FAQ

the following are some of the most common questions that people ask me so i thought i'd put them here with some very candid responses. hopefully, you'll get a better idea about me. however, i want to stress that if you have anything to ask me about anything, even if i address it here, please feel free to contact me. i will get back to you ASAP!

about me
who are you, really?
how did you decide to become a coach?
what makes you qualified to be a coach?
what do you think is important in life?
what do you like to do outside of work?
if there was one place you could be right now, where would it be?

about coaching
so, tell me again...what exactly is "coaching"?
are you a therapist or a psychiatrist?
sounds like coaching is really new-agey...
are you like dr. phil or tony robbins?
what does the media have to say about coaching?
how does coaching work?
i don't have time to go to another appointment.
why would i hire a coach instead of just talking to my friends?
how are you different from other coaches?
sounds like an interesting idea, but things in my life just are the way they are...
am i coachable?
what can your clients expect by working with you?
do you specialize in any areas?
how can i get started?

who are you, really?
oh, sure - start with the easy questions!

i would like to think that i am a good person who real, honest, loyal, funny and smart. i sometimes joke that i am "wonder woman" because of all the things i do and have done, but i know that i am just a regular shmoe who is excited about life and curious about all the of the things available to us in the world. i love to travel, i love to eat, i truly enjoy learning about other people and what makes them tick. i have a voracious interest in innumberable things, and because of that an expansive knowledge of trivia - i couldn't even tell you all of the things i know until you ask me about something. i am a lover of all things good and i am extremely appreciative of all of the amazing things that come into my life, even if they don't stay for very long.

above all, i would have to say that i am human. i have my ups and downs...i have times that i am right as well as times when i am wrong. i try to be as good a person as i can be, but i know that there must be times when i fall short of that goal. i have a passionate drive to live the best life i can, and i want to help others do the same. when i see an injustice - be it someone hurting someone else, someone shortchanging themselves, or the fact that it seems stupidity and superficiality have the governing rule - i get indignant and frustrated because it is so hard to make change. i think the latter is because i am a libra and want everything to be fair in the world.

while i acknowledge my flaws as a human, however, i take great pride in my intentions as a person and my endless strive to meet the high expectations i have of myself. if others had to describe me, i would hope that they would say that i am kind, compassionate and smart. i want to project positive energy and really help people in whatever way i can. these are my life goals and every single day, i have to work at them.

how did you decide to become a coach?
when i come across people whom i've known in the past, they inevitably ask me what i am up to these days. when i tell them that i am a life coach, some of them are rather shocked. of those who are shocked, some go as far to say things like, "that's a scary thought!" or "people pay YOU to help them with their lives?!?" now, needless to say, i am always taken aback by the fact that someone would say such things to one's face, but then i simply smile and remind them that they haven't seen me for many, many years. truth is, i wasn't the most together person in the past.

i have a history of failed relationships, directionless careers, bad decisions, and disorganization. i used to live my life on adrenaline and on the edge, foolishly taking pride in my ability to adapt and content to let my path be chosen for me, instead of taking charge. i was overweight, depressed, angry and out of control, blaming the world for all of the negative things in my life and desperate for the day when things would just turn around on their own. it's true! looking back, it's so hard to believe that that was me.

but then one day, after years of thinking that my way was the right way and my problems came from everyone else working against me, i decided to relent, and took an objective look at why all of these negative things were in my life. i had this one second where i opened the door slightly and accepted that, ALL of my troubles couldn't be everyone else's fault. it was so hard to swallow my pride and be honest about myself, but what i found by opeing my eyes was amazing.

i decided to take some drastic steps to change my life and my outlook. it was as though i had flipped a switch - there was nothing else i could do. as a result, i produced some tremendous results in a very short period of time. these positive changes created a domino effect of their own and inspired new and greater changes at higher frequencies and with more monumental results!

with my newfound view of life as proof and encouragement, i began to do some studying on the principles involved with changing one's life. i read hundreds of books, listened to every viewpoint and developed my own set of ideas as to how anyone can put the wheels of change in motion.

in all of this research, one thing kept coming up - the concept of "coaching" one's way to succes. i thought, "how can coaching come into play in life?" - after all, i'd only known it in the realm of sports. but as i learned about life coaching, i realized that i had been coaching for many years. almost every one of my past jobs had required me to use my instincts and my listening skills to draw out of people what they really wanted in their lives, and once that was out in the open, i was able to help them come up with a plan to achieve it. i also realized that people were drawn to me like a magnet when it came to sharing problems, looking for advice or needing a trusted person to just listen without judgement. i already was a coach...i just didn't know it.

being that i have a deep interest in learning, i enrolled in the most highly respected coach training institute, CoachU. i completed their coach training program in about 2 years, during which time, i also coached as many people as i could to flex the new skills i was learning and to round out my experience. by the time i graduated in 2005, M-Powerment had already opened shop.

i love being a coach because it allows me to be part of someone else's success, which in turn, is also my success. the positive nature of the job is very fulfilling and at the end of each day, i know that i have found my calling.

what makes you qualified to be a coach?
truth be told, anyone can call themselves a coach. while people cannot go around telling others they are a doctor or a policeman, one can go around saying that they're a coach - mostly because the industry is still unfamiliar to most people and because it is not regulated by the government yet. i personally worry about this because i feel as though it has the potential of diminishing what it is that i do, but that is a sidebar.

the question is, what makes ME qualified to be a coach? well, i could tell you about graduating the coach training program at coachu, proving that i met all of the requirements at a top institution for coach training. or i could tell you about my magna cum laude bachelor's degree from the university of connecticut, proving that i am smart. or i could tell you about my past careers and how i utilized my coaching skills in each of them, proving that i have a wide range of experience. i could also tell you about the hundred of client hours i've logged with my own coaching practice, working with people and coaching them to their goals, proving i am effective.

all of that's true. on paper, i am completely qualified to be a coach. but if you are asking me the question because you may want to hire me, then there is only one thing that will qualify me to be YOUR coach. your instinct.

a coach is only effective and worthwhile if s/he and the client have the right chemisty, including rapport, respect, the client feels listened to and understood, the coach feels that the client is commited to the process. the client needs to trust the coach and feel comfortable enough to open her/himself up to new ideas and paradigms. the client needs to get a sense that the coach's only interest is the client and helping the client solve the issue(s) at hand.

given that my clients feel this way toward me, i'd say that i am qualified. you can find out if we'd work well together by scheduling a FREE coaching session consultation with me. just contact me about it and we'll set up a time for a phone call.

what do you think is important in life?
wow - another wide-scoping question. there are so many things that i deem important in life, but i think it would be too much to list them all here. i will generalize, though and say that my list of important things is very simple.

i believe that the intangible are what's important in life. the things money can't buy that require character, spirit and risk. love tops the list - loving people with all of your heart and standing by them no matter what. never hurting people on purpose. having a thirst for adventure and finding ways to turn a negative into a positive without getting stuck in woe-is-me-land. enjoying beautiful things and appreciating what you have without wanting more. looking at both sides of the coin is really important in life - in fact, it could change your life by opening you up to new ideas you wouldn't otherwise have been exposed to. seeing life as a gift and to hide from it or letting others influence how you live it constitutes wasting it.

i know some of this sounds very new-agey, but i am not a new-agey person - it really is a logical approach. for example..."finding ways to turn a negative into a positive without getting stuck in woe-is-me-land" first of all, i just have to say that i don't really call it "woe-is-me-land", i just couldn't figure out how else to phrase it. you know what i mean by it, though - when you get so caught up in the "why me's" and believing the world is against you, to the point where you almost enjoy wallowing in self-pity and begin competitions with your friends over whose life is more miserable. so - say you get laid-off from your job. this happens more and more these days and some people are not equipped to deal with the suddenness or the reality of it. those people spend the next few days, weeks, even months, resenting their old boss, recounting the lay-off story to anyone who'll listen and worrying about the future. yes, it's a horrible thing to lose your job, no matter what, but it's done. other than complain and freak out, what else could one do to turn this negative into a positive? how about acknowledging the lay-off as a gift - an opportunity to start over. maybe you can finally admit you hated the job and would rather go back to school or change fields. if you liked the job, maybe you can find a similar job in a more solvent company - after all, it doesn't look like the company you worked for has much of a future anyway if its issuing layoffs. maybe you can take your severance and do a little traveling or take your unemployment and write that book you have always talked about. perhaps you will be forced to take a job that pays less or is temporary or transient to make ends meet, but maybe that will give you more time and incentive to figure out the next move. maybe you can look at the whole thing as a wakeup call that you have lost your interest in your career and reignite that passion. once it's found again, you can bring that reinvigorated joy to a new place and possible excel further than you would have when you were detached. there are a lot of ways to turn a negative to a positive, and it's up to you to find the one that works for you, but the sheer fact that you possess the ability to do so - well, that's what i call important in life.

what do you like to do outside of work?
i have many cool interests like food and wine, cycling, reading and playing with my dogs. i also have some uncool interests like karaoke, taking my metal detector out to the park and dancing to brtiney spears in my office. whether they're cool or dorky, i have many interests such as:

- going on little road trips with my boyfriend and staying at quaint bed and breakfasts
- watching old movies from the 80's over and over again
- trying to grow avocados from the pits
- taking advantage of free events in New York
- reading the news and knowing the 10-day weather forecast
- watching the dog whisperer
- DVR-ing random documentaries on the discovery and national geographic channels
- playing scrabble
- traveling as much as possible
- learning new languages
- taking hot baths with bubbles and salts
- getting dressed up once in a while, even for a casual night in
- i'll add more as i think of things!

if there was one place you could be right now, where would it be?
coming soon!

so, tell me again...what exactly is "coaching"?
i tried to be comprehensive in what i wrote about coaching on my what is coaching? page, so if you haven't read that yet, start there. if you still have questions, please feel free to contact me.

are you a therapist or a psychiatrist?
no, i am not.

coaches and therapists have completely different approaches. there are some therapists who also call themselves coaches, but the fundamental principles behind the two fields are not parallel. while i have a lot of respect for therapists and psychiatrists and all they do, i don't always feel that that is a necessary option for people in dealing with their problems nor is it necessarily an effective way to work toward a goal. this is the gap i feel that coaches like me fill.

you can come to me to address your desire to get promoted at work and together we can find a practical solution and resolve it in a short period of time. alternatively, you can come to me saying that you want to change your life so you can attract a mate and have a healthy relationship, and i can work with you on your personal foundation, asserting the true you and take you through the fundamental principles of attraction and we never have to delve into your childhood and how you feel about your mother.

therapists and coaches may from time to time work on similar subjects with our clients, but our approaches are very different. in my opinion, the coaching process is more streamlined, deals with the present instead of the past and has a finite timeline, whereas therapy can go on for years with no resolution.

sometimes, we just need to learn new ways to manage the curves life throws us, and most of the time, we just need a little guidance, not a program of psychotherapy or heavy medication. however, i must say that if at anytime in the coaching process i think that you would be betterserved to work with a therapist, either concurrently with coaching or instead of coaching, i will refer you to one.

sounds like coaching is really new-agey...
coming soon!

are you like dr. phil or tony robbins?
coming soon!

what does the media have to say about coaching?
as more people become aware of coaching, so has the media. here are some of the things leading publications have said about the merits of coaching:

"part consultant, part motivational speaker, part therapist, and part rent-a-friend, coaches work with managers, entrepreneurs, and just plain folks, helping them define and achieve their goals - career, personal, or most often, both." Newsweek, February 1996

"so you're a player...do you have a coach? the hottest thing in management is the executive coach." Fortune Magazine

"coaches have the ability to view things from afar-in what some call a helicopter vision-and shed new light on difficult situations. often they act as a sounding board through tough decisions, help sharpen skills and motivate." CFO Magazine

"sometimes it takes a coach to win in business." Enterprise

"a coach can make you stick to a plan designated to maximize your potential." Los Angeles Times

"try a personal coach for major goals..." Chicago Tribune

how does coaching work?
coming soon!

i don't have time to go to another appointment.
coming soon!

why would i hire a coach instead of just talking to my friends?
coming soon!

how are you different from other coaches?
coming soon!

sounds like an interesting idea, but things in my life just are the way they are...
coming soon!

am i coachable?

i believe that everyone is coachable - as long as they're open to it. being "open" to coaching means having an open mind, being receptive to observations, suggestions and alternate approaches, and having the desire and willingness to make changes in your life in order to achieve the results you want. if you think you know it all, or expect a quick-fix, then you are probably not ready for coaching at this time.

however, the beautiful thing about being human is that we are always evolving. therefore, i am also of the opinion that even the most stubborn people are in a "coaching state" at various points in their lives. with this in mind, try to remember that while you might not be open to coaching right now, you may be in the future, so no matter what, don't write coaching off as a potential solution for you.

i encourage you to take the industry standard "coachability quiz" to see if you are ready for coaching at this point in your life. if the results show that you're coachable, great - you can begin working with a coach immediately, if that's what you want! if the results show that you're "not coachable", or suggest terms to your coachability, yet you are still interested in working with a coach, i would like to invite you to contact me to discuss solutions for you.

what can your clients expect by working with you?
coming soon!

do you specialize in any areas?
coming soon!

how can i get started?

are you ready to change your life? i am so excited fo you!

the only thing you need to do to get started is contact me. that is a huge first step, but from there on out, i will be there with you to help you figure out what to do next. i look forward to hearing from you!