Coaching in Strange Time: an experiment
View this email in your browser.
Forwarded by a dear friend? You can receive the Enzyme directly by subscribing here.
Coaching in Strange time
Hi ,
In this spirit of "small courage" as I wrote about in the previous newsletter, I want to share with you an experiment. Read on and see if you maybe interested, and forward to those who might.
----------
This is such a strange time. So many aspects of life as we know it have been shaken: the economy, our jobs, the traffic, how people relate to each other and even who we think we are.
Fear and anxiety aside, it’s also a timely invitation to explore a new way of being and doing in this brave new world.
If that resonates with you, here is a good news. You are not alone, and we can explore that together.
As many of you already know, I've been practicing and apprenticing as a coach & guide informally for a little over two years now. I've been working with quite a few people, mostly in their mid 20s to mid 30s, in discerning who they are and what that means for what they do. I have 2-3 slots opening up in my coaching schedule, and I’m looking to fill in those with people who are wondering a similar kind of question.
I feel the impulse to offer myself more to the world in this time. As an example of a new way of being, I am exploring a way to be generous and to do well using this pay-from-the-heart model. Let me explain.
💝 Pay from the heart 💝
It’s NOT free.
It’s unclear how much it is worth either. I’ve received from several cups of tea to $800/3 month engagement to a grateful heart and many more good deeds in return.
You can choose to give nothing. Yup. No gimmick. No bad feelings.
Your heart knows better.
If we decide to work together, you will give a token of commitment, such as a deposit of your choice or a letter to strengthen your commitment for the work.
Then at the end, you’ll give an amount that expresses your gratitude. Or something else.
This is wholehearted good work: I do expect the work to be valuable and effective, which will create surplus in gratitude. That will depend on three factors:
Your readiness: how crazy busy are you? It’s very unlikely for concrete and deep change to happen in such a short time if your life is packed and gives this work no space.
Your willingness: why you, why us, why now? Answering these questions will strengthen your willingness to do this work.
Our fit: so many people can do this, so having the right chemistry & match is key. You can read more about my approach below.
We will explore these 3 factors in our first free 30-45 mins diagnostic call. Then we will decide how to move forward.
Priorities if you are:
Curious, entrepreneurial and already doing some work to serve your community.
Already have at least a little background in self-awareness & contemplation. No need to be extensive, just be aware and willing to explore enough so I don’t have to convince you.
Next Steps:
Read on to make sure you have a sense of my approach. You may also find something helpful in what I wrote too. Take an hour or so to dig in, don’t rush. You can bookmark this page.
Then fill in this form (will take you 15 mins to write carefully)
Then pick a time to chat here. If none of those time works, drops me an email at g.khuyen@gmail.com.
Intrigued? Read on.
Where in life are we meeting?
I’ve worked on self-awareness with people in their 20s and early 30s, including startup founders funded by Y-combinator, rising leaders in social impact field, several designers and more. (you can see some testimonies here)
Fancy titles aside, they tend to be very passionate about what they do (sometimes too much haha), well-read, growth-oriented, ambitious. Some also have an inkling of a spiritual & contemplative life since we often talk about questions of being, meaning & purpose.
People often come to me to seek clarity when life gets overwhelmingly muddled up, new perspectives to make sense of this mess and lastly develop their own capacity to both accept what is and also hold on to what can be.
Think of me as your friendly neighborhood (Spiderman) Dr Strange who enjoys knowing you, gently pointing you to the parts you might have ignored and sharing his ongoing questions & experiences to help you better navigate the journey ahead.
Let’s take that chance, whatever it takes. (Also remember that you are not Tony Stark 😅)
If you belong to either of the two kinds below, you’ll likely get a lot from working with me:
Embarking on an exciting endeavor (impact-driven startup, reinventing career, world traveling, dawning relationship). Often you’ll need me to play the role of
a mirror to see themselves more clearly and check what they miss.
a guide who walks alongside with you to avoid some psycho-spiritual pitfalls.
“Everything is good but something is missing”. Commonly shown as "What's my next career move?" or "Who is my next partner?" but behind it is "I'm not sure if what I always wanted is what I really want anymore". Surprisingly or not, the first and perhaps most important step to a satisfying career & relationships before asking people what cool jobs & people out there is to know ourselves. Often you’ll need me to play the role of
a curious and loving friend who knows you and affirms who you are, especially the part of you that you don’t like.
A co-explorer who questions the givens with you so that we can go deeper into what really matters and refine your focus.
If you are in other phases, I’ll likely know who or what to recommend you, so do reach out still.
Know thyself, by example
What I can do but not really good at
Performance Coach: yet performance in your chosen field will inevitably improve, often after 1-6 months.
Therapist: yet healing often happen through “Ahas” moments.
Career, Relationship or Life Coaching: yet you’ll get better at discerning what’s true, good and beautiful that you can be more wholehearted about.
Innovation Consultant: yet you’ll have new innovative ideas (I used to be one btw)
I’m really good at accepting you for who you are, especially the parts of you that you don’t even want to and that might be the key to a fuller life.
What I love is helping you make sense and understand yourself in context, from work, relationships, family to even religious beliefs. It’s more like philosophical counseling, which is why I call it “Guiding Practice”.
My approach is often personal & philosophical before “follow this 5 steps to achieve success/happiness”. To check if you resonate, check out some of my own reflections on aloneness , anger , fear , kindness , judgment , resentment , happiness, meaning & money, the sorrow and joy of passionate work , belonging , romance, relationship and its pain .
What practically happen in a conversation?
Usually the first session after we decided to work with each other will be exploring deeper each other and imagining what’s possible.
Then the next 2 sessions (60 - 90 mins) go free-wheeling exploration for a while then circle back with some reflection questions, concrete actions or practical tools you can use and see result immediately. You can expect to be more confident, clear and inspired to take the next step in your life.
Then the next 4-8 sessions will be deepening, discovering your own insights and and applying them into your life.
Past clients have told me that the real impact usually comes in 3-6 months once some of the “Ahas” in our conversations become essential in guiding them forward.
Some more credentials about me
I’m practicing as part of my coaching training with MindKind Institute. Our work is to help people become the joyous, wise & kind leaders they already are.
Your gift will also contribute to my further certification process (which you can read more about here in How to Train your Young Wizard) ‘
Thanks for taking the time, and looking forward to talking soon,
Khuyen
p/s: We are in this together. Hurray!
Sharing is sprouting.
If you have been forwarded this newsletter, feel free to subscribe to it here