I met a life coach earlier this week. I am following a course to become a professional integral coach, at least if I pass the exam next week.  One of the tasks we have to complete is meeting with a ‘real’ coach, to have a coaching session with yourself as coachee.  We practice a lot during the course, which means we are getting to know ourselves better because we are our own clients with real cases we present during the coaching exercises. In addition to that, we were asked to have this real life coaching session. To see a professional coach working.

So I met that life coach, I entered the building where she has her office and was asked to wait in the waiting room. She would come for me in a minute, so I was told.

She arrived twenty minutes later, introduced herself and asked me to follow her. She asked me to take off my shoes. That felt weird. Having a coaching session with no shoes on my feet is something I had never done before.  We had a conversation. She asked me how I thought she could help me, and I said, ‘I hope you can help me’, while thinking ‘this is not the right question to ask’ (I learned in the course never- but never- ask how to help a client. Instead you should ask ‘what is your story?’ or ‘what do you want to talk about’).

I turned my coach-knob on zero and listened to The Coach. She said, ‘before we start,let me first explain how we work here’. A long explanation followed, ending with the words that she would draw some kind of ‘energetic-mental-physical-cognitive and something else that I can’t remember anymore’ assessment of me first.

She started writing, words, some lines, more words, more scratching on the line. She didn’t say anything at all during several minutes.  Then the verdict. I was surprised and a bit suspicious. How could she tell me all this without having heard a word of my story?This was ridiculous, or this woman could SEE things.

I listened to her.  About what she felt was okay and not so okay about my energetic and other levels. And then – finally – was I asked to explain my case. So I did, and I said that I felt that I wanted to become less reactive and more proactive, to take my life more in my own hands, to define my future road. That I felt time was pushing me, a bit like my biological clock ticking but in this case not for wanting to become a mother.  That I always like to decide intuitively when I have to take decisions, but that in this case I didn’t feel IT.  That from the million choices I could make not one presented itself to me shouting ‘I AM THE ONE’.

We talked a bit. And then she said. ‘I think I am going to propose you a session with Pam, and another one with Leslie. Pam is an expert in foot reflexology, and Leslie is an osteopath. Do you believe in homeopathy?’  ‘Uhmmm I don’t know’, I said, ‘as an additional treatment yes, but not to replace conventional treatments for life threatening diseases’. 

‘You will see’, Catherine oracled, ‘foot reflexology and exercises you will do with the osteopath will help you to let flowing your physical energy again, to put things in order again. And before you know it, you will KNOW what to do, and FEEL the connection back between your heart and head, and the decisions you talk about will come quasi automatically.’

I was a bit intimidated. I went for a coaching session to help structuring my path. Instead I was going to see a foot reflexologist?  We finished the session, and I left her office, put my shoes back on and went home. Still a bit intimidated but also intrigued.

PS. I passed the coach certification exam 😉