Coaching Journey: Engaging in Coaching

Blog series by Joann Evans

Joann Evans holds a B.S. in microbiology and chemistry. She is also a certified Paralegal. She has 20 years’ experience in quality assurance, control and engineering in fields such as pharmaceutical, medical device, IVD, biotech and blood banking. This blog series is her journey through being coached and then earning her coaching certification.

Cathy asked what I thought the coaching process would be. I felt that it would be someone helping to guide me to see and think about things I may not otherwise realize on my own. My coach will be a partner that can guide me to determine how to overcome obstacles, find the right path, create goals and perhaps hold me accountable to achieve them. At least I think this is how it should go. Cathy says that the opening session will be the hardest because it means exploring what I want in my life. One of the things I really liked about our time together was that she had a very calm and soothing voice. It is one that instills trust. In a strange kind of way, her voice was hypnotizing in that I was able to completely forget that we were being recorded for the purpose of creating coach training material.

Then, I experienced my first 90 minute “Opening Session” with Cathy from the Center for Coaching Certification. I was excited and anxious to begin the process. She started off by explaining again that we would begin by exploring all kinds of areas. We reviewed the “Agreement for Coaching” and “Code of Ethics” that is provided by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and used by most in this profession. I asked Cathy what the communication process would be should there ever be a change to these ethics. In that these are provided by the ICF the ethics are reviewed every three years and changes are communicated to the Center for Coaching Certification by ICF and then ultimately to students both past and present.

In our conversation she mentioned note taking and when I asked she shared that she uses something called Mind Mapping. I can’t say that I fully understand it but expect I will soon learn. My guess is that this is what she is using to so perfectly remember all that I have said.