| From the Editor
It’s hard to believe that 2014 is wrapping up already. As we dive into December, I’m reflecting on the year and find myself in awe of all the changes I’ve experienced and observed. For me, this has been an era of embracing spontaneity. (The picture on the left was taken at Fort McClary in Kittery, ME; a beautiful, unexpected adventure I had on an otherwise typical day.) I hope you are also looking back on your year and recognizing that you can still pleasantly surprise yourself! This month we’ve got quite the assortment of articles and announcements to share with you. Please enjoy all of the advice, updates, and insight that our incredible contributors have to share! It’s been a great year here at the VOICE and I want to extend my gratitude toward our contributors, both guests and regulars, for their stellar work. We are so fortunate to have such talented coaches, writers, and business people willing to share their thoughts with us. Is there something you’d like to see in the VOICE? A particular subject you’d like us to address? Please don’t hesitate to contact us at voice@certifiedcoach.org with comments, questions, event notices, or article contributions. We are always looking for new perspectives and look forward to hearing from you. Best,
Contents From the President – Vicki Zanini My Learning Agreement Revision – Natalie Tucker Miller The FEAR Factor – Martha Pasternack Channels of Perception – Maria Iliffe-Wood Licensing Committee Column – Charlie Boyer IAC Monthly Open Chat From the President
Greetings, First, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Philip Beddows, our newest member of the IAC Board of Governors. He was enthusiastically voted onto the board at November’s meeting. He is an active IAC member living in London and currently serving on the Research Committee. His Bio will be posted to the IAC website soon. Welcome Philip! It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to an end. We began 2014 by reviewing the IAC Vision and Strategic Plan 2010-2015 and formed the Strategic Review Committee to support the board of governors in strategically aligning our efforts. It has been an honor to serve on this committee with Natalie Tucker Miller, Ed Britton and our chairperson, Terri Hase. Thank you all for your dedication to this project; I am looking forward to our continued work together in 2015. At the upcoming December Board of Governors meeting we will elect our 2015 officers. Our current executive committee members are each up for re-election and whatever the outcome, I’d like to take a moment to thank them for their service this past year. Krishna Kumar, Pepe del Rio, Marissa Afton, Terri Hase and Dr. Susan Meyer, there are no words to thank you for all you do for the IAC. I have grown personally and professionally in so many ways because of you and I am looking forward to our continued work together. At the end of this year the executive committee will say goodbye to past president Dr. Susan Meyer who has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of so much of what is happening at the IAC. Her leadership and inspiration will continue to guide this organization into 2015 and beyond. Although we will miss Susan at Executive Committee we know that she will continue to contribute to the IAC, an organization that she has certainly put her heart and soul into. Thank you, Susan, for helping to architect our future. In March we announced that we were working on some changes to the IAC website, and we secured the services of branding and marketing expert, Nina East, Inc., and web designer Jill Mugge from JMG Marketing. Many of you took part in a marketing survey that is still being used to inform and direct our next steps. The “big reveal” is planned for early 2015. Countless hours have already gone into this project and there is so much more to do. We will continue to keep you informed as we move forward. The IAC Chapters across the globe continue to be an important part of the IAC for fostering community, engagement, education and growth among our members. “Living the Masteries” and the “Path to Coaching Mastery” are just two of the initiatives that are spreading throughout the IAC culture and you will hear more about both in 2015. Finally, I wish to thank the board of governors as well as our staff and volunteers for all you do. It has been an extraordinary and rewarding year and I look forward to continuing our work together in 2015. With gratitude,
One of the most important and unique aspects of the IAC Learning Agreements is how they are designed to support you. The goal is for the process to be an organic extension of your growth and learning, using the insights gleaned in your professional and personal life. The power of the Learning Agreement is its intended seamless integration as a way to live the Masteries. If it feels like a hindrance, if there appears to be no purpose, then it’s not doing its job. The point isn’t for the process to be burdensome. I recently rediscovered this in a powerful way. Last month, my husband was unexpectedly hospitalized, 250 miles from our home, for over 3 weeks. In an instant, John Lennon’s quote, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”, came to clearer focus than I’d experienced in quite some time. Each step of the unexpected journey highlighted elements of the Masteries that allowed me to observe, respond, and be fully present to all that was happening. What probably helped more than anything was the gentleness I was able to bring to myself. The times I reacted, the times I worried, the times I demonstrated more “ineffective” than “effective” behaviors, the Masteries guided me to be in empathy with myself (M2), acknowledge my own humanity and limitations (M1), reminded me I had the option to respond from awareness, rather than falling to conditioned responses (M4). The Learning Agreement I submitted earlier this year has lost some purpose, some meaning. I’ll be amending it to include the unexpected growth and insights I’ve gained recently. There is an opportunity for important reflection that can only strengthen my understanding of the Masteries. And that is the point. Do you have a question that you’d like to ask the certifiers? Submit your questions here: http://certifiedcoachblog.typepad.com/blog/ask-the-certifiers.html.
Natalie Tucker Miller, MMC, is the Lead Certifier and a certifying examiner at the IAC, as well as Past-President. Natalie is founder of Ageless-Sages.com Publishing (www.ageless-sages.com), and creator of the literary genre, Picture Books for Elders™. Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. The FEAR Factor The following letter could have been written by any of the many clients I have worked with all over the world as a Life Coach for 10 years (and before that as a Family Nurse Practitioner for 35 years.) Currently, as a Life Coach, I focus on the zillions of ways fear keeps people stuck. I am not talking about fear of the dark, fear of nuclear war, or fear of falling. There are a few life-preserving fears that we do well to heed. For example, when I was a toddler I was afraid of what was under my bed when the lights went out at bedtime. I consider that fear absolutely rational and reasonable. There is nothing you can say to change my mind. I am talking about the emotional fear of not being perfect, loved, or strong enough. I am talking about the fear that clouds our visions and deflates our enthusiasm, thereby keeping us immobilized. We cannot move towards our authentic expression of life, self-love and self-acceptance when we are tethered to fear. Those are the very things that will empower our happiness, our relationships, our health and yes, our personal, professional and financial peace. Busting the fear that binds us is a big deal and one that I am devoted to. I believe that when we get clear we can move forward. Remember, I am not talking about perfection as in flawlessness. I am talking about authenticity as in being human. I am talking about the gentleness of self-acceptance and unraveling the mystery of self-love, which I believe will nudge the inertia of self-importance. When that is done we are free to open our hearts to sacred action for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and all of the beauty of God’s creation. Yes, I know. That is a lot to say. It is my life’s work. Here is that letter I mentioned: Dear Fear, Hi, it’s me. You and I have been playing emotional tug-of-war for way too long. Every time I get stronger and gain some ground you get tricky and pull me off my feet. This is a no-win situation and I am getting tired of playing. Truthfully, I am getting bored with this game. As you well know, I have tried to quit playing with you yet you have a knack of showing up at the most inconvenient times. I can never relax. I look over my shoulder all day long. You even show up in my dreams! You even show up on good hair days! Fear, I censor my dreams, goals and desires because of you. I hold myself back from joy because of you. I make things up, and worse yet, believe that they are true because of you. I believe things like I am too old, not worthy, not smart enough, unlovable and a loser. When you are around I can’t figure out how to trust myself or anyone else for that matter. I try too hard, eat too much, and tense up until I get a headache or don’t sleep well. I even wanted to start smoking cigarettes again because I was so tense. I resisted but it was too close for comfort. You can be a very bad influence on my self-confidence. And forget forgiveness. When you are around there is no way I can forgive others or myself because I don’t want to be hurt again. Can you blame me? When you are around I cannot be satisfied with what I have accomplished because it may not be enough. I cannot be content or appreciate all that I do because it may not be good enough. You have a way to make me feel so alone when I want to feel connected to the people, places and things I care about. Give me one good reason you insist on always pulling me back towards my so-called comfort zone. Be honest. What is your intention in doing that? I am all about intention but you, fear, confuse me. Well, fear, I want out. I want to be free from you. I want to be free to live from love not fear, free to make mistakes, to get it almost perfect…not perfect. Listen to this: I also want to risk getting it right! Wait just one minute here. You say you just want me to be safe? I don’t get it. When you pull me over the centerline onto your side I may be tucked away in my comfort zone, but deep down I do not feel safe. Hard to believe, I know. I have an idea. When I count to three let’s put the tug-of-war rope down, sit down and listen to each other. I’ll tell you my truth and you tell me yours. Maybe we can come up with a better way to play together that will be win-win-win. Maybe we could even be friends, you and I. Ok? Ok, but just so you know, I’m kind of scared right now.
Love,
Channels of Perception No one lives or works in a vacuum. Every action taken has a ripple effect that has an impact elsewhere. Often unforeseen outcomes arise and sometimes these are positive, but sometimes they lead to new problems. Part of the reason these additional problems arise is because the decision or solution is based on a limited view of the situation. This is where opening up the person’s “Channels of Perception” is really helpful. The higher the level of awareness the person has about the situation, the better the decision or solution they will be able to come up with, resulting in actions that are less likely to have unexpected problems attached to them. But what do I mean by Channels of Perception? They are the different viewpoints, different angles and different means of exploring a topic, and they are almost countless. Imagine that you have decided you want to move house. You haven’t decided on the type of house or location, so you have asked me to coach you to help you to find a solution. I could start by asking about your needs, those of your spouse and children, including your employment and schooling needs. Then, perhaps the needs of your parents and wider family and your pets, if you have any. Next I might ask about how the house needs to fulfil your leisure and social needs (e.g. hobbies and maintaining friendships). And then I might ask what financial considerations you have both now and in the future. Each viewpoint is a Channel of Perception and different information is surfaced through each one. So now I’m going to ask you to think about the house through some slightly different channels.
These Channels of Perception will help more information to surface about the needs and practicalities for your new house. Now I’m going to introduce some other Channels of Perception that might draw out yet more information. I invite you to think about the house move using some of the following channels:
What information would these Channels of Perception open up for you? Perhaps they might surface more of the feelings, emotions and aspirations associated with moving home. These are just a few examples of the countless ways in which you can help people to understand a situation so that they can find their own solution. Every coaching tool and technique that you learn provides you another Channel of Perception to use with your clients. To make sure that they explore the situation thoroughly, use enough channels to surface information across a wide spectrum including needs, practicalities, feelings, emotions, aspirations and dreams. I leave you with one final thought: After considering your house move through all of these Channels of Perception you could ask me what I think you should do. I could tell you my view and that would be another channel of perception. However, do you really need to know what I think, when you have explored the move through all these different Channels of Perception?
Maria is an executive coach and coach supervisor. She is the director of Meridian Iliffe Ltd and works with coaches and business leaders across a broad range of organisations and sectors. Channels of Perception is a concept introduced in her book Coaching Presence, building consciousness and awareness into coaching interventions. Licensing Committee Column Blink your eyes, and the year is gone! What seemed like a long way off is now right here, right now. The Licensing Committee has had a busy and productive year 2014 as we worked to establish guidelines, reviewed and approved applications for licensure, and just plain enjoyed working together as coaching colleagues. The most remarkable thing is that we committee members have become good friends, although we have never met face-to-face. Our conference call sessions have enjoyed the camaraderie, sharing of personal and professional experiences, and working together as professional colleagues at a truly international level. We trust that our work has been helpful to the coaching profession. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve the IAC organization. During the past month, the Licensing Committee has approved one new application for licensure from Ecuador, and has reviewed and clarified requirements for Royalty C (institutional) licenses. We send our best wishes to all for this holiday season, and extend every good with for a prosperous and productive new year. Committee members Pepe del Rio, Deb Chisholm, and Charlie Boyer welcome your suggestions and comments. Contact the Licensure Committee at licensing@certifiedcoach.org.
Date: Thursday, December 18th 2014 The book under discussion in December will be Thomas Leonard’s “Portable Coach” (or “28 Principles of Attraction”, depending on the printed edition.) The calls are open to all our wonderful VOICE subscribers as well as our faithful members. Terri Haas, MMC, current IAC Board Member and IAC supporter extraordinaire, will be hosting. Congratulations to Jin Lee Teo from Singapore who recently earned the Masteries Practitioner Designation! Your Feedback We’d love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? Please send an email to voice@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve. |
Hello there, 
“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Lao Tzu 
Vicki Zanini is founder of Vicki Zanini Coaching & Training. As a certified holistic life coach, she works with individuals and groups who are ready to create new possibilities, boost personal effectiveness, and experience a deeper sense of meaning and inner peace. She has been leading coaching groups and workshops for over 15 years in personal development, self-care, creativity, and intuition. Visit her website at 
Martha Pasternack, MMC 
