In this series aptly titled, Even Coaches Need a Coach, I highlight the importance of mentorship within the coaching industry especially as it pertains to resilience. Resilience is often referred to as a personal quality but, in actuality, is best approached as a specific set of skills that allow the ability to face challenges head on, stay focused, and bounce back from adversity stronger. As a resilience coach my goal is to help people navigate life’s challenges so they can shift from merely surviving to thriving. We do this, together, by focusing on building resilience and guiding them in their journey toward the life they desire.The work is both truly rewarding, and exhausting. As such, it becomes crucial for resilience coaches (and really any coach) to seek out our own mentors who can assist in continuing to foster and improve our individual resilience. Not only is this the responsible and ethical thing to do in order to coach efficiently, but it provides an example to our clients of the impact that having a coach can have on building resilience.
Mentor Interview:
In my last post, I wrote about my meeting with local brain-based trainer and coach, Lisa Michelle Smith, and her unique approach to resilience with her clients. The following week I had the opportunity to chat with April McBride. April is a Certified Life Coach and Resilience Trainer based in Virginia Beach, Virginia focused on transformational coaching strategies. McBride uses the G.R.O.W. model in training her clients who are often military (and their families), mature learners, and/or career switchers. This coaching framework provides a structured approach to coaching that helps her clients identify goals for their sessions, work their way through blocks, sort through opportunities, and commit to an action plan toward achieving their goals. G.R.O.W. stands for Goal, Reality, Obstacles (or Options), and Way Forward (or Will). Speaking on resilience based work specifically, McBride notes her focus on connecting and cultivating relationships with her clients. Employing empathy, and a warm smile, McBride assists clients with self-actualization, habit formation, mindset, and motivation. She exudes the same passion and purpose she aids her clients in achieving. On mentorship and resilience within the coaching community, she emphasizes the importance of networking with like-minded individuals and organizations. McBride notes that working together with others who work in resilience can both open doors, and minds. Seeking out varying approaches and perspectives to resilience work builds a coaches repertoire, and continuous learning is key to prospering in the field. April’s insights highlight the significance of networking that having the right mentor can provide me as a resilience coach, especially as it pertains to furthering my knowledge of the varying approaches other coaching professionals use in helping their clients build resilience and the unique perspectives they hold regarding resilience work now and in the future.
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