FAQ

As a specialist transition coach, I will help you unpack your current state and assist you to create a vision of the future you want and support you to pursue it.

This is a simplified description, but as you can imagine, it’s a lot more interactive, engaging and  colourful in practice.

As your transition coach I will help you move more effortlessly from the present to the sustainable future, whether that change is at work, in a relationship or in a career.

Coaching requires teamwork, the client and coach are both equally involved in your transition journey.

Your coach meets you knowing that you are already empowered, and my role is merely to help you unravel those hidden parts of you that will facilitate your transition and to enhance your skills, and so lead you to the resources you can use in order to take the actions you choose towards reaching your gaols.

Whether you consciously take the leap towards change or whether you unintentionally end up in the phase of change, there are many different reasons that prevent you from being able to achieve certain goals/desires. This could range from lack of awareness, limiting beliefs, self-doubt, lack of emotional, mental and spiritual skills,  to not being able to set priorities or manage activities, and procrastination. 

Scenario 1:

Say you’re an accountant, and you feel like you’re destined to do something which will leave you feeling more inspired. At first, you are aware that you are uncomfortable where you are — your job feels like a jacket that just doesn’t fit anymore and it may also be the wong colour. The style is also wrong, it becoming increasingly uncomfortable and you want out; you want something more..

And you feel like you want something more. You are eager to make a different and meaningful contribution. Your desire is clear, but it’s also vague. That’s when we start to create your new reality.

We will work together to build a vision of this reality just as an architect will approach the design of a new home. We will co-design the concept and visulaisation of what your “new” life will be like. 

Scenario 2:

So lets say that this accountant grew up in Johannesburg and wants to start afresh in a different city. She wants to move to Cape Town.

We start by putting Cape Town on the map, and look at the attributes of the life she is envisioning. Why Cape Town? What’s the change she seeking from that place? We’ll start to think about her career — does she still want to practice accounting, or perhaps she’d like to move into treasury. Or would she like to change completely get involved with the wine industry that’s taken root in Cape Town?

We will discuss, we plot, we test out ideas, by moving forward on multiple paths to decide what works and what doesn’t.

Your transition is an iterative process. I partner with you and coach you through it.

I’ve developed an expertise as a transition coach by coaching thousands of “clients” over the last 15 years. These people came from varied backgrounds, had varied social status, varied education levels, different religions, spoke different languages, embraced different cultures and were from multiple geographies. I’ve seen a lot of dreamy “wild imaginations” ideas become reality. I am skilled at working with people and I know how to support you toward a future that delights you.

There are many terms for this: transition coach, personal development coach, action coach, personal coach, life mentor, life coach.

I am your simply coach, your partner, your friend during this intense time of hard work and transition.

Your expertise is YOU, you are responsible for knowing yourself.

My expertise is powerful questioning and change management. I am your accountability partner during this time. My skills and training a registered HR Practitioner, facilitator, negotiator, change agent, life coach, career coach, personal coach, relationship coach and wellness coach all come into play here.

In order to deliver outstanding coaching to you, I am a lifelong student of neuroscience (how the brain works), mindfulness, transition and change theory, and behavioral economics. Scroll down to the section on industry thought leaders to see how I nourish myself in order to help you.

As a transition coach, I contract and partner with you to effectuate change. I use the same process with all clients even though their needs differ.

We meet regularly in my office (or via Zoom or phone) for the duration of our program, agreed and arranged prior. These are your strategy sessions, where you move through stuck points and clear out any limiting beliefs that keep your thinking small. I help you focus on options, one at a time, so that you can focus on and selct one that is fitting for you. These one-on-one strategy sessions create a regular structure for change during our program. These meetings, likethe steady beat of an African drum, create the steady, dependable structure for your change. A structure that increases your level of security and decreases your level of fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

As your coach and partner I will remain fully committed to you and your process. For the duration of your program, I am available via email between sessions.

Some clients email me daily to plan out and review the day’s accomplishments whilst others will write a long “here’s where I am” note in the middle of the week so that we can explore their thinking and progress together.

The in-person strategy sessions are where we strategize, the time between sessions are where you execute the strategy we’ve discussed. You’re your biggest fan and your most avid supporter. I celebrate your wins, and encourage you to do the things we discussed if you slow down or get stuck.

When I say I’m there to celebrate your wins I mean it; celebrating wins is a key part of our work. As a coach, I often receive wonderful letters and images at key life moments, whether it’s “I quit!”, “I’m pregnant!”, “We just got engaged!”, or — and yes, even, “They offered me a R500,000 signing bonus we talked about!!”

It is a great honour to be part of the celebration at these key life moments. It’s why my clients hire me — to spur change.

As a career transition coach, I support you as you make a significant career change.

You may have recently been laid off, or are returning to work after an extended break. Maybe you took leave to care for a loved one, maybe you started a family or maybe you were a victim of unemployment.

Perhaps you’re in a job and “doing well” according to traditional metrics of success, but it just doesn’t feel right to you.

Clients reach out to me when they are in transition, or when they are stuck and want to get unstuck and move forward towards something different.

Some call this a career coach, a transition coach, a life coach, or a career transition coach. Call it whatever you like. You can find more details on my coaching process here.

Not to be a grammar nerd (though I am), it’s about nouns and verbs. I use transition as a verb and transformation as a noun.

Transition is an action. We transition to achieve a transformation. The “I” verb and the “We” verb. Your result is a noun.

You want to hire a coach who can verb (act). If you want to make change, you want a coach who sets strategy and focuses on action. Insight, action, results.

As a transition coach, I coach you through a change. The obvious metaphor is a butterfly. Your caterpillar self calls me, and we build the chrysalis. It might look quiet in there; but it’s not. No more quiet than growing a baby. We’re building! Doing work! Making the moves, growing wings…we may appear dormant to the outside world because change isn’t visible yet. But believe me, you’re working your skin off and a big change is about to be revealed. But first, the work!!

The transition is the act of making change happen. The transformation is the result, the goal, the reveal.

I’ll help you build the chrysalis and evolve inside it. On the other side of that evolution is the reveal, the transformation. Our coaching work, the transition coaching, is the work that drives the transformation.
The work is in the chrysalis. It’s un-sexy, not-instagrammable or facebookable hard work.

This is where we sit, side by side and roll up our sleeves together. We strategize, then do the work. This is where I live, commit and provide the partnership to you when you’re doing the work that needs to be done.

During our coaching sessions, I listen to what you say and how you say it. We talk about what’s most important, reveal useful (and less useful) emotions that accompany your thoughts so that you can gain more clarity. Ultimately, you will develop a plan of action, and with your new momentum, pursue it.

I rely on positive psychology and applied neuroscience techniques that will help you take a vacation from your current thought patterns, and breathe fresh air into your brain. You’ll begin to see your situation from a new perspective; real, tangible and true to who you are. Solutions that weren’t apparent before will become evident.

There will be homework and pre-meeting prep. The bulk of the coaching work happens outside the office and I will be by your side, as you do that work. I’m here to ensure that you are motivated; I’ll hold you accountable without being overbearing or demanding.

I hold myself to the highest professional and personal standards. I am continually pursuing my best self so that I can help you pursue your best self.

Have a look at my bio and you can read all about where I’ve been and what I’ve done in my more than 18 years as a professional.

I am a seasoned professional and a registered coach. This is the leading global organization of coaches. As a group, we set the gold standard for coaching, globally. (NEED TO ADD MY OWN)

I am certified at the PCC (professionally certified coach) level, which is the penultimate level of achievement for coaches. I am pursuing my MCC (master certified coach) certification, and I intend to sit for the MCC exam in late 2020. There are fewer than 1000 MCC coaches in the world; I intend to be one of them.

I take my continuing education seriously, and realistically. I can fill up a resume with lots of education, but the rubber hits the road in sessions with clients. It’s my coaching presence, our connection, and our collaboration that will help push you over the finish line.

If we have that strong coaching relationship, we can move mountains. I strive to develop that relationship in collaboration with you.

Have a look at my LinkedIn reviews and see what renowned leaders have said about me. Please note that these were voluntary reviews; my reviewers felt strongly enough about their experience with me that they took the time to leave a review and put their name on it.