“After just one session, I already felt the impact of working with you. Every time we meet, I learn something about myself, and I am challenged to grow. I love the action items that are built in. They keep me moving toward my goals. Dana is incredibly warm and caring, but she pushes me too, and I love it!”
Big Talk Coaching is the coaching arm of our services.
Why “Big Talk”? Well, to be frank, because Big Talk = the opposite of small talk. And Big Talk is where the magic happens.
If you are like most school leaders I know, you are open (I mean, really open) to feedback and “coaching.” Sometimes that feels like “small talk,” or even “medium talk,” but rarely does it feel like “big talk.” In other words, you share some, and the person you are talking to is listening, and then pretty quickly goes into one of three modes:
They use standard reflective listening language. “That sounds hard.” “It sounds like you’re struggling with xxx.”
They attempt to connect their experience with yours. “I know exactly what you mean. I have also felt xxx”
They launch into advice giving. Sometimes they offer “good” advice. (This often comes after using #1 or #2 as starting points).
There is nothing wrong with any of these responses. In fact, they can be super helpful in the right context. However, none of those methods leads to the “big talk.” In fact, it keeps the conversation in “small” or “medium” talk, and typically avoids deep understanding or shifts. So, if you want quick advice, you probably have a bunch of people you can turn to for that kind of support. And it’s super valuable! But it’s not coaching. And it’s rarely profoundly transformative.
Coaching is different than advising, and it’s not a normal conversation.
Coaching is a sacred container, wherein powerful, generative questions help steer you toward the results you dream of.
Coaching is a unique opportunity to spend devoted time focused on what matters to you, moving your goals forward, with the 100% attention of a skilled, trained expert to guide you.
I believe that everyone can benefit from coaching, and that everyone can benefit from a coach right now. Today. Why would we delay clarifying our dreams and then bringing them into reality? When will it be time to create our biggest, boldest life? Now seems like a good time to me.
“I know I signed up for just a handful of sessions, but I get so much out of each one, I’m signing up for the rest of the year!””