LIFE COACHING

My long and varied career in schools, universities, and wilderness programs has given me countless opportunities-both formal and informal-to develop a "coaching relationship" with people of all ages and backgrounds. As stated on my Home Page, my role as a Life Coach is to assist others as they strive for awareness and responsibility in solving a personal or family problem and/or becoming more effective and fulfilled as a parent, young person, or leader. In every case, the objective is to identify and remove obstacles in the quest for better relationships and quality of life. There is no magic pill-this process is hard work that requires risk-taking, honesty, and humility. My approach is not about analyzing or judging. It's about building trust, listening, asking questions, communicating honestly, identifying strengths, setting clear goals, and evoking the will to achieve those goals. (Direct access to current and former coaching clients [references] will be provided upon request.)

Coaching sessions can be arranged as regularly scheduled telephone sessions, meetings in the home of the client, or meetings in my office in Asheville, North Carolina. Coaching focuses on problem-solving and personal growth and is not a substitute for psychotherapy.

My partner, Jaan Ferree, and I frequently collaborate on workshops, expeditions and retreats. Her expertise in spiritual coaching offers clients enrichment and inspiration. Jaan is also available as an interior designer with a feng shui orientation. She has an established practice in Western North Carolina with both commercial and personal clients. She inspires people to find the connection and the balance between their internal spiritual space and their external physical environment.

Coaching for Parents
Parents of teenagers and young adults live in a confusing world. The fast pace of modern life, the influence of the media, shifting values, chaos within the family, self-destructive attitudes and behaviors in the youth culture, and the presence of disharmony and violence in our society create special challenges and problems for parents.

I offer coaching assistance for parents who:

• want to be more effective in motivating their child(ren)
• see their relationship with their child beginning to break down
• have "tried everything" with a struggling teenager and don't know where to turn
• have a teenager who has completed a school or program and is looking for direction and mentoring
  

The goal in the process with parents (single parents, divorced parents, or parents working as a team) is to open up creative solutions that lead to healthier parent-child relationships, peace of mind, and confidence in their children's futures. Greater awareness often leads to new perspectives and responsible choices.

Coaching for Families
Modern families often wrestle with vexing issues in our perplexing and often chaotic culture. Even in the best of times, families may need support and insight from an outside coach. When faced with a crisis such as the problems associated with a struggling teen, the accompanying barrage of emotions can overwhelm parents and children alike. As a Coach and Consultant, I can enter the family dynamic, listen to all of its members, ask questions, and help identify and suggest changes and solutions. The goal is for each family member is awareness and responsibility. Problems that appear to be those of one member of the family are inevitably issues for the whole family, and lasting solutions can be achieved when every family member participates and takes responsibility for growth and healing.

Coaching for Young People
Teenagers and young adults can make significant gains in personal growth and development through a healthy coaching relationship. By listening deeply, posing appropriate questions and sharing openly, I offer myself to teenagers and young adults as a friend, mentor, and touchstone. Awareness and responsibility are key to the process. Carried out with patience and compassion, this process can help the young person to clarify values, gain self-worth, identify personal strengths, and move intentionally to achieve constructive goals. Coaching and mentoring in this way often evokes hidden strengths and helps the young person move along the path of autonomy, maturity, personal fulfillment, and compassion for others.

Coaching for Leaders
The complexity of our times, as well as the continuous changes in organizations and our society as a whole, call for extraordinary resilience, integrity, and wisdom on the part of leaders. The expectations and demands for high performance placed on leaders have never been greater. Business leaders, church leaders, school leaders, group leaders, and leaders of all organizations, large and small, are all human beings with human needs. The best of them approach their calling with full awareness of their humanity and their continuing need for personal growth and the ability to adapt to a changing environment. This is where an experienced Coach can be indispensable. Drawing on my background as an athletic coach, army lieutenant, dean of students, college professor, headmaster, and executive director of the North Carolina Outward Bound School, I enter into the coaching relationship with empathy and encouragement. As trust is established, the client can build on his or her strengths, gain insight and awareness, explore creative ways of thinking about problems and solutions, and develop a plan of action. My objective as Coach is to support and mentor the client in the direction of greater fulfillment as a leader.

Coaching and Consulting with Organizations

Organizations of all kinds and sizes - corporations, non-profits, churches, schools, businesses, athletic teams, faculties, employee groups, government agencies - use coaches and consultants for teambuilding, strategic planning, communication training, mediation, and more.

Drawing on my extensive background in leadership and group dynamics, my coaching and consulting aims at building organizational trust and integrity. Healthy organizations are those which value people, strive for clarity of purpose, and reward creativity and innovation. I have worked with clients as diverse as Home Depot regional managers and college basketball teams. People are most productive, healthy, and successful in organizations when they are empowered, trusted, and mission-driven.

My work fosters honest communication, shared decision-making, teamwork, and passionate commitment to the mission.