Insights from Flow

Coaching
Rapport-building for Transformational Coaching Conversations

Rapport originates from the Greek word “rappoarte” which means “to carry back to another person’s experience of themselves” Coaching conversations that transform are the ones in which the coach and the client become aligned and purposeful. In transformational conversations we express our inner truth and feelings and support others in doing the same. Rapport holds the essence of these conversations. 

People are attracted to people who are similar to them:

As a coach, building rapport means being open to understanding or experiencing another person’s view of the world as if you are experiencing it like the person itself. If you knew what the other person knows, if you had experienced what the other person had experienced, you would be able to enter naturally the client’s physical and tonal habits to the view the world in a new light. Through strong communication it is possible to build a rapport through understanding and respecting other persons view of the world. The key is to find common grounds. This leads to a successful coaching conversation by asking powerful questions as a coach and by active listening with curiosity. 

Your emotional brain loves similarities. It feels safe and most comfortable when communicating with people who are like you. As a coach you can encourage a person’s emotional brain to open up and carry a transformational conversation by using basic skills of rapport. You can build a sense of shared value so the client can step into a coaching relationship with you. 

Interested in becoming a coach? Discover Solution-Focused coaching skills which enable you to create transformational change in yourself and others. Learn about FLOW Coaching Methodology

Finding Common Ground Leads to Positive Results:

The use of behavioral and tonal matching develops strong physical rapport. With the help of behavioural matching you can mirror a part of person’s behaviour. For example in a face-to-face conversation you might want to sit in the same posture as the client. When the person shifts positions, you may want to follow gracefully. This is a form of respect and helps the client open up to you.

The strongest rapport is created when we value person’s core values. We become strong listeners when we actively listen and repeat peoples value words to them, words that hold true meaning and importance. On a personal level, you do not need to agree, but for transformational communication, it is important to respect where the other person is coming from. 

Rapport building does not mean that you want to copy or mimic the persons behavior, if you do this they might feel like you are mocking them and breaks the rapport. Rapport is when we quietly track a person’s behavior and begin discrete sharing of the experience. Being “like them” is the doorway into sharing experience.

An Exercise for Coaches to Build Rapport:

One of the best exercises for rapport building to get in sync with the client. Try to match your breathing with your client until you get a sense of his rhythm. If the person seems distracted or disjointed you can slowly deepen you breathing and notice that the client will do so too. Usually, a person will do so, unconsciously responding to you. This will enhance contact and will also assist the person to touch deeper levels of awareness. If you relax, the person will relax, too. He will particularly appreciate you after this type of relaxation, although he may not consciously recognize what you have done.

In the absence of rapport, an effective coaching conversation is unlikely to take place. Take time to recognize your own authentic values and move on to approach the client with the understanding and acceptance of who they are. If a person feels safe and understood they open up to deeper realms. When you have integrity using a rapport-building approach, the person will see, hear, and feel it, and this makes a powerful difference in the transformative possibility of the conversation.

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
3 Questions to Replace New Year Resolutions

As the new year arrives the typical questions concerning new year resolutions come up. “What do you want to change in the new year? What do you want to focus in the new year? What is your new year resolution?” These questions might come as very overwhelming. It necessarily doesn’t have to be this way.

Only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are ever being met. Therefore, its time to have a new approach. Rather than creating big goals its better to choose a different set of choices that improve your lifestyle and state of mind. Its about simplifying your approach to life.

When you simplify, you give importance to things that are meaningful and eliminate what’s draining your energy. You start to say no to things that are not useful to you and yes to things that make you happy. When you start living your life on your own terms it becomes more fulfilling.

To get you started on this path here the three important questions to start your year in the right vibe.

  1. What are the three things you like doing and want to do more of?

Hiking? Travelling? Finding a good read? Cooking your favourite food?

It is a simple but a powerful question. Its even better to write the answer down, this way you acknowledge the things you enjoy and commit to do more of them. You can even schedule them and mark them in your calendar.

  1. What are three things you want to evolve in?

Evolve can mean a lot of things here. It could be improving a skill, getting better at something or exploring a new hobby. Actively put yourself in positions that triggers growth and it will make your life better, making you happier.

  1. What are the three things you want to reduce doing?

Stressing? Putting yourself down? Binge-eating? Being hard on yourself?

Believe that you can do less of what you dislike. You can quit it altogether if you wish. It could be an unwanted habit, a thought pattern, an activity which is draining you or something that you can delegate to someone else. Look for ways to do something differently if you can not delegate it. Life is too short to be spent doing something you dislike.

These questions should help you to develop a clear viewpoint and approach your year with a refreshing perspective that is more positive and empowering that fixing resolutions or goals. These intentions remind you what matters to you most and you can use these throughout the year to make sure you are on the right track for a happier, more fulfilling life.

If becoming a certified coach is your goal for this year check our program schedule now to select and enroll yourself in a Positive Psychology & Solution-focused coach certification program.

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
Coronavirus: 7 Ways to Take Control of Your Mental Health

As the uncertainty and worry rises around coronavirus (COVID-19) and headlines take place all over the news we would like to remind you to take care of your mental health as it is as important as your physical health. With good mental health and a positive outlook you would be able to cope better with the threat arising from COVID-19.

There are many ways to take control of your mental health to ease the anxiety you might be experiencing:

  1. Make sure you gain accurate information from official sources:

Try to read information available only from official sources like World Health Organization (WHO) or any other governmental sources available to you. It is very important to ensure the credibility of the information you seek to avoid any misinformation.

  1. Limit yourself on the news available:

Avoid too much exposure to the media coverage even though you maybe tempted to do so. Constant monitoring of the situation can intensify your state of worry and stress. Set boundaries on how much to follow the news. Seek factual information only enough to protect yourself and your loved ones.

  1. Take care of yourself:

Practice self-care which mainly means taking hold of things which are in your control such as practicing good hygiene, practicing social distancing and so on instead of focusing on things which are not in your control such as stopping the virus. Try to maintain your daily routine, maintain your nutrition, get enough sleep and spend time doing the things that you like. You can also try taking a walk in the fresh air while practicing social distancing, exercise or practice mindfulness which can contribute positively towards your mental well-being. You need to be even more careful if you are a health-care professional as you are high at risk of a burnout.

  1. Stay in touch with others around you:

Staying in touch with your support system which may include your friends and family can help you ease the tension and stress surrounding COVID-19. Sharing your concerns and feelings may help you deal with them in a better manner. Receiving support and care from others bring a sense of calm. Remember even though you might be in self-quarantine or self-isolation there are many ways to connect with others digitally.

  1. Keep your hopes high & maintain a positive attitude:

Divert your focus to things that are positive. Try to seek opportunities where you can gain access to positive stories and images. There are many positive stories of people who have recovered from COVID-19 or are supporting those fighting with the virus. Finding such stories and images will keep your hopes high.

  1. Recognize & accept your feelings:

It is very normal to feel stressed, anxious, upset or disappointed including many other emotions in the current situation. Allow yourself to let your emotions come in, recognize them and accept them. One way to express your emotions can be journaling or doing something creative with it like painting or drawing to let it out. You can also try working out.

  1. Seek professional help:

Protect yourself with the recommendations provided by health care professionals. If you still feel overwhelmed seek mental help through coaching or psychological support. FLOW Coaches are always available for your support, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
5 Practices in Search for Meaning and Becoming a Certified ICF Master Coach

I became a certified coach in 2007 by completing an ICF ACTP certification program. Back then, I was already a therapist and I didn’t know what I was getting into. I transitioned to therapy, from a successful executive corporate career, and then to coaching. I wanted to become a certified coach because I wanted to work with corporate people and help them find and have more meaning in their work life, hence to help them find an increased sense of flow. I didn’t know that coaching would become a life-changing experience for me, and eventually transform me into the person that I wanted to become. A huge thing I realized in my career is that no matter how many people I coach and mentor, I always learn something new about myself along the way.

Coaching, that is aligned with ICF (International Coach Federation) code of conduct and competencies, has its roots in the science of solution-focused and client-centered psychology. Therefore, as a therapist that was educated in client-centered therapy, ICF coaching wasn’t totally unfamiliar to me. However, what I wasn’t aware of was the tools and skills that are taught are life-changing. So, once I realized that I disciplined myself to use them on a regular basis towards re-inventing myself.

Eventually, based on my personal experience meeting, coaching and mentoring so many of the amazing individuals who have shaped me into who I am today, I created a curriculum with my partners-in-crime, based on Positive Psychology and FLOW model, to help others to learn these life skills in their search for meaning, hence our innate inclination towards having more flow.

These tools and methods have helped me to find meaning and flow in my search for authentic happiness. Using them, I have been able to rewire my brain cells towards more solution-focused thinking and flow mindset.

Mastery doesn’t come in a day. It is a journey of ups and downs. You need to say yes to its challenges as you say yes to its rewards. You need to embrace the full experience and see it almost as a spiritual practice, similar to the one of a Zen master or a Sufi.

Looking back to my coaching career of 14 years now, I can say that not only coaching others and teaching these skills but also mastering these skills in my own life has been adding to my sense of meaning and flow. So, I want to share with you, my 5 personal practices that helped me to get here and enjoy the journey while becoming a master certified coach.

  1. Self-reflection: This is extremely important when you are looking to better yourself every day. If you do not know your baseline and if you are not checking, how can you know how to improve. This is where self-reflection comes in. I always ask myself the same coaching questions I ask my clients. The trick here is to also always answer them honestly.
  2. Learner’s mindset: Always asking myself, what am I actually learning here, and what am I going to be getting out of this? How can I learn better? How can I improve the way I am learning?
  3. Disciplining my attention: Years ago I accepted that I cannot do everything and cannot be everywhere. So, I pay attention to my priorities and use my time and energy accordingly.
  4. Knowing myself: Understanding your temperament and building your support system that nurtures that is crucial to resilience and long term success. For example, I know that I am not a loner, I function at my best with a good team and community. I have worked towards building that community. Yours might be different, so ask yourself what is my innate temperament?
  5. Listening to myself and my needs: I learned with a great price that if I don’t take care of myself, then no-one will. So I make time for self-care on a regular basis. This way, I am always listening to my body, and taking the time it needs to recharge and get refreshed.

These are my top 5 practices that I do every day to ensure that I am always centered and know my meaning. This has been a huge help in being able to do everything I do and succeed in all the projects I set my eyes on.

What are yours? I would love to know more.

Love,

Talyaa.

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
Transforming New Years Resolutions : Next Level Resolution Planning Using Coaching Methodologies

As 2020 comes to a close, we will all be looking back at 2020 and seeing how what we have achieved. With the new year upon us, there will obviously be a need and want to craft new resolutions for 2021. 

How Was 2020 For You? 

2020 was a hard year for everyone, and it seems that it might not get as much easier as we have all hoped it would be. But the team here at FLOW Coaching Institute would like to first congratulate you on getting through one of the craziest years of modern history. With pandemics, natural disasters, political unrest, and even racial unrest - it has been an exhausting and trying year for a lot of people, around the world. 

When it comes to the New Year, the one thing you will hear about the most is - Resolutions. Especially with the year we have had, we can see that everywhere on social media and on the news people are praying and hoping for a better year in 2021. Everyone is also doing their part in creating goals and resolutions for themselves so that they can create and transform 2021 into a year of abundance and growth. 

Maintaining Resolutions 

We are all guilty of creating resolutions, that secret list of things like exercising more, being more mindful, meditating more, checking off that things off your bucket list and so much more. Then, January hits, and things are awesome for a few weeks and then, life happens. And somehow, the cycle starts again where work takes over, or family priorities take over, and somehow all of the awesome plans you had will have taken the backseat. 

So, what is this resistance we all feel when it comes to focusing and staying on the bandwagon of achieving resolutions? According to a study by Franklin Covey, it’s because sometimes we might get a little too excited and overzealous when we create them. Almost 40% of us then blame our busy schedules for the serious lack of follow-through which is why it seems that a lot of people break their New Year Resolutions. 

Non-commitment, busy schedules, and a serious case of over-optimism seems to be the main causes of not being able to maintain resolutions. 

What Can You Do To Overcome This Resolution Resistance? 

Flow Coaching Institute has coached and mentored hundreds of people and we find that there are a few things and questions that you can do and ask yourself to pick the best resolutions for you and be able to stick with them. 

Most of the time, we don’t ask ourselves the right questions and we tend to follow what everyone else is doing without looking internally and realizing what are the best goals and resolutions for us in our current time and being now. 

Questions to Ask Yourself To Resolutions That Resonate 

  1. What are the three main things that you want to stop doing? 
  • This is the bucket that you should start with first so that you know what you DO NOT want. 
  • Once you know what you do not want any more in your life it will become easier to see what you actually want. 
  • Believe and trust that you can actually do less of what you dislike.
  • This can be habits, work, thought patterns, and even tasks that you feel are not serving you anymore. 

 

2. What are the three main things you like doing and would love to do more of? 

  • Once you’ve answered your dislikes, this would be a lot simpler to answer. 
  • What makes your soul sing? What is it that you want to look forward to when you wake up? 
  • It can be a hobby, a job that you’ve always wanted to apply for, or even a habit that you want to instill. 

 

3. Which three main areas do you want to evolve in? 

  • Evolving can mean different things here, it can be mentally, or even skills-wise. 
  • How do you want to grow and how would you like to show up in the world? 

With these questions, now you can curate a resolution list that resonates and works with what you want to achieve. This way, you are more inclined to want to see it through because is it deeply rooted in the way you want to grow, be, and show up in the world. 

Steps To Overcome The Resistance 

We have put together 4 simple steps that we think you can use whenever you want to when you feel that fire dissipate or when you need a bit more motivation, use these methods to help get that fire back. 

Picking resolutions that resonate with you. 

  • This is easily done once you’ve practiced asking those questions we mentioned above. 

Create your anchor image or vision board

  • When you know the resolutions you want, we suggest creating an image for it. Something that is tangible and can be seen so that you are reminded daily about it. 
  • This way the probability of you forgetting about it or not being as motivated lessens significantly because it’s always there to remind you about what you truly want. 

Set Guidelines 

  • A lot of times, new years resolutions fail because we do not have set guides and timelines in place, so the mind will always say things like tomorrow, or next time. 
  • Once you have guidelines, it will be much easier to follow them and stick to it. 

Plan Your Goals Out 

  • Once you have the goals and the timelines in which you want to achieve them, you can now put it all on paper! 
  • Plan out the steps you need to take to ensure that you reach your new year's resolutions and goals. 
  • And whenever you feel like you are not sure what needs to be done, or if you are feeling a little demotivated, you can then look back at these plans and it should set you back up in shape. 

So there you have it - our thoughts on New Years Resolutions, keeping them, maintaining them, and thriving at them. 

We wish you all the best and for a much more eventful 2021 ahead for you. 

How do you maintain your New Years Resolutions? We would love to hear from you! 

 

Written by: Tashya Viknesh

Approved by: Talyaa Vardar (author mentioned in this article)

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
Showing Up – Five Tips To Becoming The Best Coach For Your Clients

With over a decade of experience coaching, the founders of Flow Coaching Institute have coached businesses, CEOs, athletes, students, and almost everyone in between. Being a coach is not an easy job, but it is an extremely fulfilling one. Over the years, our founders have learned a lot along their coaching journey and we are going to share some of their tips on showing up and being the best coach for your clients. 

What Does Being A Good Coach Mean? 

Coaching in itself is a long and rewarding journey that is deeply rooted in a lot of self-reflection and personal growth from the perspective of the coach themselves. To become the best coach for your clients, you will need to be the best version of yourselves or at least be working on becoming the best version of yourself. 

Tip 1: Be Open & Honest 

Your clients will be coming to you with a lot of problems and things that they want to improve and fix in their lives. If you are not open and honest with them, they will be able to sense that and this will significantly affect the session that you are having. 

Being open and honest means that you are showing them that you are not judging them and that you are able to be honest with them to show your vulnerable side as well. Most times, people will wait for you to open up first before they do so. So as a coach, it’s best for you to open up first and set the example beforehand so that your clients can lead from your example. 

The ability to create a safe environment is extremely important as studies show that when you create a comfortable and safe environment the people around you will feel a lot more at ease when opening up.

Tip 2: Learn To Coach Everyone 

You might be called in to coach a CEO of a multi-million dollar company but deep down they are still someone’s son or daughter, a husband or a wife or a friend. We are all humans and there are a few things that we all have in common. If you want to be a better coach with better coaching methods, you will need to learn to be everyone’s coach. 

Find that thread that links everyone together. This way, you will be able to easily understand the crux of problems and be able to give them the best advice by finding the root of the problem rather than surface-level issues. 

Tip 3: Curate Tangible Results 

When you start working with your clients, always sit down with them and verbalize and when possible write down tangible results that they want to see. Have a healthy discussion on what they need and want to get out of these coaching sessions with you. 

This is extremely important as this will become the blueprint of your journey with this coaching client of yours. It will also help them visualize their progress and where they would like to be in the near future. 

Plus, when things are written down, people are more likely to follow it rather than just speaking it into existence.

Tip 4: Owning Conversations & Maintaining Them 

Sometimes people can mistake therapy for coaching sessions. If you want to be a highly effective coach, become a better coach, and show up for your clients, you need to be able to own conversations and maintain them. 

Not in the way of overstepping your clients, but being able to reel them back in when needed. Asking questions like “what is the goal you want to achieve here?” or reel them back in by saying that “that’s not where we are supposed to go”, and be able to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand. 

This becomes a lot easier as well when you have those tangible results that you and your client have agreed upon beforehand. 

Don’t be afraid to own conversations, you are there as a coach to help them become a better person and improve their journey and life experience. This is your job and if you feel that the trajectory of the conversation is not doing your client any good anymore then gently steer the conversation back. 

Tip 5: Focusing on Follow-Ups 

We get it, sometimes life gets in the way. Especially with everything going remote lately, it might be easier to push meetings or to do shorter meetings. But, being a great coach means that you are very diligent with your follow-ups and checking in on your clients. 

Things get hard and time passes by, but this should not deter you from maintaining your coaching schedules with them. Once you become a coach, you become an accountability partner. 

There you have it! Our 5 main tips to becoming the best coach for your clients. Always remember that you need to have your client's best interest in mind at all times. 

What are some tips that you think we should add? We would love to hear from you! 

If you are interested in becoming a coach yourself, visit this link or send us an email at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com to learn more about our programs!

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
The New Normal – Becoming A Successful Coach Online

With 2020 behind us, 2021 brings about a lot of promise, hope, and change. We have seen resilience, empathy, grit, and strength from everyone from all walks of life. As a collective, we believe that we saw the most amount of growth from humanity this past year. 

With all those changes, what was normal to us coaches back then, things like sitting face-to-face to have a one-on-one with a client, meeting your team in the office, and just having lunch with a client have completely changed. 

Today, people are getting married on Zoom, they are celebrating birthdays online and everyone has had to adapt and learn how to function online for a lot of the things we used to do face to face. And, after a full year of doing that, we don’t think this new reality is going away anytime soon. 

As a coach and a business owner, I had to pivot my team the minute we saw what was happening with the world. With a career like ours, where community and having face-to-face conversations was crucial - we realized that had to change. 

The life coaching industry is set to make almost $1 billion in revenue yearly and there are over 18,000 life coaching businesses in the US alone. This shows that life coaching is an industry that is not going anywhere soon. 

Moving Your Coaching Business Online 

As a coach, we are all driven to help others. We want to be change-makers and help others become better versions of themselves. However, life coaches aren’t just coaches anymore - to survive in today’s digital age and with the pandemic, you will also need to be an entrepreneur. 

If you don’t move your coaching business online today - you might get left behind. Here are some of our top tips to become a successful coach online in 2021. 

Finding Your Coaching Niche 

This is usually done after you have been certified to become a coach and you have the necessary training required to start coaching actual clients. As a coach, there are so many avenues you can choose from. 

  • Business coaching 
  • Life coaching 
  • Career coaching 
  • Personal development coaching 

By deciding on a niche, it would become much easier for you to set up your business, create your websites, share your message and find the right clients that need you. 

To decide on a niche, you can also start asking yourself questions like: 

  • What can I offer to my clients? 
  • What experiences that I have that I can use to help my clients? 
  • What do your family members and friends usually go to you for advice for? 

Once you’ve reflected on these questions, you should be able to decide on your niche. This is extremely helpful moving forward as it will help you set every other part of your online business. 

Launching Your Business

What are you waiting for? There are so many website builders out there that you can easily use to start your own online coaching company. At the end of the day, getting online today is so much easier than it was 10 years ago. Creating an online presence is as simple as 3-4 button clicks.

Make sure that you have a website, a great LinkedIn page, and a social media profile that you are active on. This could be Instagram or Facebook. Whichever suits you the best.

Also make sure that you are incredibly engaging on these platforms because the more your potential clients see you and your personality the more likely they are to engage in you.

Always ensure that you aren't just sharing coaching tips and all the normal stuff -- but make sure that you are posting a lot with regard to WHO YOU ARE. The things you stand for and the values that you hold near and dear to your heart.

These are the things that make people resonate with you and potential clients will love being able to see your personality. Someone is going to spend money on your and you will then be spending your time training them -- this is why it's crucial for them to fully understand who you are so that they know that they can trust you.

These are some of our little tips on how you can become a coach in 2021 -- the year in which literally everything is online! Do you have any tips that we might have missed out on? Let us know in the comments!

 

 

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
Top Leadership Coaching Skills To Have Post-Pandemic

We might finally see a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine rollouts in full force - however, so much has changed in the world of business and leadership that I believe that there is a need for completely new skills moving forward.

As a leader or as a manager or even as a coach, the world post-pandemic is already shaping up to be incredibly different. With this whole pandemic being the ultimate test of grit, determination, and patience, there is so much uncertainty going about that everyone needs to work on as a while.

This means that a lot of businesses and organizations need that support to make informed and smart decisions based on the current issues they are facing. This comes from a very strong leader that will steer the ship to success.

These are some of the top leadership coaching skills that we feel leaders need to have post-pandemic 

#1: The Ability To Build A Strong Team Culture 

When everyone isn't able to see each other and interact with each other the way we used to, there will be a disconnect. With that disconnect comes a lot of assumptions and perhaps even a lot of miscommunication. To ensure this doesn't happen or is lessened as much as possible, as a leader you need to be able to coach your team to be open and communicate well.

Over-communication is key here as people will need to constantly go back and forth to ensure that they have all the information they need. A good team culture is needed to ensure that all members feel like they are part of a team despite being apart from one another.

#2: Strong Goal Setting & Accountability

As a coach, you need to be able to work on setting goals with your clients for the short-term as well as the long term. Therefore, this needs to be translated to the rest of your team as well. With strong goals, your team will have something to work towards. This gives them a sense of ownership and it makes them feel like they have things under control.

With that, you allow your team to take charge of certain aspects while you work on steering the ship. In addition to that, good goal setting and a good coach makes up for incredible accountability. This is especially important when you are in a team that is remote due to the pandemic. Life gets in the way -- especially at home where you might have crying children or partners who are in need of some extra support that morning.

Being able to hold people accountable without pushing them over or making them feel like you are micromanaging is a crucial skill to have in the post-pandemic world.

#3: Reliable Listening Skills 

As a coach, you will be listening to a lot of people and most times this is one of the most important aspects of being a coach. This is also especially true when it comes to a leadership position. Being a leader means your team will turn to you and they will need you to listen to their issues, wins and concerns. Always listen to understand and not to answer.

A lot of people only listen to see what they will get out of the conversation. However, being a good leader means that you listen to understand the issue to ensure that your team feels safe and heard.

These are some of our top leadership coaching skills that we feel that every leader needs in a post-pandemic world. What do you think?

If you are interested in becoming a business or leadership coach yourself, head on over to our program schedule to book a call with one of our program advisors today. We can't wait to see you.

 

 

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
Coaching Techniques That Will Help You Through Isolation

2020 was a hard year for everyone. It is stated that in the US 4 out of 10 adults stated that they were having mental health issues due to the pandemic. This is a huge percentage. And a huge chunk of them mentioned the depression that came from extensive isolation was what causes them to feel this intense form of sadness, depression, and helplessness.

How Does Long-Term Isolation Affect You? 

There's a reason why solitary confinement is a punishment for those who did something really bad in prison. It can turn even the sanest of people a little mad. And almost the entire population of the world had to deal with some form or another of extended isolation. When one is isolated for an extended period of time, this can cause severe depression because of loneliness. Humans are social creatures, without socialization and being able to meet others, speak to them and hang out, causes the brain to feel sad and lonely.

According to this study,

"...As the Greek philosopher Aristotle reminds us, man is a “social animal,” unable to live isolated from others, since the absence of relationships removes essential conditions for the development of personal identity and the exercise of reason".

What Do Coaching Techniques Have To Do With Getting Through Isolation? 

Coaches are trained extensively to be able to speak to their clients, find out what's wrong, and work with them through all of their issues. Life coaches also hold their clients accountable for their own growth. Coaching methodologies have been known to help those who might not have the money or the resources to get themselves a coach. And we wanted to share some of those with you today so that you can also use them on your own if you do not currently have access to a coach.

#1: Practicing Mindfulness

Coaching yourself is a big part of being a coach. And with that comes the ability to practice mindfulness. The main definition of mindfulness is to focus on the present moment. This way, you are able to let the rest of the issues, anxiety, and problems melt away when you only focus on the now and the thing that is directly in your control at this moment.

Practice simple breathing exercises and make sure you leave the house for fresh air at least once a day. Clear your mind when you feel like it's becoming too much. Being mindful also means that you are aware of what you are thinking and that you are conscious enough to stop that thought and try to remove it from your system.

Breathe and start noticing your thoughts is super crucial in practicing mindfulness. As a coach, this is also a great way to get your client to disconnect from their harmful thoughts and self-sabotaging ways and to pivot and shift their focus on the now so that you can break them from the current vicious cycles they might be going through.

#2: Communication 

Coaches are known to be some of the best communicators. They can understand complex issues that someone is going through and be able to calm them down and communicate with them so that they feel safe and heard.

When it comes to the pandemic depression and anxiety that so many people are experiencing, we have noticed that effective communication helps lower the anxiety, concerns, and fears that may be present in the minds of everyone.

Always have a list of a few people that you speak to on a daily basis. It could be your partner, best friend or even your parents. Share with them what you did during the day. Don't stop there, you can also share things like your concerns with how you're feeling. Having a support system is great when you make sure that you constantly communicate with them as well.

These are our two main tips and coaching techniques that we believe you should use to help you in times of isolation and depression. Let us know if you've used any of these and if you did, we would love to know if it helped.

Talyaa Vardar

Coaching
How Much Do Professional Coaches Earn?

Professional Coaching is one of the fastest-growing industries globally, and if you are considering becoming a certified coach we have some information to share with you.

If you've been thinking about becoming a certified life coach, executive coach, or a career coach but you have been unsure about the income, you are about to learn! FLOW Coaching Institute has alumni and a group of professional coaches across the world working in the field of various specialties such as career coaching, executive coaching, life coaching, corporate coaching, parent coaching, team coaching, etc. We reached out to them and asked about how much income they earn to give you as much precise information as we can reflecting different a range of different specialties and geographies.

So, if you are the kind of person who enjoys helping other people and has always dreamed about doing that kind of work that makes a real difference in people’s lives, but at the same time worried about the income you will make, we hope that this information will give you an idea if becoming a Certified Professional Coach matches your financial expectations.

Based on this brief research, we managed to conclude that the key to earning a considerable amount of good salary lies in “professional commitment”. These FLOW graduates that we interviewed have a high commitment to keeping their practice aligned with professional standards. Therefore, they network on a regular basis, they develop their practice by listening to their clients and their feedback, they invest in mentoring and supervision, and they coach and are coached themselves on a regular basis.

So How Much Do Coaches Make? 

According to our survey and interviews with ICF Certified Professional Flow Coaches, we can say that full-time certified life coaches that work for 6-8 hours a day earn between a range of $50-$500 per hour and earn around the ranges of $70,000 to a whopping $600,000. (P.s: Note that this is calculated by working 6 hours per day with a 20-day working month).

Career Coaches 

Certified Professional Career Coaches stated that they make 30-70% more than this on average as they get a chance to work with a number of individuals from their corporate clients. Life Coaches' on the other hand have business models that vary from providing hourly in-person/live coaching sessions to monthly live group coaching sessions through online platforms like Zoom or through social media.

Compare this to the average full-time job. To earn $48,000 you need to work 40 hours or more per week for a job you might not enjoy,  maybe in a culture, you don't like, doing the type of work that doesn’t allow you to enjoy your every day.

Executive Coaches 

If your specialty is ICF Certified Professional Executive Coaching, things get even better. When we asked our executive coaches about how they charge for their sessions, they mentioned a range between $200-$1000 per hour, and their annual income starts with a minimum of around $200,000 and eventually reaches up to a 6 figure income. (P.s: Note that this is calculated by working 6 hours per day with a 20-day working month)

ICF Certified Professional Executive Coaches work with director level and above (C level). They either have 1:1 individual sessions or work with teams from the same organization or they might have a specific type of leadership retreats where executives from various organizations join. It is coaching in its most premium state and you will be working with some of the smartest minds on the planet.

This is just one of the reasons that becoming an ICF certified professional coach might be the ideal path for you to start a fulfilling and profitable career by doing work that you love.

Please note that, at Flow Coaching’s ICF ACTP training program, we have special business and career-building sessions with our 6 figure income earning coaches, to help our coaches to work on their future coaching career or business plans individually.

What does FLOW Offer? 

FLOW Coaching Institute offers two paths to your ICF Certification:
1. The Fast Track path includes 5 modules. Both Core Foundations and Business Coaching ICF 60 ACSTH/ACC training programs make you eligible for certification.
2. Our All-Inclusive Advanced ICF ACTP Certification program has 6 modules carrying you all the way up to ICF ACC & PCC credentials.

To learn more about our programs, leave us a comment, just fill in our contact form or send us an email to info@flowcoachinginstitute.com to get in touch with our team today! Or, visit our latest schedule here to see when the next intake is for you!

We would love to hear from you.

Talyaa Vardar