Coaching During a Life Transition

Kelly was getting ready to retire and worried about how sometimes people experience declining health and capacity when no longer working.  A colleague suggested Kelly contact a coach.  Kelly was unsure how having a coach applied in this situation and wondered about the return value on the investment.

At a networking event, Kelly met a coach.  The coach offered Kelly a free 30-minute coaching session to get a sense of how coaching worked.  Kelly enjoyed the free session and discussed the possibility of coaching for the transition from a full time career to retirement.

The coach explained the whole person process of starting with a session asking about goals in all different areas for the big picture.  Kelly said that it seemed talking about goals in all areas was irrelevant because after retirement there was not a whole lot to work on.  The coach asked Kelly about how the concern over a decline due to retiring was related to goals in different areas.  Kelly thought about this and agreed to do a few sessions.  The coach declined to take Kelly on as a client because it was not a good fit for Kelly.

After 6 months of retirement, Kelly called the coach again.  Kelly shared a new awareness of how not having goals meant not having direction which led to doing little or nothing.  Kelly asked to start the coaching relationship and to use the whole person approach.  As a result, Kelly discovered interests in a number of areas and personal value in actively pursuing several.  Now Kelly is active volunteering and traveling.

Cathy Liska

For content specific to coach training and coaching, guest blog posts are welcome.

Most blog posts here are written or curated by Cathy Liska, Guide from the Side®, CDP, MCC.

Cathy is CEO/Founder of the Center for Coaching Certification, CCC. As Guide from the Side®, she is a sought-after trainer and coach with over 30 years of experience in business management and ownership. Cathy built her diverse team at CCC that includes trainers, customer service, and coaches. She was Co-Leader for ICF’s Ethics Community of Practice, on the Leadership Team for the review and updating of the Code of Ethics in 2024, and active in the Ethics Water Cooler. To ensure she stays current in related areas of expertise, Cathy has earned the following: ICF’s Master Certified Coach (MCC), Certified Coach Trainer, Certified Consumer Credit Counselor, Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Certified in the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, Certified Apartment Manager, Certified Civil and Family Mediator, and Certified in DISC.

Cathy’s clients range from attorneys to corporate executives, government to nonprofit, entrepreneurs to children, under or unemployed to newly retired. She specializes in communication, management, conflict, and leadership. Her personal mission statement is “People.” Cathy is known for her passion to serve others so they achieve the results they want.

Podcast: https://www.coachcert.com/podcast.html

Publications: Coaching Perspectives (a series of books with chapters by coach training graduates) https://www.coachcert.com/resources/recommended-reading/coaching-perspectives-series-by-the-center-for-coaching-certification-and-more.html

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