Stuck in the middle with me

Are you stuck? Stuck in your career, relationship...

If so, I'm there with you. We'll get out of here together. Promise.

I was inspired to write this after hearing about the death of Gerry Rafferty, the songwriter of "Stuck in the Middle with You."

(Gotta love the bellbottoms.)

Context aside, the lyrics are one way to describe coaching. I'm in it with you. We navigate the clowns and jokers together. We answer: how to keep the smile on your face.

More to the point, I offer this definition:

[box type="none"]Coaching is a conversation between a client (you) and a coach (me). You set the agenda of our 45 minutes together. I help you set goals, stay on track and achieve the unexpected.[/box]

With me, you gain perspective. I believe you can get what you want, sometimes before you do. My job is to remind you with every session.

Getting what you want sometimes begins with knowing what you DON'T want.

From there, coaching is that conversation I mentioned.

I don't give advice very often. Instead, I ask questions to help us both understand what's important to you. The answers inform the direction we take in the conversation, and that you take in between calls.

As a coach/friend once said:  "I help clients cross the street, then they walk the block on their own. I'm there to meet them again at the next corner."

I hired my first coach in 2002 to help me be more creative without leaving my day job. I ended up being the first person in my company to take a sabbatical—six glorious (and paid) weeks traveling through Europe. An art class in Rome. Finding myself while watching a little girl giggle her way through an outdoor fountain in Amsterdam.

The next time I hired a coach was in 2007 to help me grow my fledgling coaching business.

I faced demons then that were telling me I didn't know enough, needed a better plan, couldn't make it on my own. But here I am.

Most recently, I re-engaged my coach in 2009 the day after I asked my husband for a divorce. I knew it was the right decision, and I also knew I would need help navigating what came next. That was more true than I care to admit.

So there's your answer - coaching fits wherever you are right now and wherever you want to go. What it takes is your commitment to yourself.

The rest we'll figure out together.