at work he was too busy to see how it was draining him! Together we determined what behaviors were keeping him buried and then strategized about how to change them. Over time, Jim made some important changes that helped him "get out from under" in a significant way. He began to delegate and to share responsibility among more of his staff.

Interestingly, once Jim had delegated more work, he felt more energy. He needed new challenges. We clarified what he really wanted to do and made a detailed proposal to his employer. When nothing happened after several weeks, Jim decided to move on.

We considered—and tried out—alternative ways to job search, something he had not undertaken for years. Eventually he found a company which greatly interested him but had been unresponsive to his initial inquiries. We worked out a different strategy to approach it—which was successful. Jim has been successfully employed there for over four years.
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Contact me if you would like to schedule a 30 minute
complimentary coaching conversation.

Please call 617-965-6240 or email connie@thetransitioncoach.com