Professional Coaching for Working Mums FAQs
Professional Coaching for Working Mums
At Coaching Mums we provide professional coaching programmes and online coaching courses for working mothers who want to excel in their careers and businesses, enjoy every aspect of their lives AND feel good about themselves at the same time.
How would your life be different if you had this kind of support?
The essence of coaching for you as a working mum is bridging the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. It’s about unlocking your potential for success, fulfilment and happiness in every area of your life. Coaching identifies the things you’d like to change and focuses you to take fast action in your life to make those changes.
My job as your Coach is to be the person with whom you can change. We don’t just work on your “Work Life Balance”: We work on you in ALL the roles you play, whilst never forgetting your most precious role as a mum!
In short, my job as your coach is to give you a compassionate kick up the backside to get you going, and to reveal the shortcuts to get you where you want to be more quickly than you would on your own!
Below are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about professional coaching with Coaching Mums:
▶ Why is it so effective?
1. Coaching is a Partnership Where Your Agenda is Key
Coaching works because you've got a collaborative partner in your coach. Your coach is completely on your side and by your side as grow. Your coach understands the processes of awareness, learning and growth. Your coach knows when to encourage, when to cajole and when to keep quiet and listen. Your coach focuses on your strengths rather than your weaknesses, on what you've done right rather than what you didn't do! The partnership is 100% supportive, 100% respectful and 100% confidential. You can share your ideas and your dreams without fear of dismissal or ridicule.
2. You Agree to Regular Sessions
Coaching works because you're connecting frequently and you are accountable. This doesn't mean that your coach will chastise you if you don't do something, but you will find that, because of the structure and support of regular sessions, you will "buy in" to your own goals and you will want to keep moving forward.
3. There's a Personal Focus
Coaching works because we focus on you, the whole you and nothing but you! The reason why so many people give up on their goals is that nobody asks them the questions to establish why they want to achieve those goals - whether the goals are truly compatible, and what they will bring to their lives.
Ultimately, happiness and success come from how you feel, not what goals you have achieved. Coaching brings self-awareness "in spades"! It is this self- awareness that leads to learning. Learning leads to empowerment and empowerment leads to action! Your coach will get you to look at all the stuff that you never stop and think about, such as your needs, your values, what gives you joy and what zaps your energy. The end result is that you will have a much clearer idea of who you are and where you want to be. And then of course, we will make sure you take action on this new awareness!
▶ What will you do for me as a working mum?
- To be better than you think you can
- To have a career designed by you that fulfils your ambitions as a professional and your needs as a mother
- To become a "mumpreneur"and run your own business (we are particularly good at helping mums who want to work from home)
- To grow a profitable business that you love
- To live in a way that reflects what you value in life
- To define your own unique version of work life balance - a version that works for you as an individual rather than "one size fits all"
- To hold up a mirror and show you how great you are as a woman and as a mum already (you really are, even if you don't know it yet!)
- To help you enjoy the magic of motherhood as well as support you through the worries and frustrations of being a mum
- To create time to enjoy all your relationships – with your partner, your kids and the wider world
- To have reserves of time, money, energy, health, friendship and space
▶ What sort of people do you work with?
- Professional working mums with too much to do and too little time
- Solopreneur mums who work from home who want to increase their income without destroying their work life balance (we find that the main reason most mums start businesses is to pursue a lifestyle that enables them to choose their own hours and see their family more. That's what we want for our lives too, and we LOVE to help small busineses to be successful!)
- Entrepreneur mums who run small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) - as above!
- Professional women who are planning to return to work within the next year, but want to negotiate flexible working, or whose confidence might be knocked by being out of the work place, or who want to use the opportunity that motherhood brings as a catalyst for a change of career
- If you're not a mother, but you're a leader, manager, professional seeking a coach to help you achieve success with balance, please visit our sister site Amanda Alexander
- If you are representing a company and you are looking for ways of retaining your talented women, please visit our corporate pages on Amanda Alexander
▶ What is the difference between coaching, mentoring and counselling?
A consultant is normally hired to impart their expertise and recommendations, and similarly, a mentor is someone, normally in a similar line of work to the mentee, who has experience, wisdom and knowledge to pass on.
A coach is not trained to deal with serious emotional matters. Within the Code of Ethics to which all Coaching Mums coaches adhere, we will always refer a client to a professionally trained and accredited counsellor with issues such as abuse, alcoholism, substance abuse, phobias, depression etc.
A coach does not, and some would argue should not, be an expert in their client’s field of expertise. Coaching is effective by its objective nature. We will work on your agenda, not mine!
▶ What happens in between each of my coaching calls?
Take your time over this questionnaire; most clients find it enjoyable, thought provoking, and challenging. You will probably be thinking about your life in a way that you have never considered before. The questionnaire is designed to get you thinking - you will start to learn more about yourself whilst you are answering the questions.
Each week, you will have some "fieldwork" or "homework" to do - actions to move you forward. Don't worry about this, because you will always either decide your fieldwork yourself, or agree to it with your coach. And you won't get detention if you don't do it! You will find a lot of your fieldwork great fun, as it will be all to do with your life and what interests you.
Prior to each session, you will fill in and email to your coach a Coaching Focus Form. This helps you and your coach to focus on your agenda during each session, and maximises your coaching time so that we can hone in on the areas that are your highest priority.
▶ What are the main principles behind coaching?
- Most people come to a coach not really knowing what they want. You work through a process with a coach to discover what you really want.
- If you do the same as you always have done, you will get what you've always got!...Coaching is about exploring your way to positive change.
- Coaching is about collaboration between coach and client. Together, we design the ultimate alliance for your success.
- When people are fully heard, they move forward with ease. Your coach will listen to you and will hear you.
- You can turn around, change or optimise ANY situation.
- Sometimes the client has the answer, and sometimes the coach has the answer. It doesn’t really matter!
- We all have incredible gifts to give to the world; coaching will help you to recognise your gifts.
- Human beings operate at 1% or less of our potential, but coaching increases that percentage.
- Coaching shows you how to identify and eliminate the energy-zappers in your life, so that you can apply that energy on something that you love.
- Success is defined by you and only you, and success is your right.
