Coaching

I remember that day well. It was a Sunday in the spring. My husband and I left church and headed to the grocery store before heading home. In the parking lot, I got the call from my boss. As his business partner, I had been working with him over the past month to reorganize the department, which I was a part of. In the reorganization, I initiated a change that eliminated my position. I knew I wanted something different. It was time to leave the organization I had been a part

Transitions are a fact of life. Some transitions are planned and self-initiated, like making a career shift, changing marital status, or moving to a new city. Others happen involuntarily and without much planning, such as dealing with a health crisis, facing the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job. According to Bruce Feiler, author of Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age , everyone goes through a disruptive event on average every 12 to 18 months. Tra

With so many of our beliefs and assumptions being challenged over the past two years, the role of coaching in organizations should also be challenged. Traditionally, organizations have invested in coaching practices to support performance and development. But building a coaching culture is the fabric of a healthy, strong, and thriving organization. This goes well beyond managing performance and supporting development. Coaching is at the heart of engagement, overall well-bein

Melissa has an MBA and is a leader in a Fortune 500 global business. Melissa’s business background, strong coaching skills, and passion to help others make her a great fit for the ithrive31 coaching team. She joins the team as a Leadership and Transition Coach and will do both personal coaching and leadership coaching. Here’s a little more about Melissa’s love of coaching and why she joined ithrive31. What was your response to coaching for the first time? My first experienc

What a challenging time it is for leaders in the middle of “the great resignation.” Many reasons prompt people to look for new paths, and this creates a challenging environment for leaders who are trying to hold it all together. It is one thing to read about it, but it becomes very real when I hear the personal impact from clients, friends, and family in leadership roles. For leaders experiencing turnover in their teams, here are some things to pay attention to: 1. Take care

Hello! I am Monica Converse, the new head of operations, and I am excited to be part of the growing ithrive31® team. I would like to take a moment and share a little bit about myself and the personal impact ithrive31 coaching had for me. Finding a Career Direction—at 18 Before diving in, I have a question for you: Do you really know what you want to do professionally in your life? I have always thought it was a bit unfair that as an 18-year-old, you are expected to choose a

If you’re wondering what to expect from an ithrive31® small-group coaching  opportunity, watch Beth Strobel’s insights into her own coaching experience. Beth shares the structure of the weekly coaching sessions and her personal takeaways from the experience. Watch the short video and let Beth describe how she benefited from the strategic focus on key coaching concepts and discussions of challenges and opportunities in her own organization. She also points out the value of th

It’s time to shine. Kick summer off by setting achievable goals that lead to long-term success. Remember, it’s summer, and that brings a different attitude. Your goals should reflect the season and be a springboard into the next. This handy acronym helps you remember valuable concepts as you set your goals, make progress, and achieve milestones throughout the summer. BRITE stands for: Balanced When setting goals consider all areas of your life. Use the ithrive31® model of w

Some of the things I hear a lot when coaching managers is: “I want to develop my team, but I don’t have any time.”  “I am so consumed with the day-to-day that I cannot focus on the strategic planning for my department.” “I wish my team would step-up and take on more.” What managers fail to realize is that they create some of their own problems by making too many decisions.  By assuming the primary decision-making role, managers fail to develop capabilities that free up their

Four years ago, I started my business. There is so much to reflect on and I feel humbled and honored to be walking this journey. Life is full of opportunities for personal growth, so looking back, here are some of the lessons I have learned.   Year One was about humility . I never thought I had a big ego, but as it turns out, it has always been there.  I left my job after 25 years with a big salary, good title and loads of experience thinking, “why wouldn’t I be a valuable,

Executive presence is a term that gets used a lot within organizations, yet it can often be difficult to measure.  Why?  Because it is subjective, filled with bias and depends on the context of the organization and the assessor.  Sometimes described as the “it” factor, this quality is commonly used in succession planning discussions, leadership development programs and career development plans as important criteria when considering advancement. As a coach that prepares lea

Is your business booming or bLooming?  The L can make all the difference. Recently I hosted a couple of women at my home to engage in a vision board exercise.  (For anyone not familiar with these exercises, it involves cutting pictures and words out of magazines that speak to your heart/intuition and help you craft a vision for your future). As they were sharing their pictures, Jen held up a beautiful pink peony in full bloom.  The caption on the image was: “Business is Bloom

Three years ago, I launched ithrive31®, and with it, its bright and colorful brand.  The use of bold colors in the ithrive31 logo and other design materials was intentional, but was in stark contrast with “traditional” organizational marketing materials.  When I shared the look of my brand with my peers in the corporate space, they were not shy with their feedback: “It looks like it is geared toward women and it may not resonate with men” someone said. “If you are working in

Over the last four days, in honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, I have shared real situations where coaching has made a big impact.   Coaching can help you: Get Unstuck – Read Kim’s story on feeling stuck and desiring a new challenge Gain Clarity –Read Joe’s story on working through conflict with his boss Reach New Heights --  Read Bill’s story on being stretched in a new assignment Ensure Accountability – Read Cindy’s story on developing personal accountability   Today’s

In honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, every day this week I will be sharing real stories of situations where coaching has made a big impact.  Cindy’s Story:  Cindy is a rockstar professional businesswoman. She is creative, driven and self-motivated. Like most high performers, Cindy does it all and has multiple irons in the fire. Her challenge was staying on top of everything and meeting the high expectations she has of herself. As a working mom, she balances the craziness

I n honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, every day this week I will be sharing real stories of situations where coaching has made a big impact.  Bill’s Story:  Bill was an outstanding performer and was recently promoted to a mid-level management position. The company had total confidence in Bill and he was excited for the opportunity.  In this role, he would be supervising people who were previously his peers. Additionally, as a younger leader, Bill would be supervising peop

In honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, every day this week I will be sharing real stories of situations where coaching has made a big impact.  Joe’s Story Joe was a Sales Director at a technology company and was struggling with his boss.  Joe and his boss had very similar personality styles and were both highly competitive individuals.  This was causing a great deal of angst for both of them. Tensions were rising.  Unfortunately, this escalated into a couple heated meetings

In honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, every day this week I will be sharing real stories of situations where coaching has made a big impact. Kim’s Story  Kim was a successful leader in a growth-oriented company.  She had been in her role for several years, and had been promoted and gained more responsibility over time. Even though she had a great job, Kim was growing increasingly frustrated. She wanted a new challenge and couldn’t shake the feeling that this job was not wh