 |
Hello, I’m so pleased that you are here exploring what coaching is about. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that life can seem too big and complicated to go about it alone. Finding the right alliances has been crucial to me in identifying my path and overcoming the obstacles (an ongoing process) in order to feel that I am living truthfully and in accordance with who I am. This is at the center of coaching----identifying one’s core values and then creating a plan of action so that you can go forward with a sense of purpose and joy. It’s not always easy to discern what is true for us amidst all the messages with which we’ve grown up. We’ve listened to parents, teachers, peers, work associates and bosses tell us how to be, feeling that often these messages are in conflict with who we really are and how we feel--- sometimes we don’t even realize this except for a nagging (or powerful!) sense that something isn’t right. We’re not happy. Not fulfilled. Confused. Overwhelmed. We seem to be sleep-walking through life, not firing on all cylinders. Or else cylinders are firing all over creating the illusion of activity and meaning even though deep down inside our gut tells us we’re on the wrong track. As a coach I help my clients figure out what they want and help them create a plan that they’ll stick to in order to get what they want. I invite you to continue exploring this site to learn more specifically what I do and how coaching works. But really the most telling and efficient way for you to experience coaching firsthand is for you to sample a free coaching session with me. Please contact me to arrange this. Thank you! Evelina Chao, CPCC
WHAT IS COACHING? Coaching is a dynamic, dedicated alliance designed mutually by client and coach to identify client issues, set goals, and activate action plans in order for the client to change his/her life. HOW DOES COACHING HELP? As a coach I help clients identify issues, deepen awareness and work toward overcoming confusion, blocks and fears. I help them identify habits of perception and behavior and support their transformation in order that they are more able to live by choice than by reaction. WHO COMES TO COACHING? Fundamentally whole and healthy persons from all walks of life, of different ages, gender, race and culture and stages in life who experience that they are stuck, confused, unfulfilled, out of balance, overwhelmed, on the wrong track in life and/or feeling estranged from passion, purpose, and power in life. Persons who feel there is more to the life they are living, who are wondering What’s Next? Persons who feel their lives need tweaking. These persons feel a sincere desire for change and are willing to commit time, energy, and personal resources to move toward it. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COACHING AND THERAPY? While coaching can be a valuable adjunct service to persons suffering extreme emotional trauma and chemical dependency, it cannot take the place of dedicated psychological therapies. Also, coaching is not a protracted analysis of a client’s life. While understanding that a person’s past life informs his/her present way of being, coaching emphasizes the NOW in the client’s life with an eye to the future. As a coach, I use many of the skills inherent in therapy work (listening, acknowledging, asking powerful questions, helping the client toward deeper self-awareness) I also help clients create their own plans for action and hold them accountable. Because self-awareness and action are integrated and because it comes from them, clients move toward their desired outcomes with greater efficiency and power. WHO AM I? I am a professional life coach certified by Coaches Training Institute in San Raphael, California. I am also a professional classical musician, published author and teacher. A graduate of the Juilliard School and currently Assistant Principal Viola of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, I published my first novel, Gates of Grace in 1987 (Warner Books). My memoir, Yeh Yeh’s House, about growing up Chinese American, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2004. As a musician and performer I bring the skills of listening and creating expression from the inexpressible to my coaching practice. As a writer I bring the skills of observation and creating narrative to witness and help clients create their own fresh narratives. Because of the demands of my life I limit my coaching practice so that I can devote the time and energy necessary to serve my clients in the manner they expect. HOW DOES COACHING BY TELEPHONE WORK? Some people are surprised to learn that I coach over the phone. This provides an ambience of confidentiality and freedom that clients feel when they are in the comfort of their own space, free from the scrutiny of another person’s eyes, however unjudging and compassionate. Telephone usage serves the power of listening, which remains at the heart of coaching. Using the telephone also permits me to work with clients from all over the country and around the world. (While I am based in Minnesota, I work with clients as far away as California, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Geneva Switzerland, Hong Kong and Bangkok.) WHAT ARE SOME AREAS FOR COACHING? Clients come to coaching for any or more of the following: • Finding purpose and fulfillment in life Corporate Skills • Leadership WHAT DOES WORKING WITH ME INVOLVE? 1. Meeting in an initial session (over the phone, or, if proximity
permits, in person) lasting 11/2-2 hours known as an intake, in which
the client and I get to know one another and establish the client’s
goals and parameters of the coaching relationship. 2. A 3-month period consisting of four half-hour coaching sessions per month, scheduled according to mutual availability (usually one per week) conducted via telephone. After 3 months the terms of the coaching relationship may be extended, adjusted, or terminated, depending on the client and/or coach. WHAT DOES COACHING COST? Intake: $200.00 Please note: As of January 1, 2006, new clients will be billed at $300.00 a month or for every 4 sessions.
My clients come from every walk of life. They are teachers, parents, retired persons, lawyers, professionals, artists, self-employed entrepreneurs, writers, students, people of diverse race, age, sexual orientation and spiritual perspective. I have helped them to change or get jobs, marry, work through personal relationships, face fears, gain confidence, write poetry and books, organize their lives, create and live by budgets, balance work and personal time, access creativity, identify and face what they want next in their lives, and effect major life changes. WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY ABOUT ME (with their permission) “Prior to coaching I was paralyzed by fear and self-doubt, but
Evelina has made the process of making changes seem more like fun and
less work, which helped me to build momentum to create a new kind of
life for myself. I love coaching! You’re my ace in the hole!” ...”I could not have done it without you. Your way of helping
me to understand what I needed to do and support while doing it made
all the difference. Thank you so much!” WHAT ELSE? I conduct sessions in an atmosphere of absolute confidentiality. I hold my clients in a place of trust, nurturing and non-judgement while keeping them accountable to actions, clarity and truth. I believe my clients are resourceful people. And so while I act to the full extent of my skill to help them attain their goals, they are ultimately responsible for the success of their outcomes, just as athletes or performers are responsible for theirs. Accordingly, they also reap the rewards! I cannot adequately describe the full power of coaching here. Please contact me to arrange a free 30-minute sample session to experience what coaching is about. There is no obligation. Thank you. Evelina Chao, CPCC
|
About
Coaching