Creating Your Next Steps, Together
Change is hard work and it requires courage.
Maybe you find yourself navigating a transition in your life or career. Perhaps you have a specific challenge to meet or a dream that you’re ready to pursue. Whatever your next step is, it is bound to be exciting, perhaps intimidating and deeply personal.
My job as a leadership coach is to be a partner as you: Simplify complexity. Find clarity. Align your goals. Take steps forward.
I offer a rigorous, strength-based approach customized to deliver the outcomes you want. Together, we will create a path tailored to your objectives, values and way of thinking. My practice and even my space are designed to spark new ideas and facilitate experimentation while ensuring you feel safe, supported and at ease—even if you’re stepping outside of your comfort zone.
“Working with Nicola as my professional coach, I feel held in the highest regard. I know that she believes in me and what I want to accomplish. She holds me accountable in ways that give me both framework and freedom.”
Types of Coaching
Personal, professional…or more often both
Given the fast-paced, deeply connected world we live in, it is difficult to compartmentalize parts of our lives. Clients often begin leadership coaching with one goal in mind and find themselves focusing on other facets of their lives along the way.
Topics clients frequently bring to coaching:
- Career / job transitions
- Work / life balance
- Retirement
- Health and wellness
- Grief
- Caregiving
- Living with cancer (or other illness)
- Parenting
- Dreams and goals
- Any new chapter in life
Themes that often emerge in our work together:
- Personal or professional identity
- Sense of purpose and calling
- Confidence / self-esteem
- Time management
- Communication skills
- Self-compassion
- Old stories and limiting beliefs
Common reasons people hire a leadership coach
We all experience transitions, but we don’t have to face them alone.
Recognizing a need for change
Sometimes the necessity arises out of a crisis, but other times it manifests as a subtle or pervasive feeling of restlessness. Coaching can help you envision desired changes and understand your true motivations. This discernment is a critical part of the process before planning your next steps forward.
Navigating transitions
You may already be in the midst of a transition—either by choice or because it was thrust upon you. Having a professional partner alongside can help you discover greater fulfillment, meaning and success on your journey.
Embarking on new goals
Even if you know what you want to achieve, it can be hard to know where to start. A professional coach can help you create a plan and provide strategies, resources and accountability as you move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we get started?
It starts with a conversation between the two of us. This initial, 30-minute consultation is complimentary and can take place via phone or at my office. Our relationship would be an equal partnership, and I believe the fit between us is very important. This first meeting is a chance for both of us to ask questions and get to know each other. I’ll be looking to understand your goals and determine if my methods of coaching can address them. We will discuss the process and any questions you have, including fees, contract structure and next steps.
What is the process?
The process is flexible and customized to you—your values, your personality, your goals—but here’s what it often looks like:
- We’ll create a custom contract that outlines an initial package of sessions. (I usually recommend 6–10 sessions to start, depending on objectives, and then we can evaluate.)
- Appointments are typically 1 hour, but I also offer 90-minute and 2-hour sessions based on client needs.
- I generally recommend we meet 2–3 times per month, but we will create a schedule that works for you.
How does coaching differ from counseling (therapy) or consulting?
There are many ways coaching overlaps or intersects with counseling (therapy) or consulting, but here are some important distinctions:
- In a coaching relationship, we are equal partners. We each bring our expertise, but there is no hierarchy—we’re doing this work together. My job is to empower and support you as you find solutions and create a plan that is right for you.
- My style of coaching is strength based rather than diagnostic. It assumes you are a whole person with the power to realize your goals—not a problem to be identified or solved.
- Coaching is present and future focused. We’ll glance at the past but not dwell there (as traditional psychotherapy might). We reflect, but the process is solution and action oriented.
- Coaching encompasses growth and learning. Thus, the work we do along the way is just as (if not more) important as precise outcomes. We address challenges and measure progress, but we are less focused on specific “deliverables” than a consultant might be.
How and where do we meet?
My office is in Edmonds, WA. I prefer face-to-face meetings—particularly at the outset of our partnership. I’ve found this enables us to build trust and establish rapport faster, and I also believe it helps us both commit to the process. This is an investment in you, and it’s important to set aside time—and space—to do this work. That said, I am entirely open to phone or Skype meetings, particularly once we’ve established a strong working relationship.
Do you use assessment tools?
In general, I do not rely on assessment tools because they tend to be more diagnostic in nature and the labels they create are not always productive. I may at times direct you to a specific assessment tool related to a certain question or goal. If you have an assessment you’d like to discuss, you are welcome to bring it in—they can be great conversation starters!
Will I have homework between sessions?
Again, this is something we’ll determine together, but I will say that clients who engage in active learning outside our sessions tend to see better results. (Know that I’ll be doing work outside of our sessions too.) Often that work takes the form of journaling, reading or documenting action steps. I may also send home reflection questions that will help sustain our work and maximize our time together.
What are your qualifications?
Throughout the winding path of my career, I have obtained a wide array of credentials and experiences that support me in my work. They include:
- International Coaching Federation (ICF) – Professional Certified Coach
- Bachelor of Arts (Communication / Advertising)
- Juris Doctor (Law Degree)
- Dispute Resolution Certification (Negotiation / Mediation)
- Graduate Coursework in Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Sciences and Art Therapy
- Professional Training in Grief Support and Creative Expression
Do you guarantee results?
In short, no, I do not guarantee any specific results. The outcomes you experience depend mostly on your commitment, your curiosity and your ability to see new possibilities. What I do guarantee is that the process—while organic—will provide you with specific goals and that together we will identify ways to measure your progress toward them. I also guarantee that the work we do will be customized to you, based upon your strengths, challenges and learning style. We will evaluate our approach along the way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment.
How is my privacy protected?
I am fully committed to protecting your privacy. As an ICF-certified coach, I am—happily and proudly—bound by a strict code of ethics, and I maintain the highest levels of confidentiality with all client and sponsor information unless release is required by law. Read the ICF Code of Ethics
Ready to Get Started?
Learn more about creating your
own next steps through coaching.
