Real life coaching: Katie Madison

Real Life Coaching is a series of Q&A's with real-life coaching clients. Read first-hand accounts of the issues that bring people to coaching, what they got out of their life-coaching experiences, and how they’ve transformed.

What brought you to life coaching?

When I first met Sandra, I was fearful and discouraged. I didn’t know if I was on the right career path and I didn’t know how to determine a direction for my life.

What did you set out to accomplish or learn through life coaching?

Ownership of what I wanted from my life, including my career, my marriage, and my self-care.

Describe your coaching process.

I contracted for 10 sessions. Each phone appointment followed a set pattern: a check-in from the prior week, settling in to the time of coaching (a breathing meditation), setting an intention for the session, a time of teaching from Sandra, and ending with reflective journaling, guided by specific questions related to the weekly teaching.

What did you like most about your coaching sessions?

Speaking with someone who was learning about me and my story and therefore had useful insights to share, as well as someone who was able to share practical teaching that related to what I was going through. Sandra was also very encouraging to me, affirming the hard work that I was doing.

What was your biggest take-away from the coaching process?

When we completed the 10 sessions, I felt enlightened and empowered, knowing what I wanted from my life.

Setting an intention for the session was something I also found very helpful. I was always amazed how the intention that came from my heart related to what I needed that week.

What was the hardest part of participating in life coaching?

Owning my “dark side” and coming to terms with the fact that in some areas I just didn’t want to improve. (Sandra did give me tools to work through this if I choose to.) The action steps could also be difficult. I often think of things I should do, but I usually avoid them by not having any plan to implement them. Sandra had me come up with SMART goals each week and accompanying action steps so I could experience greater success.

What is the biggest aha you had during your life coaching sessions?

The realization that sometimes I want to play the victim.

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Katie gave her full permission for this post and even reviewed its content before going live. All coaching sessions are completely confidential.