About Coaching

Coaching is all about helping people get where they want to be.

Coaching is for people that want a partner on their journey. Sometimes don't know where they want to be and want some help deciding. Other times they know where they want to be and want some help getting there. 

Following are some reasons a person may want to work with a coach. 

Reasons

• I want things to be different, but I don't know what to change.

• I know what I want, but I keep changing my mind.

• I made up my mind, but I don't know how to do it.

• I know how to do it, but I can't seem to get started.

• I got started, but I can't seem to make progress.

• I've made some progress, but I can't seem to get it done.

• Even worse: I know I need a change, but I'm too afraid of ??? to rock the boat.

Coachable Topics

• Burnout and Self Care

• Business Management

• Career Path and Transitions

• Family and Parenting

• Health and Wellness

• Leadership and Self-Leadership

• Medical Situations

• Needs and Strengths Discovery

• Neurodivergent Minds

• Performance and Skills

• and More

If you find you have a reason and a coachable topic, let me know how I can help!

(Honestly, this looks like an extension of Lived Experience)

I'm still exploring opportunities to specialize. I'm new and I need some time to figure it out. Following are some areas most familiar to me, which I'm considering for specialization.  ('Specialty' is a great coaching topic, btw)

Neurodivergent Minds:  My struggle with undiagnosed ADHD was so bad that I want to help others like me find the tools they need. 

I will continue my education with coaching techniques for neurodivergent clients. I'm targeting Q2 2027 for this and haven't selected a training program yet. It's possible that a bit of education could enable me to help shortcut some of the pain and suffering of kids, parents, and other adults looking for tools aligned to neurodivergence in their lives.

Needs and Strengths Discovery:  My lived experience is heavily steeped in unknown and unmet needs in all parts of my life. I've had to dig deep and try, try again to peel back all the layers. I'm motivated to help people explore their unknown and unmet needs and wants, strengths, and discover tools that help. Self-advocacy is a related topic that can help you get your needs met.

Leadership and Self-Leadership: I've studied what great leadership and psychological safety looks like from several angles, and I've explored my own capacity to lead. Catalyst Leadership is the path I prefer; studying a situation before acting, thinking again, setting high-level objectives, listening to the specialists, and giving your team time and space to do their best work their way.

Some of that leadership study included launching and running a business. I'm finally putting that to use now.  I won't claim to be a specialist, but I'm going through the steps in my own life. It was impossible until I was angry enough to take the risk.

Burnout and Self Care: I've burnt out on work, family, and social media and recovered. I've also suffered, studied, and recovered from debilitating anger and stress, especially in the workplace. I've worked with a therapist and I've practiced mindfulness. Self-compassion is a key element for recovery.

If any of this overlaps with your story, let me know how I can help!

I believe life is too short to be stuck in unhappiness. My background is in tackling complex puzzles and empowering others to do the same, because I believe life is better when people can effectively navigate their own challenges.

What is coaching?

Coaching is a partnership in a thought-provoking and creative process ... so you can achieve your goals. There's more about this in another section.

Yeah, cool, but what's it like?

You want things to be a certain way and it's not working yet. So we're going to talk about it, a lot. I'll ask a lot of questions, and you're going to do the things.

Coaching is all about helping people get where they want to be. The process is meant to discover and achieve a person's deeper wants, needs and goals. Discovery leads to understanding goals and barriers, detailed solutions, and execution plans. It's not about giving advice or telling people what to do, it's about a safe space for digging deeper, looking closer, thinking again, and friendly accountability.

You'll set the overall objectives and you'll choose what to talk about each session. We'll explore what it all means to you, what's getting in the way, what you want to achieve, what matters most, etc. You'll need to dig deep and communicate clearly. All this talking is meant to help you choose what to do next and energize you proceed. 

If I'm doing my job well, I'll only talk 20% of the time.  My role looks like this:

• I'll ask you for more info, what you think, potential blind spots, knowledge gaps, and more

• I'll repeat some of what you say, because hearing your own words can expose gaps

• If I think you're going in circles or dwelling in the past, I'll point the way forward

• If you're really stuck, I'll try to get you un-stuck

• If you say you're going to do something, I'll ask later whether you did it

• I may offer a story, an alternate perspective, or a reading topic for your consideration

I won't tell you what to do, and I won't assume to know what's best for you. You know yourself and your situation better than anyone else.  You're the best person to find your path forward, and I believe in you!

Foundational concepts: 

• You're a whole person, fully able to make your best decisions do what it takes. And sometimes people need a little help to get through what's getting in the way. 

• Discussing your story aloud with another person can expose gaps we can explore and adjust.

• Situations are like onions and we'll keep peeling layers until we're sure we're at the center of it all.

• As the coach, I'm holding a flashlight and a mirror. I'll shine a light on you and the path you're on, and you'll see yourself and your reality in focus. 

Coaching is distinct from Consulting, Mentorship, and Therapy.  

Coaching is future-facing and meant to help you move forward in life. Think of your coach as a thought partner and an accountability buddy.  We're going to let you direct the conversations and design the solutions. We're here to ask more, poke holes, help you check for blind spots and pitfalls, maybe help guide the brainstorming process, and hold you accountable for taking action if/when requested.

Consulting and Mentorship both involve a lot of advice-giving and instruction. Coaching is meant to help you find your answers within yourself.

Therapy is past-facing and involves treating medical and mental illness. Therapy is a highly educated and regulated service that requires a license to practice. Coaches are rarely qualified as therapists and shouldn't engage in therapy activities. Anyone not qualified as a therapist could hurt you badly and shouldn't try to give you therapy.

If our activities get too close to these other non-Coaching activities, I'll steer us back to Coaching. If I feel Consulting, Mentorship, and/or Therapy topics come up enough, I'll recommend topics to those services instead.

For most of my life, I thought it was just me. Anything and everything seemed to get in my way, so I was sure I was super bad at life. I've struggled with confidence, burnout, toxic environments in school and work, constant friction, and periodic career adjustments.

In my mid 30s, I received a PMOS diagnosis (PCOS at the time). I don't have it as bad as some ladies. I've read all about it to understand my changing needs and manage my condition. I didn't ask for a PMDD evaluation, which would explain a lot of the periodic meltdowns in my life between my teens and my early 30s.

In my late 30s, I received an ADHD diagnosis and finally understood: I'm not super bad at life, I've just been doing it wrong and it's not my fault. I was taught the wrong tools and I was given someone else's script. I've spent a lot of time learning better tools for my mind and writing my own script around my own needs, wants, and strengths. It's taking real work, and it is entirely worth it.

I got to 40 and decided to ditch my IT career and go solo. I think I've had my last toxic corporate position.  I'm in the process of launching two businesses and it's been a joy so far.

If any of this resembles the experience you're having, let me know if I can help!

You're fully capable of the introspection and action required to design and achieve your best life—yet often something is getting in the way.

Whatever is getting in your way, whether that's life or something doesn't fit quite right or you can't seem to get to the finish line, my role is to partner with you to spot what's not working and find what actually works for you. Think of me as a thought partner and an accountability buddy.

If your hopes and dreams and the path forward were a puzzle, you'd be the one holding the pieces, the final picture, and the perspective on how they change over time. I’d be there with you—asking what you see, helping you decide how to arrange the pieces, and supporting your momentum to put it all together.

I'm still discovering my coaching style. It gets a little better every week with practice.

Coming from a career in IT, I usually default to an Agile-style approach to tasks. Coach training has given me the ACE framework which is similar and simplified. I ask about the desired outcome, explore the situation, design a solution, ask what could go wrong, take action, evaluate the results, and repeat until we get where we're going.

I've always used anecdotes and analogies, storytelling, reflection, and introspection in my conversations and with myself. I'm a verbal (over)thinker and a sucker for a good story. I'm a ruminator and I'm super broody.

I'm still practicing the fine art of curbing the rumination and brooding stages with others. It's still a little awkward to pause and form appropriate questions. I'm getting there!

I've done a lot of introspection and self-help. Check out the Recommended Reading page for some of the titles that have helped me the most.

Focus Areas: Organizational IT, Data Management, Systems & Operations, Professional Coaching

• Lumia Coaching — Essentials & Signature (In progress, graduation Q1 2027, targeting ICF ACC/PCC credentialing 2027)

• B.S. in Business Management & Technology — Charter College

• 20+ Years Operations & IT Experience — Credit Union Financial Services, Application Development & Data Architecture

Coaching is similar to therapy; you're encouraged to 'shop around' for a coach.  

You should work with someone you feel comfortable talking to, knowing you're being heard and respected fully. The first call with a coach is a great time to get a feel for compatibility.

If the coaching relationship doesn't feel right, you don't need to stick it out. 

How often we meet and how long sessions are is up to you.  

The prevailing advice is to meet for coaching for 60 minutes twice-monthly for about 6 months. This should give enough time for a good conversation, for time to think and act before meeting again, and to make meaningful progress over a reasonable period of time.  

If you like to talk more or less than this, or of you want to check in more often, or you want to adjust as needed, you can choose what works best for you.

The key here is to be consistent with meeting, to build momentum and keep it up.

Sessions are booked in 60 minute increments as the standard. As time permits, I'll extend a session up to 75 minutes to conclude a conversation at no additional charge. Sessions that exceed 75 minutes require booking a second session and taking a break of at least 15-minutes. I'm not obligated to extend any session beyond 60 minutes.

I may be available by e-mail between sessions. I may also be available for additional activities as needed and as availability allows. I can provide supportive activities and reminders between sessions via a third-party service provider at your request.

Sessions need to be scheduled at least 12 hours in advance. You can schedule these yourself, or we can make arrangements as we go. Sessions are hosted over Google Meet. 

We can adjust, let me know what you need.

Commitment

I don't currently ask for a long-term commitment, and I don't charge a fee for termination. We can work together as long or as short as you like!

Base Fees

• Standard Session (41–75 minutes): $60.00

• Partial Session (under 40 minutes): $30.00

Client Fees

• Cancellation / Late-Reschedule Fee (under 2 hours’ notice): $10.00

• Missed Session Fee (No-Show): $20.00

• Late Payment Fee (30+ days overdue): $50.00

• Delinquent Payment Fee (60+ days overdue): $100.00

• Termination Fee: $0.00 (I don't charge this)

Coach Discounts (for Coach Scheduling Changes)

• Late Arrival (5+ minutes) or Insufficient Notice (under 2 hours): 25% discount on the affected or next session.

• Missed Session (No-Show by Coach): 50% discount on the next session.

Billing Terms

Billing occurs at the end of each month. Payment is expected within 14 days of the billing date. Bills unpaid after 30 days are considered Late. Bills unpaid after 60 days are considered Delinquent. I reserve the right to assess Late and Delinquent fees.

Remedies for Non-Payment

I reserve the right to suspend further session scheduling for Clients with Late or Delinquent bills. I further reserve the right to refer Delinquent bills to a collection agency and/or terminate this Agreement for non-payment.

Refund Policy

In the event of a billing error, I'll promptly issue a correction. If you're dissatisfied with the coaching service, you may terminate and request a refund or fee waiver for up to the two (2) most recent sessions. Sessions completed prior to the two most recent sessions are non-refundable.

Link to ICF Code of Ethics

As a student in an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited instruction plan, I'm considered an ICF Professional and I agree to abide by the ICF Code of Ethics and other professional standards as they evolve over time.

There's a LOT of info in there. You're welcome to peruse this info and hold me accountable to their standard. When I'm done with schooling and I have enough practice hours, I'll be going through their certification process and my performance will be up to these standards.

Note: I refer back to these ethics below, regarding Confidentiality. You can find this in article 4. Ethical Standards for ICF Professionals, Section 2: Confidentiality and Legal Compliance.

Confidentiality

As an ICF Professional, I honor the ICF Code of Ethics. Please see above for more info.

Per the ICF Code of Ethics, I will hold your information strictly confidential. The only reasons I would share your info is if a law is being broken, someone is being hurt, self-harm included, or a court compels me to share.

It's normal for your coach to take notes. My intent is to capture your goals and preferences at a high-level as they come up in conversation, especially if they require me to adjust my behavior. You may opt-out of note-taking.

I'm not planning to take corporate clients, but it's possible. If your employer or an other stakeholder is involved, you'll know the terms of what I will and won't be sharing with them before we begin coaching.

3rd Parties

I'm not planning to take corporate clients, but it's possible. If your employer or an other stakeholder is involved, you'll know it before we begin coaching.

I use Google for bookings, email, and video calls.

I use Shopify for billing and payments.  

I use Quenza for 'homework' between sessions, if you want it.

I currently us Microsoft OneNote for notes and I'm looking for a different solution.

We can adjust as needed, let me know if you have specific preferences.

I'm still in training. I completed the first half to learn the basics in August 2026. I start the second half for greater skill-building in October of 2026 and finish in March 2027. Then, I need to collect enough working hours to apply for International Coaching Federation (ICF) ACC and PCC certifications.

Coaching is both a partnership and a service backed by a contract. The contract is meant to protect both of us. It'll outline activities in and out of scope for the service, and how fees and billing works.

Important: Your coach isn't liable for the choices you make. ICF Standards preclude coaches from giving advice as part of a coaching practice. Even if we do give advice, we believe you're a whole person capable of your own critical thinking and decision making. You're in charge of you and you're accountable for the choices you make and the actions you take.