Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some answers to frequently asked questions about coaching.

What is coaching?

"Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

"Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help people improve their performances and enhance the quality of their lives.

"Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has." — International Coach Federation

Do you coach clients in person, by email or on the phone? ~ TOP

Most coaching I do is by phone, with email support in between coaching appointments. This way I can coach clients all over the United States. I meet with some Seattle-area clients in person.

What happens during a coaching session? ~ TOP

You come to the session with some idea of what you want to focus on — typically an idea, question, challenge or decision that seems most pressing or has you blocked. I ask questions, listen, offer feedback, and brainstorm ideas with you. Typically each session ends with action items for you to complete before our next session.

The International Coach Federation, of which I am a member, describes coaching skills that its members possess if you’d like a more detailed description of what skills and techniques I use as a coach.

Do you assign "homework" to do between coaching sessions? ~ TOP

Most coaching sessions end with action items for you to complete before our next session. You and I decide on these items together. Frequently I will suggest an "assignment" that may take you out of your comfort zone somewhat, in support of a goal you have or direction in which you want to go.

Can you tell me what career I should get into? ~ TOP

No, I can't, and even if I thought I could, I wouldn't! My job is to help you make your own career decision. I can help you come up with career options to explore and give you resources so you can do your own research and investigation. I will help you think strategically about how to narrow down your career options, but I can't tell you what exactly you should do.

Will you help me rewrite my resume? ~ TOP

I have reviewed thousands of resumes during my career in human resources management. I happily review clients' resumes and can suggest small changes. However, I am not a certified professional resume writer, and I am a big believer in hiring a good one to write a top-notch resume. The resume writing service I recommend is Blue Sky Resumes. I hired them to write my own resume, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

What are examples of clients you've coached and the results they achieved? ~ TOP

I have coached a variety of men and women, in their 20’s through 50’s. Some are new college graduates, while others are seasoned professionals in corporations, academia or non-profits. Many are artists (fine art, performance art, musicians and writers) who work in a different field but want to make changes so they can engage in their passion for art more often. Here are a few examples of client situations and coaching results I've been a part of:

Client's Situation	Coaching Process and Results
Non-profit manager thought he should try to find a job in a corporation so he could make more money and support his family better. He wasn't sure this would be possible or even something he was willing to do.	He decided to stay in the non-profit world because he liked the types of missions they have and had enjoyed a lot of success in this world, but he moved to a different organization, one that would make it possible for him to earn more money.
Regional sales manager with a law degree wanted to define a longer term career path. He had a dozen ideas of what he might want to do but no focus.	We explored all the options and narrowed down the career ideas to a manageable number. We created a plan for him to research each option and looked at how he would overcome obstacles, such as lack of time.
Graduate student in a PhD program was having serious doubts about her commitment to the program. She was considering dropping out, but had serious misgivings about doing so. She felt stuck.	We talked about the pros and cons of each of her options and explored the fears and doubts she had about both sticking with the program and dropping out. She decided to stay in the program, and we developed plans for her to complete the process.
New law school graduate decided that the law was not for him. But he had no idea what careers would be a good match because he had focused on law for so long.	We used the Elevations® tool to uncover the four career options that he was most interested in and made a plan for him to research each one.
A working mother, pregnant with her second child, was torn whether to return to her full-time job after her maternity leave or stay home full-time. Also, she was an artist who had potential to show her work, but she wasn’t doing it.	After working through each of the options, she decided to stay home full-time with her children. She also decided to clean out her art area at home and complete some projects. Her work is now selling in various retail stores.
Artist who was in executive administration in a corporation was not attending to her art and was wondering how she would pursue art while keeping some sense of job security.	She negotiated a new work schedule so she could have one day free a week to volunteer at an artists’ non-profit organization. She applied for an internship there and got great experience. She cleared out her studio at home and decided which projects took priority and figured out time after work she could work on them.
Pharmacist was highly unhappy in her retail setting job and was thinking again about her big dream of becoming an entrepreneur.	She found a new job in pharmacy that was a lot less stressful and was part-time so she could devote time during the week to exploring and researching how she could turn her entrepreneurial dream into reality.
Successful regional VP wanted help gaining more control over his time so he could feel less stressed and pay more attention to his family and his health.	We looked at all the small but significant changes he could make that would give him immediate relief over the most stressful parts of his day. This included everything from eating more healthfully to delegating more at work. He went on a two-week vacation to Europe with his family.

How do I know whether coaching is right for me? ~ TOP

Coaching works best when you have sufficient time, resources and enthusiasm to make plans to move forward. I recommend you take this self-assessment to help you discern whether coaching is the right option for you right now.

The next step is to contact me. We'll discuss your situation and decide if there would be a good match between what you want and what I have to offer.

It's very important to me that the people who contact me get the support that is appropriate for them, whether or not that is coaching from me. I refer people to other coaches, therapists, a professional resume writer, and online resources as needed.

What are your coaching qualifications? ~ TOP

I received certification as a professional coach from the Academy for Coach Training, which is accredited by the International Coach Federation. As such I had to demonstrate competency in these coaching skills.

As a member of the ICF, I agree to abide by their ethical guidelines.

I founded Dream Big Coaching Services in 2003 and have successfully coached many clients on career and life decisions.

How do your clients describe you as a coach? What's your style? ~ TOP

Clients typically describe my coaching style as warm, empathetic, compassionate, frank, funny and inspiring.

Since my job often is to help clients get out of a rut, create new ideas, create some order out of chaos, and help them get moving, I offer feedback, insights and ask questions that at times seem blunt, but are always delivered kindly!

For details about my background and interests, see About Heather.

INDEX OF QUESTIONS