What is Happening Today at Coaching Institute

E S I P!

Environment

Structure

Implementation

People

As an employee at The Coaching Institute sometimes we need to pinch ourselves. Last night we had the opportunity and privilege to learn the inspiring system of ESIP straight from Sharon Pearson! Those of us that hadn’t been in the room with Sharon before, sat with mouths open in awe of her undying passion for this company and what ESIP can teach us all.

For those that already knew ESIP we walk away from last night ready and reinvigorated to implement its clear logic and rational strategies of success. The whole team is abuzz with the possibilities they now have and the tools they hold to improve themselves and thus TCI.

Thankyou Sharon you and ESIP blew us away!

Key Learnings and Input in the comments Please

On the 9^th Jan 2013. We got more great news. 6 more Bears were saved from the proceeds of the TCI Foundation.

Here’s the latest picture sent to us. What an amazing thing to know that you all contribute to saving such innocent lives.

Imagine if these helpless beings could speak… Imagine the gratitude!

Thank you TCI, and thank you to YOU all for your contribution in giving us the opportunity to give back in such an amazing way.

TCI CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

TCI Student Christmas Party…
Is going to be more than just a Christmas Party!!!

Crossroads Mary Anderson Family Violence Service

Many of the children who come to the service must leave behind everything they have including school uniforms and toys. The service likes to give the children something when they first arrive and then they let the children take it with them when they leave as they often become attached to it. The service struggles to pay for the ongoing need for toys to replace those taken because they incur a number of huge expenses. One example of this is if the family has older boys (15+) then they cannot stay in the centre and must go to a hotel which the service covers.

Over the years we’ve had students wanting to gift the TCI Team, and we thank our community for your gifts. This year as we did last year, we request that our community gives to those in our community who are in so much more need… And our charity of choice is Crossroads Mary Anderson Family Violence Service.

Students have already started sending in their special gifts, they will have an opportunity to bring a gift at the Christmas Party on the 13^th December. The service needs items for older children particularly sporting goods. Last year one member of ours donated a cricket set (real one, not plastic children’s one) and another a basketball. These proved to be massively popular. The director of the service is getting together a comprehensive list of the toys they feel would be of great benefit and she has said the sporting goods would be number one.  Another suggestion were bathers, board shorts, goggles and sunblock… stuff we all take for granted.

Here’s a picture of our C3PO guarding the presents that came in this morning J Keep your eyes peeled for the photo I upload after our Christmas party.

LOOK! We have walls and hallways up!!

We really are excited to see how quickly, the new TCI Head Quarters is progressing.

Be sure to stay tuned, as we keep bringing you all the exciting news (and YES, Sharon will be standing in the same spot every week).

Some happy kids in Nigeria getting ready to board their new school bus.

These kids are Nigerian orphans who couldn’t get to school because they didn’t have any transport to get them there.

The Coaching Institute Foundation and our Master Mind students collaborated on a mutual challenge- raise enough money to buy them a school bus!

Our motivated students put in a phenominal effort, raising  a total of $10,000 in only one day!

The TCI Foundation matched their fundriasing activities dollar for dollar and contributed another $10,000. The result was a total of $20,000 raised, one brand new school bus and some very happy kids!

Thank you to all the Master Minders for working together to contribute to a TCI Foundation philanthropic project. You are all awesome!

How awesome are these?? (If we do say so ourselves!) After popular demand, we’ve had some of our more popular missives poster-ised for your visual enjoyment!

Really they’re just here for you to enjoy!

If you would like to order a copy contact  the WOW Team via email on wow@thecoachinginstitute.com.au

A great job done to all those who participated in How to Run a Successful Workshop!

WOW! How wonderful are our new How To Run A Successful Workshop graduates!! The looks on their faces say it all!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to their present and future successes! They are ABSOLUTE ROCK STARS!!

Blasting Off with Alice!

We knew the first Instant Insight Workshop would be a blast… but we never imagined just how much of a blast!

The energy in the room was enough to blast a rocket to the moon!! Alice Haemmerle is one of the most successful coaches and trainers in Australia, our own NLP Trainer, coach to Olympians and millionaires, mentor to many and creator of the hugely successful ‘Instant Insight’ programs.

Alice shows the amazing turn out of students, her proven step-by-step approach to taking relationships and sex to the next level.

Check out the smiles on the faces of everyone present as they experience Alice’s relationships and sex coaching skills first hand and learn from her how to create a roadmap to greater happiness and fulfilment in relationships and sex.

To find out how to be part of the next Instant Insight Workshop, follow this link and take action now!

Our CEO Sharon Pearson at our new HQ one week later!

What a difference a Week Makes! How amazing is this picture! The smile on our CEO Sharon Pearson’s face speaks volumes!! Can you believe that Sharon is standing in the exact same spot she was in last week’s picture?

We really are excited to see how quickly, the new TCI Head Quarters is progressing.

Be sure to stay tuned, as we keep bringing you all the exciting news (and YES, Sharon will be standing in the same spot every week).

Not only are all our awesome coaches rocking and rolling… so is the construction of our new TCI Headquarters! TCI has experienced incredible growth recently and that also means that we’ll be moving to a new premises in the new year.

Check out our CEO Sharon Pearson as she looks in on the makeover of our new home!

It is truly exciting times ahead! We will bring you regular updates, so follow us as we take you on this amazing journey!

Felix… “I have been talking to the newest members of our community all week and they are AMAZING!! It’s three days out and there’s already paying clients happening!!! Here’s a photo of these legends…”

Hey Everyone!

Felix from The WOW! Team here. You know, one of the things people say to us most often is, “I wish I’d learnt this stuff in school! It would’ve saved me so much… [time/money/frustration/hardship/insert-bad-thing-here]!”

And they’re right. If you remember anyone sitting you down during your early years and saying: “Hey, stuff will get hard sometime – and here’s what you do when it does”, then you are blessed!

Blessed just like these kids at Oakleigh Grammar here in Melbourne, Australia.  One of our students (and one of the fabulous mentors in our community) Georgina Turewicz, as well as the other fantastic teachers at her school, have started the “Leader in Me” program at Oakleigh… a picture says a thousand words, so here’s a video. We love this so much, Georgina. Thank you!

We know just how much you all love Kate’s articles and I am sure that every Tuesday when Kate is off changing lives outside of The Coaching Institute you really miss them.  Well I’m hoping to fill those size 10 literary shoes and provide you with equally inspirational articles once a week.  Here is my first of regular attempts.  Enjoy!

Kate last wrote about the importance of believing in yourself as a coach and pretty much believing in yourself in general.  I thought that was a really great message because let’s face it, if you don’t believe in yourself what makes you think anyone else will?

We all have self doubting moments.  Even the guru’s have the odd moment of “can I, little old me, really do this?!”.  It’s the decision you make in this moment about how we WANT to be that makes the difference.  Are you going to face the fear and do it anyway?  Will you step up and embrace the shocking state of perturbation (a word I know Kate has introduced you to – it’s a state of such upset that once through it you will never and can never be the same again)?  Or, will you let the fear and doubt over take you, make excuses and justifications why you can’t or won’t?

I say go big or go home!  Step up or step out!  It’s all a part of the professional life coaching journey!  If you are passionate about something feel the fear and do it anyway; find your strength and strategy to feel confident even when you’re not.  My strategy is the “fake it ‘till you make it” strategy.  Stand up tall, throw your shoulders back, chin up and head back and speak with as much confidence and certainty as you can muster.  I have learned that you can say pretty much anything if you say it with confidence and certainty and no one will think about it twice.

So in that moment of self doubt, where you have a decision to make; do I play big and be my magnificent self or not?; ask yourself this question (which, by the way, is a great discovery questions for new clients) “if you knew you couldn’t fail what would you do?”  You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain so what are you waiting for?  You might just surprise yourself!  And when you do, remember to celebrate and share your magic moment with us (on Facebook) and your loved ones, because we always believe in you!  Enjoy YOUR professional life coaching journey!

Happy Tuesday

Ali – Student Support

“I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun”  Thomas Edison        

You’d agree there is much discussion on setting our goals for 2012 and creating the best year that we have ever had. And that’s a good thing, isn’t it? It is an opportunity to clear out the old and bring in the new and step up even more than we ever have before. You would know this is how success is created in any area of your life. It is also a timely reminder to ensure that when creating these goals, when creating this focus for our best year yet, that we take a moment to remember for what purpose we are on this path. And today I thought was a good day to put out the reminder that success can and definitely also should be fun as you embark on another year of your professional life coaching journey.

Absolutely your success is about stepping up and stretching yourself further than you ever have before, for it takes action, commitment and focus to create the results that you seek. Yet I feel that our efforts would be hollow if there was no fun or enjoyment in the process. You know that in order for you to be resilient in those times of challenge you have to have passion for what you do.  And having fun and enjoying what you do is key to creating a beautiful and enriched life. After all, if you don’t enjoy it then why do it?

Do you remember when you were a child and you were taken along to an event that you really didn’t want to go to? Do you remember why? I can remember sometimes going along to a relative’s house and I dreaded going. And the reason was there was nothing for me to do, and running around inside the home was frowned upon, as it was important to be polite and ‘well behaved’. That meant sitting politely on the couch, avoiding eye contact with other siblings, for fear we’d burst out laughing at nothing in particular. And oh, how the time dragged on as a result! It wasn’t fun at all and I didn’t enjoy it.

Yet other times when we’d visit other friends or relatives, I’d be so eager to get going I’d be ready way before we were scheduled to hop in the car. All because I knew I was in for some fun and a half. I distinctly remember visiting my grandparents down by the beach and we just had a ball. We were encouraged to run around outside, go down to the beach and simply be free to have fun, and leave space for the adults to chat. It was awesome. And the day would fly by and it was always a surprise to be told it was time to go again. So reluctantly I would get back into the car, finding every excuse I could to linger on in this temporary place of paradise and freedom.

And so this is how I intend to have the best year yet in my professional coaching career and my life, as will so many of my colleagues. My husband and I spent time earlier this week finalising our 2012 goals, and we included what we intend to do for fun. This includes how often we’re going to spend quality time together, how all our goals have foundation in what we are passionate about and what we love about our life. And we had so much fun creating these goals and dreams that time just flew by. We know that being grateful for what we have and what we can achieve is based on how much we can enjoy the experience along the way. When you love what you do, when you are passionate about your results you and I know when we look back in 12 months time we will once again be like the child of yesteryear, amazed at how quickly the time flew by and how much fun we had packed into our days. And that’s a pretty cool way to be, wouldn’t you agree?

“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”

Dr Seuss (Oh, the Places You’lll Go!)

What are your goals around having fun in 2012? Why not share them with us on Facebook? Have a fantastic Wednesday and Happy New Year!!! Kate Welk

It’s almost the end of 2011 and we’ve spent some time together in the past few weeks reflecting on who we’ve been in this past year and who we intend to be in the next. And wouldn’t you agree that it’s part of our professional life coaching journey to look back only long enough to learn from our experiences before looking forward towards our new year with anticipation and excitement.

So I sat here this morning in The Coaching Institute building, in the quiet still of the morning, before the office began to awaken with the busyness of the day. I did something that I don’t normally take the time to do. I simply sat still and looked around at my environment, taking in the characteristic rustic bricks of the walls that hold this building up so strong, the simply stunning warm wood ceiling and floors with their weathered yellow colouring worn like a badge of honour, celebrating the uniqueness that is theirs. And there I sat, drinking in the peaceful stillness of this magnificent place. As I sat there in that moment I thought to myself, if these walls could talk what would they say? What would we hear from them about the experiences they have known over the past 12 months?  

If I listen long enough I’m sure I can hear how incredible and inspiring this journey has been for so many of us in 2011. From our new students who have walked in through the door into something that will forever change them. Their excitement mixed with nervousness for what lies ahead…internal relief that they have finally trusted themselves enough to take the step to change their life forever.

And during our new students intake weekend how many stories are told of how they have come to this one point that is life changing? How many stories of letting go of fear, of embracing uncertainty, and as a result realising that the future is in their control, in their hands? How many new friendships are forged in those moments that will stand the test of time? Meanwhile the walls stand by quietly and patiently, knowing that all is well as long as those that share their experiences have the belief in themselves. And you wonder don’t you, how many of us unconsciously hear that message?

If I listen hard I can hear the echoes of celebrations past for each student who has reached a milestone, no matter how big or small. The sounds of the TCI team coming together to celebrate someone who has changed their life through taking action, because there is knowing within the team that this is what the magic moment is about…knowing how much individuals can change their life once they take the step forward into untold potential and opportunity.

If these walls could talk I would hear about the range of emotions as individuals experience learning and growth, the history of those that have finally found a place that is like home, like a familiar old friend who is always welcoming. I would learn of those who have desired to remain connected with this community beyond their initial learning, who have paid it forward by joining in as volunteers, giving back in appreciation of what they have been given. I would hear about the ever expanding community that with each year grows into a force that is truly to be reckoned with in such an empowered and inspirational way. And it is exciting to know that you and I are part of that, isn’t it?

And these walls have so much more to share…more to tell of so many moments in time that are now part of history, are now in the past. It is on this foundation of memories that we now look towards 2012 and know that there will be new stories of experiences shared, of fun and laughter, of challenges and victories, of lives forever changed as each person steps through into a new life of meaning. And with it we can take our own professional life coaching journey to a new level. You and I know it is up to us to write our own history, our own story, so let’s make it a story worth telling, worth sharing, worth being part of the history that will remain in these walls forever.

Have a fantastic weekend and continue to write your history. And remember…the walls have ears.

Kate Welk

PS – Hey we’d love to hear how your new year is going to start! Share with us today on Facebook!!

We have a map of the world in our beautiful building that represents how far spread our professional life coaching connections reach. To explain – we have pins on this world map that represent the location of our coaches and other pins that represent where their clients are located in the world. When you stand in front of this map you have an appreciation of how far reaching the potential for influence is. We call this the ripple effect. It’s truly quantum because the more ripples we create through connecting and inspiring others to be the best they can be is reinforcing the belief that people with passion CAN change the world…and our connections are growing, thus the pool of ripples spreads further and further across this magnificent earth.  Sends thrills up my spine just thinking about it!

And yesterday evening was another example of how far reaching the ripple effect is when we held our annual Christmas party at The Coaching Institute. Not only did we have local Melbournites attend, we also had the absolute pleasure to welcome coaches and partners who came from interstate! I mean that is beyond awesome! How much passion and commitment do you have when you decide to make the journey all the way from interstate to spend time with the community? One heck of a lot is the answer! And we also had new students yet to start their journey also attend – talk about passion and purpose! So a huge thank you to all those who did make the trip as well as the beautiful messages we received from those unable to make it. And yes we did have a ball!  

And during the night we learned of how much community effort and passion can create momentum and change. We were very proud to be able to celebrate how a massive effort by our community has now raised sufficient funds to purchase a school bus for Nigerian children to get to school, along with a matching contribution from our Founder and CEO, Sharon Pearson. Can you imagine just how much this generosity will positively impact the lives of these young Nigerians?

Think about this for a moment. For the first time ever they can do what the rest of us take for granted every day. They can go to a community place called school where they are welcomed, they can learn and grow and create a future that is far more positive now. All because they are able to travel the long distance that at one time was just not an option. This is a defining moment and no doubt one that is a potential catalyst that can change their life forever. This is indeed a reminder to us here in Australia how fortunate we are in living here and having the privileges that we so often take for granted.  And this is just one of the many efforts that have come through this community so I put it out there as a reminder of what is possible…anything… as long as you believe.

I know that you and I are attracted into this community because of the opportunity to give and pay it forward. In fact it’s one of many things that we love. What is even more rewarding is how this professional life coaching community is ever growing. Just now we’ve gone into the classroom to welcome our latest group of new students who are very excited (and a bit nervous in a good way!) as they start their Foundations of Coaching Success weekend. It’s so rewarding to see more people investing in themselves so they can create a life that allows them to make a difference to something far bigger than them. It will be such a pleasure to be able to support these new coaches as they stretch and grow. They may not know it now. Their journey will take them to places beyond even they can imagine and they will create far greater change than they ever knew was possible!   And that’s a great thing isn’t it?

Did you come along to our party last night? Share with us on Facebook and tell us your experience. And enjoy your weekend and make a difference. Kate Welk

So, just how fertile is your garden as you train to be a coach? Recently my husband and I spent a considerable amount of hours in our ‘vege’ garden removing weeds and other nasty stuff that had grown over the cold winter months through neglect. We did this so we can plant it out with a beautiful choice of vegetables that are going to produce luscious healthy organic fruit for the summer. Now, we live on an acre and have a fair amount of space that is specifically fenced off for this purpose so it did take time and commitment to transform that space to what it is now. Physically demanding work that certainly raised a sweat, taking a lot of grunt work to achieve the result we were after. It took so much more effort because we had ignored it over the past few months when we’d decided on other priorities.

Watching the garden go from an overgrown unproductive patch of earth, choked with weeds, to this beautiful, healthy, weed free enriched and mulched environment, ready to accept that which we have planted, was a great exercise in seeing how focus, work and commitment can transform something unproductive into something productive. We also agreed is that it’s important to keep it this way so we chatted about what that was going to take to achieve the results we’re after. We decided what level of regular maintenance that it would require of us, as a team, to maintain what we have now, as well as nurture and grow those plants that we have just put in.

And this got me thinking how parallel this experience is to how prepared we are to commit to our own growth and transformation on our own journey. I know you’ve heard this before yet have you actually asked yourself the question? And if you have, what is your answer?  Just how much commitment do you have to your own journey? How much physical effort, sweat, focus, and ‘grunt work’ are you prepared to put in to get the results that you want?

Back to our vege patch for a moment. During our winter months we don’t tend to grow much in this area. There are some magnificent hardy herbs which tend to grow all year round and we do harvest them however it’s the rest of the garden that we don’t tend to plant out. When we sat back and chatted about the results of our recent efforts we made a commitment to keep the garden maintained even if we don’t plant it out during winter. We agreed that this means a commitment over the colder, chilly months, to maintain the environment in whatever capacity was required to keep it healthy and ready to be planted out in the summer. This means potentially heading out when it’s raining, when the cold seeps into your body, when we’d much prefer to be warm and cosy inside the house, and do what is required to be done so that our garden continues to thrive and be healthy.

So, this begs the question doesn’t it? Looking at your own progress…ask yourself what level of commitment is it going to take you to create a flourishing, healthy garden as you train to be a coach? How prepared are you to work hard to establish a healthy weed free foundation of fertile ground, put in the right ingredients into the soil so that you are able to plant the right seeds that are going to grow and flourish? How prepared are you to step out in the cold winter months when the wind is biting, to make sure your garden remains healthy, and when you’d much prefer to be doing something far more comfortable? How prepared are you to research what is healthiest for your garden, so that your plants are free from toxic chemicals? How often are you weeding, watering and nurturing, with love and patience, so that your garden produces the results you desire? What time and effort are you prepared to put in to get what you want?

We are looking forward to that first time when we bite into a luscious ripe tomato, that has that special home grown smell, and to know that it is through a consistent effort we’ve created this result.

What is the state of your garden currently? What do you need to do to create the environment you need to grow and transform? And what are you prepared to do to make that happen? Share with us today on Facebook. (By the way, any excess vegetables are gladly shared with those who are interested – we’re happy to share the reward! ). Have an absolutely fabulous Friday and weekend. Kate Welk

Ever noticed how someone who has negative thinking talks more about what they don’t want rather than what they do want? And when you ask the question ‘what do you want instead?’ they struggle to answer? Often they will revert back to what they don’t want, because this habit is so ingrained in their thinking. Interesting isn’t it? Throughout your professional life coaching journey you will be guiding and teaching those you connect with on how to step into the world of ‘want’, and leave behind the world of ‘don’t want’.

And another thing that I’ve noticed. I have a friend who has worked with another person over the past few months who my friend tells me is incredibly negative. It’s his line supervisor and my friend’s experience of this supervisor is that he only sees the negative in situations and people. There is apparently nothing positive that occurs.  He talks of what he predicts will happen in a way that is powerless and inevitable. (Not something that I would relish that’s for certain).  And the influence on my normally positive friend is astounding. They are consciously aware that the negative talk is unhealthy and they acknowledge that they choose to allow that to influence their experience of their working day. They are aware of how it can infiltrate their mindset yet when we had a specific conversation about the significance this has on my friend there were a few ‘aha’ moments that arose. And it surprised my friend just how much he had allowed this to influence his thinking and really limited his ability to focus on what is positive in his life. It was like this had become an unconscious well worn way of thinking and it was time to scratch the old record and start something new and fresh.

When we began the conversation my friend started to give me a myriad of examples of how negative their supervisor is, and how his wishing bad things to occur in fact resulted in exactly that – bad things occurring to him (funny about that!). It was like the beginning of a destructive tidal wave and it had to stop and boy was it was painful to listen to. And this is where it really gets interesting. Recently he’d had an opportunity to work in a different environment for a week or so and the people he now worked with were a breath of fresh air, as they were positive and happy people who enjoyed their work and each other’s company. And he loved it.

What was interesting was when I started to ask my friend details of the positive experiences he had with these positive people. And in the beginning all he could tell me was what he wasn’t experiencing because he was no longer working with his negative supervisor. I was really curious about this so I persisted in asking him about what he liked about this current situation rather than what he no longer experienced from being away from his supervisor. And it was interesting to observe. Because he truly struggled to think of positive examples. In fact our conversation haltered somewhat. While I could see this new situation was enjoyable for him he was unable to clearly articulate why. And he surprised himself with this.

So we explored what was going on. What well worn path of negative thinking and experiences he had developed for himself because of the situations he was in and how this was now his habit. He amazed himself that he was more willing to focus on negative situations rather than positive, because this is what he’d developed as his pattern of thinking.

It was an interesting experience for me as well, as it served to remind me that in my professional life coaching journey I am going to meet these situations as well, and that my awareness of how this can impact my world is the difference between experiencing a positive powerful world of opportunity and a negative disempowering world of limitation. My ability to constantly have my radar switched on and be able to decipher what is going on around me moment by moment will allow me to protect myself from negative thinking influences and also to assist my clients create patterns of thinking that are going to serve them for their future. So my friend and I ended up researching some quotes that he was armed with when he next encountered negative thinking. And we came up with this one below, which he is now diligently practising! Now, that is putting a smile on his face!

“If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want”  Oscar Wilde

Check us out on facebook and share any experience you’ve had where you’ve recognised that a negative experience had an impact on you that you then changed around to something positive.

It’s interesting, isn’t it, how we view our choices in life? I was with a client yesterday and during our conversation she demonstrated to me how she is now far more empowered in the meaning she gives experiences in her life. She has developed positive, resourceful and creative ways in which she now responds to the events she experiences. And this has resulted in her having a far more enjoyable life whereas in the past she would have been caught up in negative self talk and felt a victim of circumstance, powerless because she believed she had no choice. And this is a reminder to all of us that to teach others how choosing creative and positive responses to events can change our lives completely, we first need to learn and consistently do this for ourselves. Coaching for life is first learning what we need to learn so we can master and teach it to others, and pay it forward.

We are all creative to some extent or another. When we were children our creativity flowed easily and effortlessly. In fact in our early years we are encouraged to be as creative as we can be. I remember how much I loved drawing and painting, writing stories and poetry, singing and acting. I loved being on stage and performing. In fact I was in ‘seventh heaven’ if there is such a place. A total state of bliss. So my ability to be creative and inspired flowed easily and I was at my happiest when I had creative choices. I even remember one of my final exams in year 12 being so much fun (yes it was!) because I was able to simply flow and create an essay based on a simple picture I was provided and an opening line. And away I went. I loved it because my ability to be unique in my creativity was totally in my hands and that was a beautiful inspiration for me.  I also remember one of my brothers drawing some giraffes playing football when he was about 6 years old and it was so creative the rest of us loved that Mum proudly displayed this colourful drawing on our fridge. Even some 30 odd years later it is still talked about as a highlight of our childhood memories.

So what happens to us as we grow up into adulthood? Our source of creativity is still there, our ability to make choices in life is still there, yet somehow along the way we have potentially blocked it off completely. I know I did. The good news is now I’ve rediscovered it in spades! And I am excited because my positive choice of creativity is reawakened which has given me so much more energy and I am experiencing more opportunity and fun. And this has definitely had the ripple effect on my family.

In our field of work our ability to guide our clients in transforming their lives is also about awakening that creative choice in them again and having them flowing lightly and effortlessly through life, experiencing connection and passion to what it is they seek. This is where the power is. And creative choice can be experienced in all areas of our lives. From the more obvious choices such as the fine arts (music, writing, drama and painting etc) to the less obvious ones such as how we bring up our family, how we run our business and how innovatively we solve our business challenges, growing and nurturing plants, taking care of animals, healing, design, physical fitness…the list is absolutely endless. It is up to us to teach our clients that on some level we have made a decision to block our creative energy and by blocking it our unconscious desire to be creative emerges in a negative way. Sometimes this blockage is manifested in the physical through an illness or sometimes it’s through an unhealthy addiction we have developed and our behaviour in meeting our creativity becomes this chronic self destruction. In these cases we have made a decision to block our creativity and as such block the choices that are available to us in how we experience life.

When we live our principles of coaching for life, we take on the responsibility to be the aspirational version of being the change we want to see in the world and no matter how much in the past the blockage of creative choice has been destructive to our energy, awakening the ability to expand our choices expands our ability to experience a positive life and all it has to offer. Empowering ourselves to live this life of creative choice opens the doorway for our clients to experience the same. If you haven’t already done so, then start today. It’s always the right time. You are unique and so is your creative choice. Enjoy your week and all it has to offer. Kate Welk

PS – Join us on Facebook today and share how you immerse yourself in creativity. We’d love to hear it.

This week’s been buzzing at The Coaching Institute, more so than ever. We’re excited to have the fabulous Alice Haemmerle in the house creating absolute magic with our NLP Master Practitioner students who are jumping right into their first week of their learning journey, with open hearts and minds, creating quantum leaps of change. And we know that their experiences keep expanding every day and it’s a sight that we always love to see. You can see how each student’s experience is taking them into a new level of awareness. We were having a chat about this amongst the team and we decided that it really comes down to this. When you take on training here you can either be happy with training to be a coach or you can decide that training to be a Master is where your focus lies. We can either be pretty good at what we do, or we can continually strive to become an even better version of ourselves than we were yesterday. As always, the choice is ours.

And sometimes there are those who make that decision to continue to learn and grow without really knowing where this is taking them. They just know that it’s going to be great. And then there are those that decide they’ve done enough learning and it’s time to stop. Like a rubber band, when you learn something new you are stretched beyond where you have previously been yet at some point the band is going to bounce back to its (almost) original shape, unless you continue to strive for a higher level of mastery.

And so it is with those in the NLP Master Practitioner room. A number of these students have only just finished their NLP Practitioner training last month and already they know that the way in which their rocket is going to take off beyond the pull of gravity and into space, is to create more fuel for the initial take off. And their fuel is NLP Master Practitioner.

I had the great privilege of chatting to one of our students from the room yesterday. It was so joyful to see her face. Her eyes were incredibly bright and I knew from observing her that she was already moving into a new space that she had never experienced before. And it was such a great opportunity to be able to hear her story.

Deborah Brown first joined The Coaching Institute back in 2008 when she enrolled as a Diploma student. Since then she has been a Life Long member of our community as she relates to the values and beliefs that we share and she loves this connection.   She first experienced NLP when she completed her Practitioner training as part of her Diploma program back in 2009. And she shared how even just deciding to do that training totally changed her relationship with her children and totally transformed her life. After that NLP experience she knew that if she focussed on what she wanted she would achieve it so she set her focus on where she was working and decided which position she wanted and set to work on achieving this. Using the principle what you focus on is what you get, she got her ideal role as a Distribution Business Consultant for a multinational global company. And she said that before NLP she had limiting beliefs around this achievement so it was again evidence to Deborah that by focussing on what she wants she can achieve it. And during her employment she nurtured some of her skills in NLP and now in 2011 here she is in the room with other NLP Master Practitioner students. She knew that the difference between training to be a coach and training to be a master was first set in motion when the decision she made back when she did her NLP Practitioner training to sign up for NLP Master Practitioner training was going to be the key to taking her life to a whole new level of mastery. And seeing Deborah’s face light up as she enthusiastically shared her experience of being in the room with Alice was again evidence to me that in order to get your rocket ship of change off the ground NLP Master Practitioner training is the additional fuel to do so. Deborah told me that the difference between the two levels of training is NLP Practitioner is your grounding for change and NLP Master Practitioner takes you there. And Deborah believes “if you don’t have, you can’t give”. And in summary she shared “my experience so far has been amazing, profound and it’s only day 4!” Thank you for sharing Deborah.

I’d also like to welcome our students completing their Advanced Skills training with us commencing today. The house will be rocking and rolling with all this learning!! Have a fantastic Friday and please share your experience with the learning you have had since joining The Coaching Institute. Join in the chat today on Facebook.

Enjoy! Kate Welk

“It’s simply the best thing since school was invented” stated some enthusiastic school students as they heard the announcement that the decision has been made to include professional life coaching principles into the core school curriculum. The world has finally realised that teaching our children (and ourselves) about positive life skills makes sense! Knowing how to be resourceful in meeting your six core needs, how to set goals in a way that achieves results, being empowered and accountable for your own actions, that making mistakes are the best way to learn and there is no class segregation – all students can spell. Schools across the land are celebrating today with this revolutionary news.

Ahhh…imagine this world. You rock up to school in the early days ready to learn. You are a learning machine. School is fun because your parents have brought you up to be this empowered individual who is learning about how to meet their needs resourcefully. From the time you were born to the age of 7 you have learned about transitioning through your six core needs. Maybe these needs have a funky cool name and its fun to learn about how you choose to behave and the meaning you are giving your experiences is starting to shape you. That it is normal to create goals as if you already have already achieved them. That if something doesn’t work out there is enthusiastic discussion about other options to try. That there is no failure only feedback.

Your parents see you as this beautiful whole and complete person. And so do you. You know that the world is full of opportunity for you. That you will experience life and learn your purpose. No one is telling you what you should do…in fact they are giving you support and guidance around what you want to do rather than what they want you to. Dreams are encouraged, not squashed. You are already deciding who to model to create the change you want in your life. Modelling is one of the first classes you attend on a Monday morning and you are eager to share what you learned through your playwork over the weekend.  

As you move through your school years you learn there are no limitations and you know that you create your own beliefs and your own reality. That perception is projection. You are being the results you are getting. And if you don’t like that then you change it. And your school is special. They believe in professional life coaching so much that each of the teachers has coaching experience. The teachers support you to be clear on what your values are and whether they are serving you and nurturing you. You embrace challenges eagerly because you love to challenge yourself on how many possibilities there are. Quantum is your mantra. You know how to move from head to heart, and truly connect with your heart space and experience emotional connection. That your purpose is beyond you. The old way of saying strengths and weaknesses is no longer prevalent. It’s now strengths and stretches.  You know what drives you to take risks, to seek love and connection, to know what certainty and safety is and you dance between all your core needs resourcefully. You know how to anchor positive states and you strive to move from being a winner to a hero to a legend. 

You understand that stress is a lack of certainty and its fear and anger combined. You recognise the patterns of human behaviour and how you create your own reality. That your map of the world is unique to you. You know that as you move into adult hood and have children of your own you have a model of how you are moving into parenthood. You now see your own children as the magnificent whole and complete people they are. You have a vision that is beyond your own world. And you are confident that who you are being is creating a great model for your own children as they grow and learn and experience what life has to offer. And it’s all about the journey. Life is full of surprise and you welcome it…embrace it with the knowing that you’ll be fine. And you will. 

What is your vision for the change you want to see? Share with us on Facebook today. Enjoy this fabulous Wednesday and set an intention that moves you forward. Kate Welk

I was so much into masculine energy in the earlier days I had no idea how much energy was being spent unnecessarily in some situations. I truly didn’t know. I was this ‘miss independent’ who wouldn’t allow anyone else to do things for me, that I was ‘fine’ to do it all myself. And I now know it had to do with my choosing a default behaviour most likely with the purpose of believing that I was protecting myself from vulnerability.  And in reality I wasn’t. When you train to be a coach these are the most magnificent gifts of information that are shared with us, as students of The Coaching Institute, that we can pass on to our clients.

Masculine energy consists of being the action taker, results driven, tell me the facts, sets goals and achieves targets, never ever vulnerable, and asks themselves ‘what will I win”? The masculine energy is also incredibly grounded and can be considered very blunt as they are focussed and have vision and purpose. The benefit of masculine energy is being able to step up, back yourself and run your business.

And when you have this learning you can then choose more easily when to step into your masculine or feminine energy. My own story was one of being single for an extended period of time, deliberately so. And I was fierce about it. I now realise that I thought I was protecting my heart from hurt, when in fact all I was doing was creating more layers that became such a painful burden to carry around. I didn’t want to be vulnerable however I didn’t realise that vulnerability was about letting go of the need to be right, that in this feminine energy there is no need to have all the answers and that it is okay to seek support, that this is the natural path to healing. I thought that to be strong I had to be ferociously independent yet the true strength is in the gentle vulnerability of feminine energy.

Being in feminine energy is allowing yourself to step into your own light, to be able to make mistakes, to be 100% for your clients and give your all. To serve so that you can make that difference for others. You will know when you are in your feminine energy because your heart is open, you come from the servant’s heart and your approach is about everybody, not you. It is important to you that what you do is for the community, for the greater good and it’s all about connection. Being grounded in feminine energy means that it’s okay to be that way…to create the nest, to nurture, to show love, to show feelings. Even as I write that I can feel how much softer that feels, how much more fluid, how much easier my energy flows as I type those words.

As women and men, to truly master the energy that you choose, it is important to understand when to dance between them both. In my personal life I can allow my husband to be the Warrior, to be the man and I can allow him to be my protector, when I come home because I allow myself to feel safe. (And he steps into this role so well!)

So, as I further my studies and train to be a coach I know that what I am creating is freedom for me to flow easily and effortlessly through both energy types, to call on the strengths of each one in any moment I choose. And to know that I can model this for my clients is how this can make all the difference in all areas of our lives. And that’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?

What are your awakenings of being feminine or masculine? Why not share with us on Facebook. I wish each of you a lovely weekend, whatever you choose.  Kate Welk

I was developing some freebies for prospects over the long weekend and I completed a paper on Beliefs. And I thought it was a timely reminder for us all to ensure that what we believe is aligned to where we want to head rather than it being random and scrambled. The mantra might be something like ‘coaching for life – beliefs for life’. So, I’ll ask you – when is the last time you reflected on what your beliefs are and asked the question on whether they are serving you? It might seem simple? Well, in my own experience I know that sometimes I’ve blurred the lines between my personal identity beliefs and those beliefs that we call vehicle beliefs. And in those moments I’ve ended up with confusion, doubt, really no idea on why I was being the way I was, yet I knew something ‘wasn’t right’. The good news is I reflect on what I believe and that’s when the light bulb moment hits and I’m then back on track.

Now, you know how important it is to have beliefs that serve you. Seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it?  Yet how many coaches do you know out there who take on their coaching role as one of their personal identity beliefs? They see their career as being part of their personal identity, not as a means to an end in achieving the life they want to have. Their entire worth is measured on their coaching success. That’s not going to serve them in moments of challenge.

How many people do you know, or have heard of, who having gone through a redundancy and then feel that they are no longer a worthwhile individual? That their entire worth seems to have hinged on their job, their career? And if that is taken away from them then a part of their personal identity is taken as well. This tends to set them up for more of the same – a lack of success. These are all signs that this person has mixed up their personal identity beliefs with their vehicle beliefs, perhaps even their global beliefs. 

And as coaches it is so essential for us to know what our own beliefs are and how to adjust them to keep on purpose as well as teach others the difference between each type of belief and how to ensure our beliefs are positive and serving us at all times. Regular reviewing is the key. I invite you to call us if you want more information and guidance on this. You’ll be surprised how knowing the difference between each belief can assist you lead a more empowered life and remain on purpose – so take on that mantra Coaching for Life – Beliefs for Life – and see what a difference it makes to your success.

And on another note, I wanted to share with you a gorgeous example of generosity that we experienced at The Coaching Institute last week. Our Founder and CEO Sharon Pearson gave the team at TCI Monday 31^st October off so we could have an extra long weekend due to the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday on the Tuesday. It was so unexpected and such a wonderful offer to make. Thank you SP for giving this to us so generously. It really made a difference to how we spent our time. I know I got to spend so much more quality time with my family and that was such a beautiful gift to receive and for that I am so grateful, as I know the rest of the team are.

So, how did you spend your weekend? What difference did you make in someone else’s life? Hey, I’ll also let you know that today is Sharon Pearson’s birthday. Share your birthday wishes with Sharon by joining us on Facebook. Happy Birthday SP!!

Enjoy your Wednesday – Kate Welk

I had an absolutely awesome conversation with one of our gorgeous students yesterday. It was inspiring. He told me about having one more chance to live his life. He had the chance to now choose a life with passion and purpose rather than regret. You see he’d had a very serious accident, basically his heart stopped three times and he very nearly didn’t make it. The result of his experience…both the accident itself and the aftermath of recovery and rehabilitation including further temporary setbacks…were enough for him to know that it was now or never. It was his time and he got the message…do it now…stop waiting. And that naturally got me thinking about how much this has now changed him and how his story can serve to inspire the rest of us to use this moment we have right now to live our life the way we want to rather than the way we think others would approve of.

And then I asked myself…life has given all of us this chance and it’s now or never…am I giving my all as I take on my professional life coaching journey? How can I learn from this beautiful person that I had the opportunity to have a 10 minute chat with and use the lessons to make a difference? For me, all these kinds of moments occur in my life for a reason. It’s up to me whether I choose to listen and learn or choose to ignore.

One of the books I’m reading at the moment is by Brendon Burchard and his message is very similar. He’d also had a profound moment in his life and as a result he took on this same belief and decision. He believed that as a result of that moment in time when he nearly lost his life he was given one more chance to make a difference. He calls it “Life’s Golden Ticket”. He suggests the purpose of this ticket is that each of us is born with a “free pass to a life of your own choosing… that we are given the gift of free will and second chances”. What we do with this chance is up to us.

The wish I have for you today is that you won’t have to wait until a critical moment in time to make that decision. That you don’t need a ‘second chance’. That you will decide today is a good day to take hold of your ‘life ticket’ and make that difference. Today is a good day to know that you were born into choice and this is your moment. For those of you who are waiting to decide whether this moment is right, who tell yourself ‘not yet’, that tell yourself you are not good enough, for you I make this wish that you now realize you are ready and that you are good enough. Your professional life coaching journey train is ready at the station…time to get on board!

I want to leave you with an extract from Brendon’s ticket – the terms and conditions of using this ticket to choose your own life path. I know so many individuals that have already made this decision and the rewards are huge. And I want to say a special thank you to David who inspired this message today.

“…Life’s golden ticket is now in your hands. And now is your moment of truth. You can either stand still and live in yesterday or you can step through the gates of possibility into the life you were truly meant to live. The only price of admission is to release any anger, hurt, worry, or resentment tied to your old story and to have the clarity and strength to start anew. You can make new choices. You can live more fully. You can love more completely. You can make a greater difference. Every moment is a second chance to unleash and claim the life of purpose and contribution that is your destiny…” Brendon Burchard.

Do you know someone’s whose had a second chance to live their life the way they always wanted? What about your own story? I’d love you to share this with us on Facebook today. Have fun on this fabulous Thursday. Kate Welk