Coaching is
an advantage
studies indicate coaching decreases perceived stress
and increases resiliency, mental fitness and wellbeing, and goal attainment
Authenticity | Clarity | Flow
what would it be like?
What can start to help is a sort of mini self-coaching:
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Think about what you want to change or progress on for a moment.
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Check in with yourself: How are you feeling when you think about this?
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Consider what it’s costing you to stay status quo, to struggle or put this off.
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How does that feel?
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Now take a minute to breathe three slow, gentle and full breaths.
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Then think about what could be different – think in terms of what you want (you already know what you don’t want). What are you noticing now?
My mission is simple. I want to help people achieve positive, lasting evolution in how they feel and act; for themselves, their people, their teams. I want to help you make your life what you define and design it to be.
I help you overcome limiting beliefs and behaviors to achieve greater success in performance, wellbeing and relationships, with less stress and overwhelm and more ease and flow.
A coach is not anyone's guru. You are the best guru of you. A coach is your trusted partner. I am constantly humbled by the brilliance I get to witness in my clients! I do this because I love partnering with people to help them in this!
I too have a coach. Because it can be really hard to do this on your own, whatever "this" is for you. If you could, wouldn't you have done it by now? Marcia Reynolds, one of my mentors, likens coaching to tickling. If you try to tickle yourself, your brain ignores you. If someone else comes at you with tickling fingers, well hey! Our brain wakes ups and pays attention differently.
So what would that be like? What could be different for you and your life?
We slow your roll and discover together. We'll establish and get clear on your goals and desired outcomes. You are the guru of you, and coaching is a process designed to resource you, help you tap into that inner wisdom. I love working with people and teams in this way. And I’ve got a ton of training, tools, experience, my own wisdom to add to the mix.
As an educator, facilitator and coach, I help people understand how our beliefs and the environments we operate in can trigger blockages and negative behaviours. Simply and practically, I help you achieve and sustain positive evolution and outcomes. More authentically, with crystallizing clarity, and generating focused action with greater ease and flow.
coaching approach
Authenticity, Clarity, and Flow are pillars underpinning our coaching approach in working together. Each element fosters progress in the context of these challenging and exciting times.
These are interwoven elements of evolution in exploring your goals and you—as a whole human being: professionally and personally; emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually; at work and home, at play and at rest. We cannot separate these things, they are integrated within us and our lives.
These pillars can apply at micro and macro levels and to individuals, teams, departments and organizations.
Coaching starts with the pause we seldom take. This is your consistent, dedicated and confidential space, where you pause everything to slow down, think again and think differently. You leave whirlwinds outside the door. We partner to dream, reflect and learn, plan and act. It's making space to do really important work on what you really want, what's getting in your way, and designing and taking steps forward.
Authenticity
Showing up, evolving and living into our true self. Although we may stumble along the way, we strive to be clear on who, how, what and why you want to be. This is unlearning, re-learning, and re-investing in who you really are.
Clarity
Being crystal clear and keeping front of mind our unique authenticity and clarity on what we really, really want to achieve. Authenticity and Clarity can be so strongly foundational. It can take time to establish this. Go slow to go better.
Flow
From a place of strong authenticity and clarity, we identify and deeply commit to the the most important and meaningful goals. We enter a state of flow, always growing and moving forward in a more easeful, purposeful, and rewarding way.
about coaching
Executive and leadership coaching emerged from positive psychology and diverged from therapy. It is present and forward-focused, grounded in psychology, neuroscience, and learning and development research. Collectively, I call it "leadership coaching" as it is about evolving as leaders of ourselves, and in our work, communities and personal life.
Coaching provides a safe, confidential and effective container to intentionally and very consciously and continuously improve and progress. It is a powerful way to help empower people in their lives. It was considered and remains an executive "perk". Today, coaching is leveraged by people at all levels, both through their work organizations and independently as individuals.
Research is now definitive on the benefits of coaching.
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. John Whitmore describes coaching as "unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”
Coaching helps us learn and think differently, clearing out inner critics, self-limiting narratives, assumptions and beliefs, and opening up our capacities and new possibilities.
At it's root, coaching is about self-realization and actualization and leadership in all contexts and life stages; as an individual, partner, family member and friend; as a leader and peer; in groups, teams, departments and organizations.
I think of coaching as a resource for you to evolve the person you are and your whole life.
request a free consultation | about toni
bio in brief
my story
Toni holds certifications in Executive Coaching through the graduate program at Royal Roads University, and in Facilitation and Team Coaching. She is certified in Lumina Spark, DiSC, Symbolon, and High-Performance Index; is a Master Certified Positive Intelligence Coach and Mental Fitness trainer; and is a Lean Black Belt educator and coach. She brings in ongoing studies in Emotional Intelligence, Applied Neuroscience, Embodied Transformation, Somatic Leadership, and Mindfulness.
Her approach blends compassion and challenge, optimism and practicality, creativity and intuition, honed through an ongoing lifetime of learning and rich experience.
Toni is co-authoring “Sparks”, with her long time friend Rebecca Jenkins. This is a unique series of inspirational team and individual activity books and tools.
My story
A child of hippy, holistic thinking parents, I was born in Scotland, spent part of my childhood living in an ashram, and have worked and traveled in many parts of the world. I am a nerd and a creative. I believe the world needs people with range as much as specialists.
I've been senior leader, team builder, management consultant and entrepreneur, HR manager, executive team advisor, business analyst, project manager and consultant, software business lead, researcher, public relations and corporate communications manager, statistician, cartographer, graphic designer and technical illustrator. From high tech to natural resources and construction, education, government and non-profit, the specific list of industries and contexts I’ve worked in as a consultant, coach and internal player, is too long to recite here.
In addition to coaching individuals and teams, I am a keynote speaker, learning program developer, facilitator and trainer, Lean Black Belt coach, mom, wife, mindfulness practitioner, artist, gardener, writer and travel enthusiast.
I will always be a student. I’m especially fascinated by what I learn and apply for myself and as a coach from the worlds of neuroscience, mindfulness, and somatic leadership, and from some of our great spiritual traditions.
I’ve come to realize the sum of my experiences, even from childhood, prepared me for—maybe led me to—coaching. They also enable me to support my diverse clients, pulling from a cornucopia of resources to serve unique situations.
I’m grateful for the opportunities and challenges that shape me and my journey. There have been plenty of ups, downs and oops, periods at anchor, sail adjustments and course changes. It has not always been easy and I'm learning that it can be easier. I’ve experienced and overcome burnout, depression and anxiety, addictions to work and to wine.
Like every human, I am an ever-emerging work in progress.
I have a tenacious, curious, loving and open spirit and a quirky sense of humour. I keep moving forward and deeper into who I really am and what I really want, even though at times things can feel murky or impossible. I call this creating and being present in my FLASH! life. This has become my metaphor. In a whole-person and whole-life sense, it is unfolding who I am meant to be and getting to do what it is I “cannot not do”. Never always and never perfect, I more and more “Feel Like a Saturday Here”.
My personal and professional purpose (what it is I cannot-not-do) is to help facilitate FLASH for myself and others, and for the ripples that will create in the world. I can tell you more about that if you like.
Life in all its dimensions continues to unfold, ultimately exceeding my initial expectations. I enjoy a thriving global practice working clients who come to coaching with a diversity of personal and professional interests. Witnessing clients surpass their own limits, being and doing more than they thought possible, is immensely awe-inspiring and energizing to me. Perhaps my greatest joy is seeing people tap into their own creative brilliance and emerging wisdom and learning how this creates ripples in their lives and contexts. I believe this is what we need more than ever in our world.
Beyond my practice, I'm committed to the expansion, ethics and quality standards of the coaching profession, and participate in the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Living in a beautiful community in connection with people I like, and love enriches my life immeasurably. I am grateful for all the love, support and resources around me.
I recognize how fortunate I am, as well as what has been earned over time. I've been married to Bob for over 25 years, and he remains the person I most want to share my life with. Together we are the proud parents of a good human who constantly learns, grows, inspires and amazes us.
request a free consultation | about toni