Hi, Friend.
Today I’ll talk about about clients’ successes and the one thing that I found to be key to those successes again, and again.
But first, real quick…
I have announced a few weeks ago that I had one coaching spot remaining for the month of September - that spot was gone the same morning, so I never even announced any availability on social media.
I am now kicking off a waitlist for 1:1 clients, so if you are interested in potentially working with me in the next 3-6 months, you should totally absolutely hit Reply and let me know.
There is never an expectation or a commitment to anything, rather I will just make sure to ping YOU first, if/when I have a spot.
Of course, Operation Tigger is also kicking off in the next couple of months, so if you are the winter-hating type, we might just end up working together in that program too. ;)
There.
All business. *adjusts her shirt and tie.
And now back to our regular programming:
When it comes to a client-coach relationship, and the client’s SUCCESS, there IS a secret ingredient.
Every single client I worked with who has been successful in achieving the goals they set out for themselves had this ONE thing.
OMG, KATE, JUST TELL ME ALREADY! THIS IS WORSE THAN LOOKING UP A RECIPE ON THE INTERNET AND THEN BEING FORCED TO READ ABOUT YOUR GRANDMOTHER.
No, no… these are “letters”.
Snail mail. Hot tea. Sitting by the fire. We are doing it the long way. ;)
A while ago I had a conversation with a woman I met at a dinner party. She was asking me if I had a recommendation for a strength coach in town.
“Of course”.
But first, I wanted to know what she was looking for.
What was she doing already? Why did she feel she needed the change?
The woman is a competitive cyclist, who has been training with a cycling coach. So far, so good.
Going forward, she would like to get stronger.
Ok! Still following.
Her cycling coach has developed a strength program for her. Awesome.
She is working with someone who knows her sport, and knows it well, and who has years of experience helping athletes just like her!
She does NOT feel like the workouts are what she needs.
Hmmmm…
Hold the phone. This is where I need more information.
Were the workouts that her cycling coach put together for her hurting her? No.
Were they unreasonably long? Gruelling? Unrealistic, given her schedule? No.
Did they require equipment that she did not have? No.
So… WHAT WAS MISSING?
The woman shrugged, and told me that the workouts just did not include the movements that she thought she needed.
Now – I am all for taking ownership when it comes to decisions about your body. YOU know what it’s like to BE in your body, to LIVE in your body, and sometimes, things just feel off.
Yet it’s hard to imagine a similar scenario taking place with any other industry.
“My tooth was hurting, and my dentist told me that I needed a filling, but I didn’t feel like that’s what I needed”.
While no one would dispute your expertise as a dentist, things are different when it comes to nutrition, health and exercise.
We are ALL experts. Except… we are not.
Every single client I worked with who has been successful in achieving the goals they set out for themselves had to TRUST me as their coach, TRUST my expertise, and TRUST the process.
One former client who lost 100 pounds and has undergone an incredible inner transformation says: “”Trusting in the process” was my mantra for this year. I must have said that to myself 100s of times. Every time I was unsure about something, frustrated, or impatient, I repeated those words to myself. They were powerful words and made all the difference for me”.
Many folks want to know exactly why they are doing what they are doing.
Why this exercise, and not that one? Why am I doing this movement in each workout? Why this order? Why this sequence?
While I am always happy to provide some information on the why, I also ask the client whether they want to focus on getting the results, or on learning what brings the results.
The two are different. They both take time. And, most clients do not have time for both.
And, while I would still be happy to recommend a strength coach for this woman, there are few questions that I would ask her to consider first.
What am I trying to do here?
What is the goal I am trying to achieve?
What qualifications am I looking for in my coach?
Am I ready, able and willing to trust their expertise?
What will it take for me to trust them?
How will I know once I achieve my goal?
What will be my indicators?
Measured outcomes?
What have I done already to try and accomplish this goal?
What has worked? What has not worked? How do I know? How did I decide that something was working? How did I decide that something was NOT working? [It is not uncommon for me to hear from folks who give a training program a week before declaring that it does not work.]
If you are considering hiring a professional in the new year, be it a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a running coach, or a website designer, I suggest you consider these questions as well. It would make your success and their job much easier. :) P.S. The photos? They are most definitely NOT AI generated. :) That's my best friend Aubrie. She is a kickass cyclist. She is NOT the cyclist from the example, but you gotta admit that these pics are fire, so you're welcome. Hugs,
