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Marian Baker,
MCC
Master Certified Coach
Marian@MarianBaker.com
Phone: 773.509.9408
Fax: 773.509.9584
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One Woman’s Experience with Wake Up Inspired
Barbara approached
me with a big smile and hug, saying “Thank you for your gift.”
What do you mean? I asked. “My life is more full than ever!” she
shared, attributing this to the Wake Up Inspired program. Seeing
the lasting impact in Barbara was such a joy. She looked radiant
(and not from cosmetic changes). “It’s hard to put in words,”
she continued. “I’m taking better care of myself. I’m also
taking care of other things in the world in a new way. ” She
also emailed:
“Last fall I signed up to take Marian's Wake Up Inspired course.
At the time I didn't have a clue as to why I was enrolling. My
life was great. I was in a relationship that was going well and
enriching my life, I worked in a job that I loved, I had a
social circle that I enjoyed, and my family life was wonderful.
So why in the world did I need a life coach? I didn't have a
clue but that tiny voice in me said, spend the money and find
out. It is now six months later and I know why. I still have all
those things but they are even better and more fulfilling. It is
hard to articulate what you will gain from this experience.
Marian has developed a manual that helped me fine tune various
aspects of my life and at times gave me a different lens to view
what went on day to day.
Marian is probably one of the most upbeat, positive, insightful,
nonjudgmental people I have ever met. Each week I came to class
knowing that I would walk away with something new. I felt that I
could put into the class as much or as little as I wanted
without feeling judged. The class helped me to see ways to give
to myself and to my community so that I ended up having even
more time. Don't ask me how that can be, because I still don't
know. I just know it was the best financial investment that I've
made in a long time. Although the class has ended, a group of us
are continuing to meet monthly to rework the stations. We have a
lot of fun together and I hope you all will come out of this as
blessed as I feel I have been from the experience.”
- Barbara Woodbury
Karen had been
dancing with the challenges of creating a fulfilling life,
blending her leadership role at work, motherhood, personal
passions and other demands and desires of real life. To finally
attempt to work part time was a huge step of clarify and courage
for her. We’d been coaching to prepare for this. Her email is an
example of the client celebrations that we get to applaud:
“I did it! I am receiving what I asked for! He said we will work
out a win/win and I can reduce my schedule! Thank you for all
your support!! I used the formula you gave me yesterday. The
conversation couldn't have gone better! The stars were aligned
and the universe held me!
Thank you!! A big kiss and hug to you!
Karen
True slices of life from coaching
clients (names changed to honor confidentiality)
"Alice": Recreating Real
Success
As a talented high-achiever,
Alice had landed a dream job at a large company. After several
years, the honeymoon was over, and work stress was consuming
her. She felt out of balance and began to lose confidence in
herself. The ticking clock from TV’s 60 Minutes became her
ticking bomb for another Monday morning. One day she looked in
the mirror and thought, "I’m going to go crazy or I have to
leave." In spite of a hefty bonus coming up, she handed in her
resignation and thought she’d walk away from her career field
forever. Smart management didn’t want to lose her. They asked
her to take a leave of absence and offered her professional
coaching to help her sort things out. She was very bright and
ripe for transition in her life. We looked at what she was
tolerating, what was in the way of her fulfillment and
sustainable success. We focused on clarifying her core values
and how she might create a life in sync with these, including
her work. We reminded her about being 100% responsible for
creating her own happiness, self-management and burnout
prevention strategies. She realized that she needed to change,
not just change jobs. Time management tips and a zippy
motivational course were not the answer. Coaching encouraged her
to rejuvenate her spirit and enjoy life as a human being, not
just a human doing. She spent some time taking long walks,
listening to an inner voice that was growing stronger. In the
career zone, we explored her satisfaction and performance
factors--what would bring out her best and give her a sense of
contribution. At first, we both felt the odds were low for her
to return to her company. However, part of coaching is to expand
your options, being open to "anything’s possible." She knew
that, as her coach, I was not attached to talking her into
anything. I was her confidential advocate, champion and sounding
board. We were able to brainstorm, "Under what conditions would
you possibly return? What could become a win-win somehow?" She
reflected, we played "What if?" some more and then prepared her
to make a powerful request. Today, she’s back at the company, in
a position she designed, and thrilled to be creating a new life
more aligned with her real values and deliberate choices.
Everyone wins. Alice says that identifying and understanding her
core values made all the difference in the world. Her personal
life is richer as she lives out her commitments to take a stand
for important boundaries. She says coaching also gave her
effective tools and an approach to decision making/planning that
continue to add value to the quality of her life. People see her
and remark, "Hey, you’re not the same person you were before!"
Within a year, Alice joyfully became a mother to a beautiful
baby boy; something she didn’t feel was possible in her
stressful life before.
Alice’s last word for the rest
of us: Figure out who you are, what you want and don’t be afraid
to ask for that...or at least work toward getting it.
This is just one story. Each person’s path toward true success
is unique.
Sharon": A New
Perspective on Making a Difference
Sharon wanted to be able to
speak her truth more, to step out of a meek, nice, quiet shell
and express herself with greater confidence. She felt she was
playing small, as if her powerful gifts were kept secret. Sharon
was stuck in resentment about some of the tasks of her job at a
health center. After all, she was working on an advanced degree
at the same time (her inner critic- Gremlin wanted to make a big
fuss of this). The chip on her shoulder was growing, and this
was naturally an energy drain. She wanted to be able to enjoy
her day more plus feel valued and respected at work. We played
with a co-active coaching technique I call "shopping for
perspectives." We identified that the perspective she
experienced most was "This job is beneath me." What’s eye
opening about this perspectives tool is that we realize our
belief is simply one perspective. We don’t have to live with it.
So, we brainstormed several more. Ultimately, Sharon chose to
live out of the perspective "I can really make a difference
here." We coached further about what this meant in actual
practice and she committed to next steps. Soon, Sharon was in an
important meeting about the vision of the health center and how
they all worked together. Her gut was churning as she heard
things that struck her as hypocritical. With great courage,
coming from her new perspective, she spoke up. She invited them
to see how the team all talked about being caring, supportive
and positive with the patients, and yet did not treat each other
with compassion and support. The culture among co-workers had
too much negative energy to create the healing space they had in
the vision statement. Her boss acknowledged that this was true,
and the meeting opened up wide for more honest discussion about
how they could improve things. Sharon didn’t feel small anymore.
Her contribution clearly made a difference. Boy, when she came
out of her shell, she really did it with grace and boldness,
hmm?! We celebrated this breakthrough at our next coaching
session, and Sharon continued to gain strength in reclaiming her
personal power in her life.
"John": Reinventing his life
John had been tolerating
"endless stress," a toxic work environment with a control freak
boss and craving more quality time for himself, his wife and
friends. He kept moving up in his career, yet was enjoying it
less. John wanted to enjoy day-to-day satisfaction vs. waiting
for someday. When asked about obstacles to creating the life he
really wanted, his response included, "Money. I wish I could
quit my job, but I don’t think I can." John bravely worked
through candid talks about prosperity beliefs, fear of failure,
self-love and confidence. 18 months later, we celebrated an
extraordinarily different life picture—a successful transition
to a brand new career, enhanced self care and quality of life,
faith that the money is fine and flowing, and a party to launch
going full time with his own business born out of a true heart’s
desire. John says coaching helped him to have the courage to
leave that job, (and another interim job that fueled learning
for his new business) trust himself and make effective decisions
sooner. It also gave him insights into "what makes me
tick—values, what motivates and fulfills me." He says coaching
really helps with awareness about self-care, time management and
thinking things through. Most of all, John is thrilled with how
empowered he feels and the great pride he senses when looking at
life now and new choices he’s making. He’s not waiting for
someday!
You can create success in life, livelihood and leadership in
tune with your true spirit.
Ken is 53, a
retired executive and really ready to make a difference in a new
way rather than being on the golf course and donating money.
He’s a wonderful example of why I like to encourage people to
pursue true joy rather than enjoyment. I believe authentic joy
comes from knowing who you are meant to be and sharing your true
gifts. Ken has gained insights about his core values and
purpose. We’re making progress on identifying “what if”
scenarios for his contribution to the community- exploring his
passions and talents crossed with needs and feasibilities. His
face lights up when we’re opening new possibilities for him to
pursue his next joyful mission.
Jill was in a
phase of being very focused and rewarded by her career, so most
of our coaching has been supporting her strategic planning work
and professional relationships. She started to notice cravings
for body movement, but hesitated in making this a coaching
topic, as it naturally seemed to fall into the category of
“personal self care” which wasn’t a front burner priority.
However, when we discussed body-mind connections and seeing her
body as a resource for her work success, it made sense. We
incorporated body health in coaching sessions as an integral
part of her pursuit of fulfillment and excellence in her career.
Jill continues to integrate her body into her life priorities.
She’s lost weight and feels lighter in multiple ways, including
empowering her team at work more and having renewed energy for
creating whole life success beyond the office.
Linda is a
successful speaker, author and business owner with a busy
lifestyle. She always says she loves to hit the pause button
with her coaching sessions. Coaching supports her strategic
planning, preparation for key meetings and presentations and
productive, profitable, satisfying professional relationships.
She values insights gained from having a fellow “life watcher”
to support her ongoing awareness, future outlook and optimal
choices for her business as well as family relationships,
self-care and personal fulfillment.
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As I witness each client filling up with aliveness and
satisfaction, they naturally contribute more positive energy to
their workplaces and the rest of the world. Imagine that.
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Working Smarter Success Snapshots:
Client Examples: Coaching has fueled…
Neil, Executive
(Seeking improvements in work relationships, growth into next
level of leadership) - New heartfelt vision and chosen legacy.
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Promotion to higher
responsibility.
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Best review and
financial increase of his career.
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Junior employees
asking to work on projects with him (100% turnaround from
previous feedback).
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Feeling stronger,
pleased and proud of his leadership and role modeling.
Mark, Small Business Owner
(Seeking focus, improved time/workload management, quality of
life)
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Clarity on core values, authentic priorities.
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Insights about how he was sabotaging his own success and
fulfillment.
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New systems for more effective daily triage.
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Deeper understanding of inner drivers.
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Clear contracting with staff and others.
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New work habits for optimal energy management.
Sheila, Corporate Executive
(Ongoing support for her leadership role, vision in action,
career development) - Enhancing her leadership role in the
organization.
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Improved boundaries and whole life balance.
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Cultivating powerful professional relationships.
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Performance Plus Leadership Inventory helped identify key
strengths, growth edges.
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SWOT analysis helped clarify how to move forward with her
vision in action.
Often more important than the nuts & bolts results or tangible
outcomes, is the "being" that comes out of coaching work.
Clients report feeling more aligned with their values,
enthusiastic about creating satisfying, whole lives. They
experience a pride in overcoming obstacles, trusting
themselves to make effective decisions with more insight into
what’s really important. Life becomes more fulfilling with
increased confidence, enjoyment and gratitude. Clients develop
a sense of their own balance, how to be "at choice," to live
more effectively with less struggle. Imagine feeling like you
would not have any regrets about how you lived your life. It’s
like moving toward that all the time. There’s a flow, a peace
of mind, a renewing positive energy to living more
deliberately with coaching support. What’s a possible new
story we could inspire and support for you?
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Curious?
Take A
Free Test Drive:
Contact Marian
for your complimentary consultation
Marian@MarianBaker.com
Phone: 773.509.9408 FAX: 773.509.9584
"Is the life I’m
living the life that wants to live in me?" - Parker Palmer
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