MEDIA
GWEN'S Television CoachingBeing greatly inspired by Oprah and PBS, Gwen loves the idea of Coaching on television. Not only would it help the people being Coached but the numerous viewers who could relate to the situation being discussed. Gwen welcomes these opportunities.
Gwen was asked to coach Daniel, the owner of Chop Shop to resolve conflicts more effectively in the workplace, televised on SLICE network. |
|
Social assistance In the rough and tumble world of dating, a growing number of life coaches offer advice to the lonely and looking Vancouver Courier By Megan Stewart
Photograph by: Dan Toulgoet, Vancouver Courier
Need a dating coach to find your one true love?
Gwen Gnazdowsky, a coach who has run relationship bootcamps at the YWCA, "never encourages people to play the game. If you like someone, let them know."
Gnazdowsky built her coaching service, One Conversation Coaching and Facilitation, on the virtues of self-discovery and self-improvement and has been seeing clients since 1995. "I really do want people to win at love and life," she said.
Her advice: "Be real. Don't play hard to get. Don't play like you're not interested and act like the guy who should do all the work."
Asked if women should refrain from asking a man out, her response is emphatic. "Oh no, no, no, no!"
When Gnazdowsky tells the story of her courtship with the man she met nearly 20 years ago at age 33 and for whom she eventually moved to Vancouver from Calgary, she's the one who initiated. "I told him I was available for a relationship with him," she said, remembering the evening in Vancouver when she approached him after a coaching conference they were both attending. She was smitten. But she was stymied, not sure her gestures and bright smile were enough to convey her profound interest and draw him in the direction she wanted them both to go. "I said to him, 'I'm flirting with you, you know.'"
She wasn't playing, she was playful, and in so doing, Gnazdowsky naturally embodied the opposite advice of many relationship experts advise that seems so parochial to her and me: "Women invite, men take action." Gnazdowsky believes regardless if you are a man or a woman if you are interested you should be pro-active and unstoppable, letting the other person know of your interest.
She initiated and was honest and open and flirtatious in her intention, and said spoke clearly without playing games. She was clear in her interest and her man, "better than the man of her dreams" continues to be Gnazdowsky's preferred company after all these years. On reflection, she is so glad she did and she showed him the answer would be emphatic. "Yes!"
Need a dating coach to find your one true love?
Gwen Gnazdowsky, a coach who has run relationship bootcamps at the YWCA, "never encourages people to play the game. If you like someone, let them know."
Gnazdowsky built her coaching service, One Conversation Coaching and Facilitation, on the virtues of self-discovery and self-improvement and has been seeing clients since 1995. "I really do want people to win at love and life," she said.
Her advice: "Be real. Don't play hard to get. Don't play like you're not interested and act like the guy who should do all the work."
Asked if women should refrain from asking a man out, her response is emphatic. "Oh no, no, no, no!"
When Gnazdowsky tells the story of her courtship with the man she met nearly 20 years ago at age 33 and for whom she eventually moved to Vancouver from Calgary, she's the one who initiated. "I told him I was available for a relationship with him," she said, remembering the evening in Vancouver when she approached him after a coaching conference they were both attending. She was smitten. But she was stymied, not sure her gestures and bright smile were enough to convey her profound interest and draw him in the direction she wanted them both to go. "I said to him, 'I'm flirting with you, you know.'"
She wasn't playing, she was playful, and in so doing, Gnazdowsky naturally embodied the opposite advice of many relationship experts advise that seems so parochial to her and me: "Women invite, men take action." Gnazdowsky believes regardless if you are a man or a woman if you are interested you should be pro-active and unstoppable, letting the other person know of your interest.
She initiated and was honest and open and flirtatious in her intention, and said spoke clearly without playing games. She was clear in her interest and her man, "better than the man of her dreams" continues to be Gnazdowsky's preferred company after all these years. On reflection, she is so glad she did and she showed him the answer would be emphatic. "Yes!"
Turn New Year’s Resolutions into Long-term Goals with a Life Coach | BC Living | By C. Brooks
A life coach can help you go from New Year’s resolutions to long-term goals
A life coach can help you move from “shoulda, woulda, coulda” to long-term goals you can and will accomplish – starting with your New Year’s resolutions
Many of us have the same to-do list every January 1: get more organized, quit smoking, lose weight, fix our personal life, brush up that resumé and start applying for more challenging positions.
The fact that these perennials crop up again and again may be the first clue that resolutions as we know them don’t work.
Reframe Your Resolutions
Life coach Gwen Gnazdowsky, who coached me, suggests that instead of the same old resolutions, this year you engage in a reframing exercise.
Take a resolution you may have failed at before – say getting fit – and recast it into a positive. "Why not have it 'This is the year that I have personal relationships, dream work that I love, health and fitness and finances?'" asks Gnazdowsky, who calls her coaching service One Conversation.
Rather than approaching a resolution as something you don't currently have, consider acting as though you've already achieved it.
Pick Your Key Goals
What if you don’t yet know what you want to change? With a coach, says Gnazdowsky, "it can come forth in a conversation. Quite often we do know what we ultimately want, what we’ve always wanted, but we repress it, or don’t believe, or there’s insurmountable obstacles, or [we] don’t see the possibility."
One tool Gnazdowsky says she uses is to ask the client questions about her dream life. "What would you be doing? Who would you be doing it with?" she says, demonstrating her follow-up questions. “As you hear people speak," Gnazdowsky explains, "you can kind of get clear about what’s important for them."
Rather than being frustrating, the coach adds, seeing where you want to be can revitalize you. "Even working toward one’s dreams gives joy."
Gnazdowsky doesn’t just talk the talk: she reframed her own perennial resolution when, with numerous failed attempts behind her, she finally quit smoking after 20 years. "I decided, this is it. This is my date." Today, she’s still smoke-free.
CARELLIN BROOKS has taught Women in Literature (WMST 224) online since 2003. In addition to teaching, she works as a writer and editor. Brooks is the author of Every Inch a Woman, published by UBC Press in fall 2005. Carellin received her doctorate from Oxford University in 2010. You can contact Carellin at carellin@interchange.ubc.ca
A life coach can help you move from “shoulda, woulda, coulda” to long-term goals you can and will accomplish – starting with your New Year’s resolutions
Many of us have the same to-do list every January 1: get more organized, quit smoking, lose weight, fix our personal life, brush up that resumé and start applying for more challenging positions.
The fact that these perennials crop up again and again may be the first clue that resolutions as we know them don’t work.
Reframe Your Resolutions
Life coach Gwen Gnazdowsky, who coached me, suggests that instead of the same old resolutions, this year you engage in a reframing exercise.
Take a resolution you may have failed at before – say getting fit – and recast it into a positive. "Why not have it 'This is the year that I have personal relationships, dream work that I love, health and fitness and finances?'" asks Gnazdowsky, who calls her coaching service One Conversation.
Rather than approaching a resolution as something you don't currently have, consider acting as though you've already achieved it.
Pick Your Key Goals
What if you don’t yet know what you want to change? With a coach, says Gnazdowsky, "it can come forth in a conversation. Quite often we do know what we ultimately want, what we’ve always wanted, but we repress it, or don’t believe, or there’s insurmountable obstacles, or [we] don’t see the possibility."
One tool Gnazdowsky says she uses is to ask the client questions about her dream life. "What would you be doing? Who would you be doing it with?" she says, demonstrating her follow-up questions. “As you hear people speak," Gnazdowsky explains, "you can kind of get clear about what’s important for them."
Rather than being frustrating, the coach adds, seeing where you want to be can revitalize you. "Even working toward one’s dreams gives joy."
Gnazdowsky doesn’t just talk the talk: she reframed her own perennial resolution when, with numerous failed attempts behind her, she finally quit smoking after 20 years. "I decided, this is it. This is my date." Today, she’s still smoke-free.
CARELLIN BROOKS has taught Women in Literature (WMST 224) online since 2003. In addition to teaching, she works as a writer and editor. Brooks is the author of Every Inch a Woman, published by UBC Press in fall 2005. Carellin received her doctorate from Oxford University in 2010. You can contact Carellin at carellin@interchange.ubc.ca
How to Get Free Coaching | BC Living | By C. Brooks
Even if you’re down to loose change, you can still get free coaching
While a coach is worth her weight in gold when you need help improving your life, here's how to get one for free when paying is not an optionIt’s the eternal dilemma. To improve your business, revitalize your work or otherwise make the changes that will lead to success, you need to invest in yourself.
But if you’re stuck in minimum-wage hell or have no cash at all, how can you get the coaching that – as I’ve detailed in my previous posts on how to choose a coach and what coaching can do for you – can improve your life?
Before you take out that payday loan, here are some ways to finance coaching you may not have considered.
Four Ways to Get Free Coaching:
Barter. Like everyone else, coaches need shiatsu massage, haircuts, and fresh baked goods. They appreciate a weekend away at your cottage. Think of what you have to offer, and then make your coach of choice a deal.
Ask your employer. Some BC businesses are starting to offer coaching as part of their employee assistance plans. If yours doesn’t, but does pay for counseling, ask if you can have the same number of sessions funded. (It won’t hurt to tell your boss how a coach can improve your work).
Consider a counsellor coach. Some counsellors have branched out into coaching. Again, if your benefits will only pay for the former, see if the counsellor can coach you instead.
Find a student. Coaches in training sometimes need to build up a roster of clients to be certified, which can mean helping folks like you at low or no cost as they get established. Contact a coaching organization to see if this is the case, and if there’s anyone in your area who might need someone to coach.
Bottom line? Lack of funds shouldn’t stop you from getting the coaching you need and deserve. And while coaches will earn you back every penny of their fee – my own coach, Gwen Gnazdowsky, is certainly worth her weight in gold – if you’re between a rock and a hard place financially, don’t write coaching off as an impossible dream.
While a coach is worth her weight in gold when you need help improving your life, here's how to get one for free when paying is not an optionIt’s the eternal dilemma. To improve your business, revitalize your work or otherwise make the changes that will lead to success, you need to invest in yourself.
But if you’re stuck in minimum-wage hell or have no cash at all, how can you get the coaching that – as I’ve detailed in my previous posts on how to choose a coach and what coaching can do for you – can improve your life?
Before you take out that payday loan, here are some ways to finance coaching you may not have considered.
Four Ways to Get Free Coaching:
Barter. Like everyone else, coaches need shiatsu massage, haircuts, and fresh baked goods. They appreciate a weekend away at your cottage. Think of what you have to offer, and then make your coach of choice a deal.
Ask your employer. Some BC businesses are starting to offer coaching as part of their employee assistance plans. If yours doesn’t, but does pay for counseling, ask if you can have the same number of sessions funded. (It won’t hurt to tell your boss how a coach can improve your work).
Consider a counsellor coach. Some counsellors have branched out into coaching. Again, if your benefits will only pay for the former, see if the counsellor can coach you instead.
Find a student. Coaches in training sometimes need to build up a roster of clients to be certified, which can mean helping folks like you at low or no cost as they get established. Contact a coaching organization to see if this is the case, and if there’s anyone in your area who might need someone to coach.
Bottom line? Lack of funds shouldn’t stop you from getting the coaching you need and deserve. And while coaches will earn you back every penny of their fee – my own coach, Gwen Gnazdowsky, is certainly worth her weight in gold – if you’re between a rock and a hard place financially, don’t write coaching off as an impossible dream.
Why Hire a Life Coach | BC Living | By C. Brooks
A life coach who listens can help you change your life
A life coach can help you address your life problems, relationship issues or career woes in just a few sessions
Are life coaches really so skilled that they can solve your life's problems? Definitely, says life coach Gwen Gnazdowsky (she coached me), who calls her service One Conversation. Life coaching can help with all kinds of issues. “Getting clarity about what you want, understanding patterns that aren’t working for you, creating a new opportunity to jump into, resolving a conflict with yourself or others," Gnazdowsky says, are all things a life coach can help with. A tall order, perhaps, but she insists coaching can do them all.
Life Coaches Help You Achieve Your Goals
If you have a goal you can't seem to make progress on, or an obstacle you that feels insurmountable, a life coach could be beneficial to you. The most common issue people come to Gnazdowsky with: "They have this goal or dream and they’re not attaining it on their own,” she explains.
And does coaching fix that? "Absolutely. By helping to craft their dream life, articulating it, overcoming fears, obstacles and limiting beliefs so you can keep moving forward, you can take on challenges you weren’t willing to do before.”
Coaches Offer Acknowledgement and Appreciation
Part of having a conversation with a coach is also about empathy, according to Gnazdowsky. "I think until the person is understood, they’re not ready, willing and able to move forward. So I’m a real believer –- they have to know the coach understands the problem or situation."
People, Gnazdowsky says, "want to be acknowledged and heard and listened to and appreciated." At its best, that’s what coaching does – while moving you forward all the while.
I’ve written before on how to choose a coach, but this list can also confirm you in your choice. Listening, understanding, helping you to get unstuck and fulfill your dreams – four things a coach can do that lets you know you’ve picked the right one.
A life coach can help you address your life problems, relationship issues or career woes in just a few sessions
Are life coaches really so skilled that they can solve your life's problems? Definitely, says life coach Gwen Gnazdowsky (she coached me), who calls her service One Conversation. Life coaching can help with all kinds of issues. “Getting clarity about what you want, understanding patterns that aren’t working for you, creating a new opportunity to jump into, resolving a conflict with yourself or others," Gnazdowsky says, are all things a life coach can help with. A tall order, perhaps, but she insists coaching can do them all.
Life Coaches Help You Achieve Your Goals
If you have a goal you can't seem to make progress on, or an obstacle you that feels insurmountable, a life coach could be beneficial to you. The most common issue people come to Gnazdowsky with: "They have this goal or dream and they’re not attaining it on their own,” she explains.
And does coaching fix that? "Absolutely. By helping to craft their dream life, articulating it, overcoming fears, obstacles and limiting beliefs so you can keep moving forward, you can take on challenges you weren’t willing to do before.”
Coaches Offer Acknowledgement and Appreciation
Part of having a conversation with a coach is also about empathy, according to Gnazdowsky. "I think until the person is understood, they’re not ready, willing and able to move forward. So I’m a real believer –- they have to know the coach understands the problem or situation."
People, Gnazdowsky says, "want to be acknowledged and heard and listened to and appreciated." At its best, that’s what coaching does – while moving you forward all the while.
I’ve written before on how to choose a coach, but this list can also confirm you in your choice. Listening, understanding, helping you to get unstuck and fulfill your dreams – four things a coach can do that lets you know you’ve picked the right one.
How to Choose a Life Coach | BC Living | By C. Brooks
You’ve decided to get yourself a life coach – now comes the hard part
While you may have decided that a life coach can help you with career, finances, life balance, and even your relationships, finding one that's right for you can be tricky. You want someone who understands not only your motivations and challenges, but also your particular industry, background or approach to life. Here are four things to consider when choosing your life coach.
Professional Life Coach Designations: Not the Be-all and End-all
Some coaches put great stress on the fact that they are certified by national or international bodies. And that’s fine, but don’t cut out a coach just because she doesn’t have certain letters after her name.
Several organizations are vying to be the definitive stamp of approval for coaches, but in the meantime, none is the one and only. Some coaches aren’t certified by anyone, which isn’t necessarily a sign they’re no good.
Look at Real Coaching Experience
Backgrounds in counselling, social work and health often give coaches the broad experience to deal with real-world problems. If you’re particularly interested in career coaching, you may want someone who's spent time in your field or worked in human resources or recruiting. You may appreciate a fellow author, golfer or trombone player. It’s up to you.
Define the Style of Coaching You Want
When I chose my coach, Gwen Gnazdowsky, I was a little embarrassed. Gwen has such a warm, caring manner that I felt I was a softy for choosing her over presumably more rigorous coaches who mapped timelines and gave homework.
Turns out Gwen’s just as interested in practical results as other coaches. Getting a caring, sharing coach didn’t preclude also being assigned tasks and deadlines, and being subjected to the occasional loving scolding.
Focus on Results
"My whole life" is a pretty broad area for a coach to cover in four sessions. On the other hand, people who say they merely want help dealing with paperwork – that’s my hand you see raised – or learning to write reports often find themselves reevaluating their entire career, revitalizing relationships or getting back to passions they’d set aside years ago.
So be clear on what you want, but don’t be surprised if your coaching takes a left turn. Having the chance to sit down and look at your life can be pretty powerful stuff.
CARELLIN BROOKS has taught Women in Literature (WMST 224) online since 2003. In addition to teaching, she works as a writer and editor. Brooks is the author of Every Inch a Woman, published by UBC Press in fall 2005. Carellin received her doctorate from Oxford University in 2010. You can contact Carellin at carellin@interchange.ubc.ca
While you may have decided that a life coach can help you with career, finances, life balance, and even your relationships, finding one that's right for you can be tricky. You want someone who understands not only your motivations and challenges, but also your particular industry, background or approach to life. Here are four things to consider when choosing your life coach.
Professional Life Coach Designations: Not the Be-all and End-all
Some coaches put great stress on the fact that they are certified by national or international bodies. And that’s fine, but don’t cut out a coach just because she doesn’t have certain letters after her name.
Several organizations are vying to be the definitive stamp of approval for coaches, but in the meantime, none is the one and only. Some coaches aren’t certified by anyone, which isn’t necessarily a sign they’re no good.
Look at Real Coaching Experience
Backgrounds in counselling, social work and health often give coaches the broad experience to deal with real-world problems. If you’re particularly interested in career coaching, you may want someone who's spent time in your field or worked in human resources or recruiting. You may appreciate a fellow author, golfer or trombone player. It’s up to you.
Define the Style of Coaching You Want
When I chose my coach, Gwen Gnazdowsky, I was a little embarrassed. Gwen has such a warm, caring manner that I felt I was a softy for choosing her over presumably more rigorous coaches who mapped timelines and gave homework.
Turns out Gwen’s just as interested in practical results as other coaches. Getting a caring, sharing coach didn’t preclude also being assigned tasks and deadlines, and being subjected to the occasional loving scolding.
Focus on Results
"My whole life" is a pretty broad area for a coach to cover in four sessions. On the other hand, people who say they merely want help dealing with paperwork – that’s my hand you see raised – or learning to write reports often find themselves reevaluating their entire career, revitalizing relationships or getting back to passions they’d set aside years ago.
So be clear on what you want, but don’t be surprised if your coaching takes a left turn. Having the chance to sit down and look at your life can be pretty powerful stuff.
CARELLIN BROOKS has taught Women in Literature (WMST 224) online since 2003. In addition to teaching, she works as a writer and editor. Brooks is the author of Every Inch a Woman, published by UBC Press in fall 2005. Carellin received her doctorate from Oxford University in 2010. You can contact Carellin at carellin@interchange.ubc.ca
