MAXIMIZE YOUR UNIQUE GIFTS AS A COACH

by Ryan Holsapple

What always amazes as I work with the coaches enrolled in EBI’s Nature-Connected Coaching program is how each trainee has a unique way of approaching coaching and clients. We value that aspect and zero in on it, showing students how to deepen the connection and enhance their strengths.

EBI covers all the basics, of course. The standardized curriculum includes, among others, modules focusing on parts work, gestalt therapy, working with grief and loss, as well as trauma and strong emotions. The standardized process covers how to coach in a profound way that’s connected to nature and to an individual’s uniqueness.

There is a lot of room within that process for individuals to grow into their own gifts. Each student has a unique set of talents. What will resonate the most? For me, it was the parts work along with the module on gestalt. I felt I had a gift for it. I got to grow into it. For some, it might be working through trauma or somatic work. For others, it might be the nature-connected piece or how to work with nature in a collaborative way.

SO MANY WAYS TO LISTEN

Listening is a big part of what we do as coaches. And there are so many ways to do that. What I see when listening – the opportunities for growth and how the client will go about reaching their goals – and how I will reflect that back to them is unique to me. You, on the other hand, will have your own way.

Being a coach is not about being a standardized robot. It is taking stock of how we view things,  of our unique way of listening that elicits the best out of a client. No matter what is taught, at the end of the day, we have to figure it out for ourselves:

• How do I need to show up?
• How am I truly at my core?
• How does that help my clients?

We appreciate the differences at EBI and are careful to leave space for each student to incorporate what they bring into the process.

STRUCTURE AND FLOW

Creativity thrives within that context, a mix between structure and flow. The structure is the process you go through as a coach while the flow is allowing

• your creative juices to pour forth
• your gifts to come to the surface
• yourself to be informed by something greater
• yourself to shine

Process and flow are not mutually exclusive. Together they create a dynamic session. We are grounded because we have a standardized process to guide someone through. At the same time we allow ourselves to be free, to dance through the moment in that relationship with our client. This really changes the way we relate to clients.

Clients will notice that we are showing up with our full self,  that we are not simply trying to think our way through. They will appreciate that we are showing up in an authentic, present, full, and embodied way. A way that allows them to feel comfortable. A way that builds trust, that creates a sense of rapport, because we are showing up with our unique perspective while also using our training and  protocol to go deep within that process.

EBI trains people to grow into their unique gifts. It does not train robotic coaches – what would be the point? That is something I am super grateful for. When I went through the Nature-Connected Coaching program, I felt I could grow into myself, I could grow into what’s true for me rather. I did not have to box myself into a limited view of what I had to be and who I was.

Why not check out EBI’s Nature-Connected Coaching program to see how it could help you maximize your unique gifts in whatever field you operate in, be it therapy, business, education, adventure, science, art. The next cohort starts June 22nd, so there’s no time to waste. Check it out now!

Not ready for a year-long program? EBI offers an on-line, self-paced intro that starts June 14th. Applying Nature Connection to Your Life and Career runs for three months, and provides 12 hours of  live instruction during which you will learn about core concepts, get direct instruction with skills, and start applying those skills and concepts to your life and work.

Note: Ryan Holsapple is applying his unique gifts as EBI’s program director. Among many other things, he regularly does live feeds on facebook. You can listen to the one on unique gifts here: facebook.com/earthbasedinstitute/videos/1893335197379603/#