Getting ready to go for it
How coaching helped me build the strength I needed to move forward
I’m a Hudson Certified Coach!
On Friday, after 10 months of effort, I was officially certified as a Hudson Institute Certified Coach. To do so, I had to complete 125+ hours of study and training and obtain and demonstrate the necessary knowledge and competence as a professional coach of individual and organizational systems. While I am thrilled about this achievement, this is just the start of my journey. I’m offering my services to clients looking to grow their people, products, or culture with my new venture, Listen Labs. More on that later. For now, let’s talk about how coaching has impacted my life.
If you’ve got a challenge, you already have the tools to meet it.
Over the past 8 months, I’ve realized a critical truth: We are blessed. Even when we’re given challenges in life, we’re given the strength and the wherewithal to survive — no — not only survive but thrive.
Prior to joining Hudson, I had experienced coaching as a client a number of times. My coaches helped me discover my voice when presenting to executive leadership, fortify my confidence to build out my ambitions, and find balance when work was overwhelming.
Much love to Sylvia FerroNyalka and Sushma Bhatia who introduced me to the art of coaching and the tremendous impact it can have on my leadership style and effectiveness. Thank you to Taylor Marable who coached me in our 1-1s without me even knowing it :-). And, last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to Margaret Lee who acted as an example and mentor for me on this journey, introducing me to the Hudson Institute, and encouraging me to find the coach in myself.
Developing coaching skills will make you a better multi-disciplinary leader.
My desire to become a coach started with my intention to be a more holistic horizontal leader — I wanted to strengthen my skills to be a GM at Google. I’ve managed UX and associated disciplines for 15+ years. My new role as an Investment Partner with Area 120 required me to lead multiple full-stack product teams — everything from engineers to product to marketing to UX. My UX-specific anecdotes and experience were no longer good enough to act as an example for those I managed. I needed to help people discover their own strength, regardless of my experience in their domain. Coaching taught me how to remove myself from the frame and put the coachee at the center.
You can’t be there for others if you aren’t “there” for yourself.
But to get there — to be a present coach — I needed to focus on myself. Pam McLean, Founder & Chief Knowledge Officer of Hudson Institute of Coaching, teaches us in her Self As Coach model, “As a coach or a leader, we start at home. Understanding our internal landscape is key to strengthening our capacities to build strong relationships that allow us to do our best work.”
The coaching program started with a “prerequisite” 4-day program called LifeForward in September 2022. It helped me to pause and reflect. Product development is unforgiving in its pace (we covered that earlier). It was healthy to slow down and take stock of where I had been, what I had learned and then charting an intentional path forward.
The intense focus on values, role, purpose, passion was deeper introspection than I had experienced in years. I’ll spare you the details but I will say — even if you aren’t interested in coaching as a profession or for skill development, consider signing up for LifeForward. It’s a small taste of what coaching can do for you.
The actual coaching certification program started in October 2022. It consisted of 3 weekly intensives, with gaps in between to practice our newly acquired skills with real world clients. We were also paired with a small learning group and a mentor coach to accompany us on our journey.
Coaching was key to my renewal.
In between the first and second intensive, Google laid off 12,000 people. As a part of this layoff, Area 120 was dissolved and my position was eliminated. My original intention for becoming a coach was no longer relevant. Was this still something I wanted to invest my time in? What was coaching doing for me? After deep contemplation, I decided to continue with the coaching program. There were a few core drivers that made me stay the course:
I was doing something just for me.
For the first time in a very long time, I did something only for me. No extrinsic reward — this motivation was purely intrinsic. As easy as this may sound, I had to battle against constant feelings of guilt and selfishness to make this commitment. Coaching helped me understand these feelings, their roots, and how I could reframe my perspective to be healthier and more giving to myself.
Transitions take time and energy.
Hudson taught me about the Cycle of Renewal (watch a great video here or read a brief summary here). Even adults grow and change — who knew?! There are chapters and transitions in life. I was going through a fairly major transition but on the other side of it was going to be a new chapter. To get there I would need to care for myself or “Cocooning” and give myself the time to “Get ready.”
As I reflected on in my previous post, we rarely take time out to listen to ourselves, to hear our own story. Establishing a weekly regimen of seeing my coaching cohort forced me to spend at least an hour weekly focused on my own development. Consistency has always been a challenge for me (also covered in a previous post), but keeping a promise to others? That I can do.
I benefited from being coached along the way.
As a part of the certification program, aspiring coaches need to be coached by certified coaches. Sure, the coaches serve as role models. But from day one, my coach was my partner in getting through the Cycle of Renewal. A big thank you to my coach, John Galvin, for being with me every step of the way. John taught me the importance of being and not doing. Every morning I would wake up mind racing with a million disparate thoughts. I needed to slow down and enjoy the journey and not be so focused on controlling the outcome. In this way, life would slow down and be much more meaningful.
Gratitude
I couldn’t be more thankful that I decided to complete my certification. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, friends, those mentioned above or these fine human beings:
Keith Naber - From day one you were the face of Hudson for me. Thank you for your kind heart, gentle approach, and passion for coaching. It’s infectious.
Parisa Ahmed and Keya Smith-Warner - I’m not sure how you do all that you do but you made our program tick.
Debra Gerardi, Joy Leach, Sandy Smith, and Tom Fumarelli - My small group leaders for Life Forward and the HCC programs; thank you for creating a nurturing and safe environment where we could be ourselves and focus on learning.
Anh Tran, Sean O’Mara, Tony Fross [he/him], Erica Chambers Jonak, Erin Millman, Kerrie Miles, and Julie Smith - My small learning group. Your support means the world to me. Couldn’t have gotten through the program without you.
Mimi Suntheimer and Jason Burby - You gave me a place to be real and let go of all my insecurities. Thank you!
To all the Hudson Faculty and Staff - You’ve created a fantastic program and a truly family-like atmosphere. Thank you for all that you gave to us.
To all my clients aka “coachees” - Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join you on your journey. I look forward to seeing your growth going forward.
Very thankful to have fulfilled a promise to myself. Excited for what’s to come. <3
PS - I wrote and re-wrote this post more than twice. Each time doubting myself and the value of my words. The doubt got so heavy that I ended up feeling stuck. To unstick myself, I got out my handy voice recorder app and recorded an audio version of the post. Would you be interested in hearing it? If so, please comment below. Interested in audio posts in general? Let me know! Any other thoughts or recommendations — please comment!