Cathy Liska Pandora Ray is a fabulous coach here at the Center for Coaching Certification who does our Group Coaching on Fridays. CoachSupport@CoachCert.com
Pan grew up in North Carolina and went to a women’s college in in the bay area of California on a scholarship. She came from blue collar roots. Her career has been in the business and public healthcare field making a difference in peoples’ health.
Let us discover more about Pan as a coach!
What inspired you to become a coach?
I have always believed it important to pay things forward. I was involved in the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership Program here in Denver, Colorado. Coaching was part of that program. Later, because of my experiences there, I decided to implement a coaching program in my not-for-profit organization where I worked. It made me curious about how to grow, learn, and give my best. That is what brought me to the door of the Center for Coaching Certification.
What specific areas do you focus on?
Whole person coaching, in other words, asking clients: What do you really want in your life physically, emotionally, financially, and professionally? I do a lot of leadership coaching. Mainly I work with people who want to grow themselves, and in the way they want to grow. One of my favorite quotes is from Mary Oliver, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles in the desert to be good. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” The poem is WILD GEESE. We have one precious life, how are we going to live it?
How long have you been coaching?
Since 2014, 7 years.
What do you love most about coaching?
I learn more from coaching than my clients learn. I love to mentor coaches and recruit them, and hear them say, “I have learned more about myself, and it makes me light up”. I know they are using their skills, they are taking root. It is a blessing. To have one small finite granule of a contribution is unbelievable.
I’m learning more and more about myself as a person: how I show up, affect others, and how I can make a small difference. I think we are drawn to people who similarly minded, and it is important for me to pursue conversations with people who show different perspectives and to say, “help me understand. I want to know you.”
What is the biggest obstacle you have overcome as a coach?
Confidence. When I just relax and am just present for the client, I’m good. When I have to get from point A to point B, it’s an obstacle. Letting the client do their work and me being a vessel of encouragement, acknowledgment, and inspiration. Prompting the client for their own accountability for how they want to move forward. Now it works beautifully.
What is one of the biggest challenges you helped one of your clients through?
A high-level director that felt his staff was not supportive of him. He had a lot of degrees and accolades etc. As he began to think internally to himself and become able to reach out to direct reports a different way. He created broader dialogue that created new plans, new thinking, and new operations.
What types of clients do you most like to work with?
People that want to grow and develop, internally reflect, and shift from status quo to change.
How do you describe your approach to the coaching process with a new client?
There is a lot of inquiry into who you are, what you want to be, where you want to go. I support my clients and use reflective inquiry.
What is your favorite coaching tool?
The Power of Questioning!
What message do you have for anyone considering becoming a coach?
It is an art, a science, and a gift.
You can check out the rest of our great team at: https://www.coachcert.com/resources/about/team-bios.html
