What is coaching?

Coaching offers a structured space for you to explore your thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, feelings, and emotions around the topic of your choice.

In my sessions, this structure starts with three questions:

What would you like to talk about today?

What would you like at the end of the session that you don't have now?

How will we know when we get there?

And then, we have a conversation.  It's really that simple!

To close a session, I will help you plan your next steps (if that is what you desire) and invite you to consider what support you will need to stay on track.

This structure allows me to help you get the most out of each session so we're not just talking in circles.  You will always get something when you work with me.

There may be many other questions in between those listed above which will help us both discover what you really want from the session.  I find most clients do not know what they really want, so it is my job as your coach to help uncover what's going on underneath the surface and what would be most helpful for you at this time in your life.

WHAT DOES A COACH DO DURING A SESSION BESIDES ASK QUESTIONS?

If you look at the image above there is a defined path.  It's not clear from the photo where the path goes, but it does go somewhere.  It's my job to keep you on the path - which belongs to you and only you.  This is your path.

By "keeping you on the path" during a session this means staying on track and on target with your desired topic.  If you come to the session wanting to talk about being a people pleaser and then the topic of diet comes up and you now speak of wanting to change your diet - I'll mention this to you.  If diet is the new path, great!  If you want to get back on the original path, great!

Staying focussed keeps us in the coaching realm - and not in the talk therapy realm, which can go in circles at times and have no definite ending to a session.  Therapy has its place, but coaching is not therapy.  See below for more on the differences between coaching and therapy.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME AS YOUR CLIENT?

As my client, I will invite you to come to your sessions curious and ready to think, feel, and work hard.  I invite you to be honest and have a willingness to be vulnerable.  This makes for a rich, deep conversation and allows for lots of room for awareness and growth. (see About You for more on the type of client I work with)

Being coached can be tiring, as you will be invited to think about things in new ways. Thinking is hard, but thinking about things differently is sooo much harder.  I always keep this in mind when coaching:  while my sessions are 45 minutes in length, I find that the "sweet spot" is 35-40 minutes for most clients before that "stick a fork in me I'm done" feeling arises. That said, it may take a few sessions for us to get to know each other, for you fully understand the coaching process, and for you to feel safe to do this difficult thinking and processing in my presence.

HOW IS A COACH DIFFERENT FROM A DOCTOR OR A NUTRITIONIST?

The biggest difference is that we don’t give advice.

We don’t tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat. We also do not suggest what labs or tests you should get or interpret those labs.

If you come to a session wanting specific information or advice, I will invite you to call your doctor or nutritionist (or check out Google).  However: if you need help implementing changes that your doctor has suggested (e.g. cutting back on sugar, exercising more, figuring out how best to meditate and reduce stress), that’s where a coach can be quite useful.

HOW IS A COACH DIFFERENT FROM A LICENSED THERAPIST OR COUNSELOR?

We don’t address clinical concerns (e.g. depression, emotional trauma, PTSD, etc).   These serious conditions are best left to licensed therapists.

I've been in therapy for years (and I loooooove therapy!) and have noticed that talk therapy usually doesn't have a solid, pre-determined ending to a session.  The coaching structure outlined above allows my coaching sessions to have a definite result; you are always leaving with something you didn't have at the start of our sessions together.

If you come to a session and I sense that there may be a need to work deeper into past trauma, I will invite you to seek the help of a licensed therapist.  In coaching we may look at past grief and trauma, but: it will always be in relation to your life now, and how you want to be moving forward.

HOW IS A COACH DIFFERENT FROM A GOOD FRIEND?

You don’t need someone to tell you what to do and how to reach your goals.  That’s what friends and family are for, lol! I say that laughingly, but tell me:  How many times have you confided in a friend, only to have them start throwing advice at you or start talking about *their* own issues and problems? When friends do this it can result in you feeling unheard and perhaps cause you to shut down.

As your coach, I am not your friend. Coaches tell it as they see it while also holding a safe, non-judgemental space for you to explore what’s going on. Coaches will ask deep questions to make you think.  These questions may at times make you uncomfortable, but usually, this is where change occurs.

THIS IS WHAT I WILL DO AS YOUR COACH:

First of all, I will take you deeper than the usual tangible goal-setting. If you need someone to help you make a list or write down things in your calendar - I recommend finding a personal assistant, not a coach.

Usually, there are seemingly harmless thoughts or beliefs lurking beneath the surface of actionable, tangible goal setting.  Perhaps there is a conflict of values – when what society and culture demand of us doesn’t align with what we hold dear to our hearts. Sometimes there are strong emotions holding us back – emotions that need to be fully processed before we can move forward.  Sometimes there is a heavy fog hiding our natural intuition of knowing.

As your coach, I am here to listen to you and support you.  I will challenge you and help you understand what your motivation is to move forward.

I will help you untangle the web of confusion, frustration, and overwhelm if that is what you are experiencing. We dive deep into emotions in my sessions.  We may talk about confidence, anxiety, fear, anger, boundaries, communication, relationships, work, stress, and much more.

I will help you learn skills to use in any part of your life, be it your health, career, or personal relationships.

I will help create awareness and clarity which gives you that space to move forward – or not.  Sometimes staying put is what we need, and that’s ok too.

I will help find ways for you to hold yourself accountable for your actions and the goals you set for yourself.

I will help you uncover answers and find the best path that works for you.

In short, I will help you get out of your head and see issues and patterns more clearly, which will help you understand who you are, where you are, what you desire, and how to figure out how to get to that desired state of being.

If you aren’t sure if coaching is right for you, let’s talk. I offer a no-cost “Complimentary Session and Assessment” to answer any questions you may have. 

“Sandy brings a higher level of compassion and empathy to her service because she's suffered through the low points of poor health and understands the emotional and mental toll that autoimmune disease can take on a person. I would absolutely trust her sanguine advice with my physical and mental health.” - Tamra Westberry, Co-Founder Hashimoto’s 411

“Sandy has an amazing gift as a listener, healer, and coach. She provided me with tools and techniques that allowed me to get to the heart of what I truly needed to thrive. Working with her opened up a new and empowering avenue to how I viewed and approached my life and health.”   - Luanne Sawatzky, homeschooling mom

“Sandy is not only a brilliant, compassionate, deeply engaging and skilled coach, but her knowledge and expertise of Hashimoto’s is also vastly comprehensive. She understands the mental, emotional, and lifestyle side of Hashimoto’s and how it can affect women’s overall health, wellness, and quality of life.”  - Kelli Saginak, EdD, A-CFHC, NBC-HWC

“Sandy is not only insightful, thoughtful, and supportive but she also has a wonderful sense of humor.  I would absolutely recommend Sandy to anyone who is struggling with Hashimoto's and looking for a way forward where you feel heard and cared for.” - Will Welch, Board-Certified Health and Leadership Coach

“Coaching isn’t about finding someone who will tell you what to do. However, if you are looking for a compassionate, clear-headed, inspirational partner in your journey of self-discovery, whose talent lies in helping reflect your best self back to you as you find your path to freedom and self-acceptance, then you are absolutely in the right place!”  – Kristina M., professional musician, Luxembourg

“As a highly sensitive being, Sandy brings compassion, love, and gentleness to her coaching sessions along with the strength to stand by the client. Sandy will listen to you with a depth of a musician and the heart of a lover. If you are looking to be understood, cared for, and transformed, Sandy is your coach.” - Tijen Genco, MCC, NBC-HWC

Read more of what others are saying about Sandy!