Coaching is a Super Power and How Coach Training Elevates Lives!

00:03
Bryant Alexander
All right, so, you might be feeling stressed. You might also feel a little burnout, but also, you might be feeling a lot of anxiety. Guess what? You're not the only one. So, what if I told you that becoming a professional coach is the remedy to all these problems? Stay with me. Here's why. When you're coaching, you are a partner with your clients in making transformational change. As a result, you are learning and growing yourself. I'm here with Laurel elders and Jill Aronoff, and we're here to talk to you about how coaching might be the next move for you.

00:47
Laurel Elders 
Thank you so much, Bryant. And let's talk about it. Let's talk about how coaching is shifting minds and hearts, and specifically how. How coaching helps us move from that head space to a heart space.

01:04
Jill Aronoff 
So true. I'm, um, experiencing this daily, even working with my clients, and I'm seeing so much tension and stress everywhere across the board. It just feels like the whole world is tense right now.

01:20
Bryant Alexander
Yeah. Trying times, stress. Like I said, anxiety, looking, uh, for a sense of purpose. Um, everybody's just trying to figure it out. It's like you might be a little bit anxious, you might be a little bit more anxious around the job market, maybe money. But coaching is this instrumental tool that I think, and we all. Everybody here can think will be that instrument in order to help with that change that you might be looking for.

01:50
Jill Aronoff 
Definitely. And true, pure coaching, as well. I know everybody's calling themselves coaches right now. Like, my dogs think that they're a coach, but really, when you're trained to understand how to ask those powerful questions and when and create that framework is just the, uh, learning experience opens up so much.

02:15
Bryant Alexander
Yeah. Laurel, curious to hear from you. How do you think that coaching can be instrumental for somebody right now?

02:24
Laurel Elders 
Well, one thing that I think we need to really consider is that we have these technologists that are creating AI, and yet they haven't even developed the true intelligences within them yet. And I just think that's really fascinating, because we still have. We have all of these potentials within us to develop. Specifically, we teach eight domains of human potential, and these are domains that many people have yet to explore. And so by learning the technology that's already embedded within us and tapping into real intelligence that's inside of us already like that, that just takes your life and your work, your purpose, to a whole different level.

03:15
Bryant Alexander
And to talk about those eight domains, we could talk forever about them. We talk about the somatics when we talk about cognitive, we talk about integration. When you talk about spiritual, relational, whatever it might be. But at its core, the way I think about these domains, once you're able to understand them a bit or become a little bit more aware of them, I look at them as kind of superpowers. And with these superpowers, you're able to kind of, I frame it as you're able to be more of an observer of your own experience. You're able to step outside of yourself and say, like, here's what I can control, and here's what I can't control, but I'm okay with the things that I can control. And I think that we're so consumed with screens, technology, AI being a big fear for a lot of people right now and taking jobs. And it's just like we forget that these domains, through coaching can actually help you better understand where is the human piece in all of this AI, because we're creating AI. Uh, so it's just that, like you said, laura, with these different intelligences that we have within us, it's like, how do we become, I guess, more masterful or exhibit more self mastery in order to actually understand those domains a little bit more?

04:31
Laurel Elders 
Yeah, yeah. And I'm just curious with both of you, what do you see as, um, moving into a heart space from a headspace?

04:43
Jill Aronoff 
A great question. It's something that I still battle every day with in myself, and I really see it when I'm working with clients and they're battling with it and they say something that I really resonate with, and I'm like, oh, yeah. And that's the piece where you're working on yourself alongside of your clients, but really just understanding, knowing your heart and following your heart and having equal space for your heart as your head. So many people are always in their head, but what if it could be equal?

05:19
Bryant Alexander
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree with that, Jill. And I think when it comes to the time that we're in right now, it, uh, kind of goes back to what I've seen with whether it's LinkedIn or prospective, um, client. Cause what I've seen is just this sense of purpose. So I frame that as more, so curiosity and people wanting to have more curiosity about themselves or better understand that relationship with themselves. Um, and through that, I see a lot of people being hard on themselves, which is a lack of self compassion, which is another way of functioning from the heart space. And just understand that I need to exhibit self compassion for myself as a leader, as an individual, before I can actually understand what self compassion in the external world looks like. And overall, functioning from a heart space is kind of just looking with. For me, uh, whether you are an individual, a high performer, a leader, however you want to label yourself, it is just having. Being able to redefine the relationship itself, because I believe that the most important relationship you'll ever have with is with yourself, because that relationship permeates to all the domains of your life. And we can talk about tools that we use as coaches, such as the will of life, whether it's like spiritual, community, uh, work, finances, like, in order for us to understand that, we have to function from the heart space, and there has to be an even. Of course, we need logic. It's not to say, like, hey, I'm just doing. I'm just following my passion aimlessly, but it's just like, how do you dive into that heart, um, space to understand the things that fuel you versus the things that drain you? And I love to use the will of life or purpose will, depending on how you've used it before, in order to better understand what's going on in that heart space, because you get into thoughts, you get into emotions, you get into sensations within the body to actually understand what's going on with you. Mhm.

07:21
Laurel Elders 
That is so, so well put. And the other thing that comes to mind for me is here in the heart, is your purpose, is your power, and is principles. Our principles exist within us. And what I mean by principles is there are. And I didn't know this until probably about a decade ago, there's possibilities that exist within us that we just have to activate. And they're. They're human virtues, and they're available. They're like the medicine for our lives and our work, and they empower when we lead our life through those which coaching puts us in touch with. And as, uh, coaches, we help people get in touch with. It is a profoundly different experience. And so that transformative element is just so impactful and. And it helps us rise above the stress. The stressors are not going away. Right. But we can be a part of the solution, and we can learn how to live more elevated.

08:30
Jill Aronoff 
Saying that, uh, Laurel, it made me think of self care and how we define self care, and maybe it's self maintenance and self care, and self care really is finding that rejuvenation for ourselves and building that resilience. And once we learn how to do that, we can help other people learn how to do that. And then the possibilities are really endless, and it just opens up so much more heart centered and love and less stress.

09:02
Bryant Alexander
Hm.

09:02
Jill Aronoff 
Mhm.

09:04
Bryant Alexander
Agreed. Agreed. And with that self care and with those stressors, I think it also goes back to not only self awareness, but also self regulation. I think we get those two confused a lot of time. Like, we can have a lot of awareness as far as what's going on. That's actually a part of coaching. And we already know what we need for ourselves. We already know that we need to be better with our nutrition or be better with our fitness, or have better relationships with our family. But as far as that regulation, that's actually like taking action, in my opinion, being able, again, to be the observer of your experience. And I think this is where coaching comes in at. And even doing research on coaching, there's only about 58,000, uh, ICF credentialed coaches, which means that there is so much opportunity for people to become a part of this group and kind of get these superpowers, because remember, these superpowers, they work for your client. But going through that journey of understanding those, um, eight domains, understanding, like the things that, what resilience looks like for you or repairing that relationship with you is a process within itself and it is quite the investment, for sure, but well worth it only because, you know, any type of reinvestment with self takes time, right? It's not going to happen overnight. Reinvention doesn't happen overnight. Um, redefining your journey or having more choice, developing the space for more choice doesn't happen overnight. So I just think that becoming a ICF accredited coach, understanding your superpowers, exhibiting that self care, redefine a relationship with self managing, understanding, like what's the stressor, uh, versus stress within me, opens the door for possibility and you become a part of this kind of niche group of individuals. Like I said, only 58,000 people are ICF accredited coaches right now. Right?

10:58
Jill Aronoff 
So is that worldwide?

11:01
Bryant Alexander
Worldwide. Worldwide, yeah. So just being able to become a part of that class of individuals who I think my coach framed us as, like, we're all just weird because we're just all infatuated with growth. It's just, you will become a growth, a real personal development junkie. Right? So, so much opportunity right now.

11:23
Laurel Elders 
Well, and let's, let's talk about career elevation, right? So how the coaching skills, as you put it, superpowers, these superpowers, how they help us in our career progression. Like, Michael, perfect timing to hop on the call because just the other day you and I were talking about there's all these different areas that AI is going to be automating and tasks and things that are going to be handed over. But the human touch, the human spirit, cannot be replaced. Cannot, period. So learning those skills, uh, and how to elevate human potential. Learning the skills to elevate human potential, the real intelligence.

12:11
Michael Tucker
Yeah, that's such a good point. Um, it's interesting, I've talked to a lot of folks who, um, have had an opportunity to work with some of the AI tools, and they appreciate the AI tools for what they are, but at the end of the day, they still want humans. Mhm.

12:32
Jill Aronoff 
And you can, as a coach, you can use AI to your advantage and help you become more masterful, and then you can bring that human touch to your clients.

12:45
Michael Tucker
Yeah.

12:46
Bryant Alexander
But the goal is to first become masterful with your coaching. Like before technology, like even before AI. Ah. Um, a tech founder told me, like, you know, do your process or try your product, just without technology and see if it actually works. Because technology only brings out more of the flaws within something that, within the technologies, within that process of establishing that technology or that technology. So make sure you just try it out, become masterful with just the thing without technology, and then from there, try it out, see if it works, see if it's actually something that is needed.

13:20
Laurel Elders 
I love that you brought that up, Bryant, because technology is, uh, on its own life support system. If it's unplugged, do we have the skills to really do what we need to do and be masterful in our own lives?

13:36
Jill Aronoff 
I'm thinking about, um, focus, and a lot of people right now are really struggling with focus and being distracted, and they blame their phones and they blame technology. I could see how somebody might go into AI and say, how could I stop being distracted from my phone? And AI may throw out some examples of put your phone down, limit your time. But in coaching, if you worked with a coach, the coach may say, what are your emotions that you're feeling the moment that you're getting distracted? And then work on those emotions, because that's the real distraction, not the phone.

14:14
Bryant Alexander
Yeah. And to break down that science a little bit more, um, these habit loops that we have in our head, and when we get into that reward, part of the habit loop, from the cue to the behavior to the reward, what happens is that that reward can be positive or negative. And sometimes that negative reward is just continuing to scroll. And the importance that emotion kind of plays within the brain is that it produces positive emotion, which gives us dopamine to keep doing the thing over and over again. So it's important, like, just to not negate again getting back into that heart space, just not negate emotion, because those are the things that actually drive us to find that sense of purpose or just get anything accomplished. So, really important point, too.

15:03
Laurel Elders 
Yeah. Another superpower that, um, is just so profound. As I was working with my coach years ago and I got quiet and usually when I get quiet, I'm processing something and she said, where'd you go? And in that moment, I had actually started thinking, like, way I left the conversation because something she had asked, I was off in another direction. Her intuition, we were miles, hundreds of miles apart. Her intuition picked up on it. That is, that is human intuition is something. Ah, another superpower that, I mean, your coach is going to be so dialed into you and you get to learn how to be so intuitively attuned to your clients. It just, it's really profound. A lot of coaches I've talked to even say like, I'm a better parent, I'm a better spouse, I'm a better leader. Like, all these qualities just, it amplifies, um, the gifts and the potential of who you are.

16:08
Jill Aronoff 
Very true. And it makes me think about, again, going back to AI, how quick AI is to spit out an answer for you, where in coaching, the coach really gives the client time to think and explore. So your coach was able to give you that time to think about it and go to another place, which was so valuable, where if you were looking at AI, you would completely miss that.

16:33
Laurel Elders 
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

16:36
Bryant Alexander
And, uh, I guess to add to that intuition, um, I want to be clear, like, it's the difference between instincts and intuition. Um, instincts are usually like, what kicks in when we're stressed out, like the fight, flight or flight mode. But intuition is something that has to be built over time, and you do that usually by going through coach training or working with the coach. Um, and intuition for, uh, me, I'll talk about just from my perspective, my experience, the way that I was able to actually build intuition was through coaching, but also through just mindfulness practice, whether it be breathing, uh, meditating, even just mindfully walking. Those, uh, informal practices we take for granted on a day to day. But the breath is a powerful tool in order to build that intuition because it gives you pause, so it creates more space again, so you can again be the observer of your own experience instead of like, just being in the experience and having that immediate reaction. So that's what I had to cultivate over time through coaching, also through coach training, but also through mindfulness practices, because, you know, that's just a part of the human experience. How can I create more space for myself so I can have more intuition to where something feels right? It's like having more moments of like, oh, I'm just doing this out of having less moments of, um. I'm just doing this out of survival mode versus like, the moments when we have. It just felt right. That just felt good to me, so that's why I did it right. We have more opportunities for that, but it's a muscle that has to be cultivated over time. And usually having an experience with a coach or going through coach training is the way that can be built over time.

18:27
Laurel Elders 
Yeah. So we have a couple more minutes, and I'd love to hear more about, um, and I'd love for you to share what kind of coaching you do, um, each of us. And, um, if you have a message for those that are really, really interested in being a part of the solution in life.

18:45
Michael Tucker
Yeah, sure. So I'll start. Um, my name is Michael, Michael Tucker, and, uh, I'm a PCC, uh, coach. Uh, and, um, I specialize in executive coaching. And so I primarily work with, uh, corporate leaders, um, in both, uh, the fortune 500 space as well as government agencies. And, uh, when I get the chance, I also work with business owners, um, more the smaller side of things. And what I will tell you is that, um, coaching for me has been a journey. Um, I look at where I am now and where I was, um, ten years ago when I started, and it is absolutely not the same place. Um, and so what I will say is that if you are serious about cultivating your gift and you're serious about having a gift, and let me hear, let me be specific. Having a highly compensated gift. Okay. You know, and I'll just get personal here for a second. I was having a conversation with my sister this morning, and, um, she was sharing with me about just some, some challenges that she was having. And at the end of the day, it really boiled down to the work that she was doing and how it wasn't highly compensated work. And my advice to her was to choose a different, um, service, gain, uh, some training so she could provide a different service, so that she could be highly compensated for it. And so what I will say to you is, if you're thinking about this path, know that, number one, it is a process, but number two, if you stay the course, um, it is a highly compensated process and it will change the direction of your life.

20:48
Laurel Elders 
Yeah. Thank you.

20:51
Jill Aronoff 
So true. It's. I also think it is you were saying that the compensation is not just financial, but the growth that you experience, that your compensation is love and understanding and awareness as well. The money. Money helps, too.

21:17
Laurel Elders 
Uh, what coaching do you do you don't mind sharing with everyone?

21:20
Jill Aronoff 
Um, so I do, um, executive leadership coaching, and I also do some life coaching. I have, um, two great programs, um, through the iii, and really changed my life personally and professionally, um, taken from where I was, and I was, you know, compensated well and always working in a past life, in my past job to now really understanding, having that balance and understanding who I am and what drives me and doing the work that really changes my life and other people's lives.

22:05
Laurel Elders 
Uh, thank you, Bryant. How about you?

22:08
Bryant Alexander
So, um, yeah, I do leadership and executive coaching. Um, I work mainly with small, uh, and mid sized businesses. Overall, uh, what I look to do is I look to take a two pronged approach to my coaching. So I work as a leadership coach, but I also work with a nutritionist in order to make sure people are showing up holistically at work. Um, I think we negate how important it is for a person to be taking care of a leader, especially to be taking care of themselves outside of work so they can show up, uh, at work. So, uh, my coaching is based in, uh, mindfulness principles. So I'll make sure that you're not just being able to grow that line of business or that team, but also making sure that you're taking care of yourself and you're being mindful in how you're growing as a leader. So, uh, yeah, that is the type of coaching that I'm doing. And the reason why I do this work is mainly because I have been somebody who has navigated very, uh, chaotic, toxic work environments. I had managers that didn't know how to invest in my development, but also managers that didn't care to invest in my development. Now, I felt that that was heavy, but if I'm flipping the mirror on myself, I was that high performer, or tried to be that high performer. I was defining myself by my title, my salary, my promotions. And it's led me to a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, eventually depression. But this is why I started my own company, uh, reframe. And this is where mindfulness, really, mindfulness coaching, neuroscience, all these things that I've become more interested in come into play, and I like to kind of bridge the gap between all three of those. So that is me.

23:49
Laurel Elders 
Uh, thank you. And I do life and leadership coaching with a focus on integration. So helping. Helping people really embrace the truest aspects of themselves and shed what is not true to step into whatever is calling them in life and, um, lead a life through integration. And Jill had mentioned triple I. That's us. We are the institute for Integrative Intelligence and we hope that this video has been really inspiring that you took something that you needed to hear away from today. And do know that, um, we have hundreds of coaches that we've trained and graduated and help launch into a meaningful career path that's a part of the solutions and helping people, um, you know, live and lead empowered lives. So if you want to be a part of that type of community and be high impact in all that you do, we'd love to be of service to you. We have classes starting next or, uh, this Friday. I was going to say next Friday. This Friday. So get in touch with us if you would like to learn more. We hope to hear from you. Bye, everyone.

25:01
Bryant Alexander
See y'all.