Commitment to Craft: A Coaching journey Toward Mastery

International Coaching Federation Master Certified Coach, MCC Badge

For International Coaching Week, I am reflecting on my coaching journey.

On Wednesday, May 3, I passed the International Coaching Federation’s (ICF) credentialing exam to receive my MCC (Master Certified Coach) credential.

This is a prestigious and elite honor. There are fewer than 2,100 MCC coaches in the world at this time, and only about 700 in the US (based on ICF’s Jan 2023 Membership Fact Sheet).

When you think about all of the coaches out there…from credentialed coaches (training plus verified experience) to certified coaches (trained) to truly dedicated coaches who are following their calling without maybe having coach-specific training (no judgement here – I know uncertified coaches who do amazing work because it’s their passion), to ‘throw up a shingle’ coaches (“Eh, this looks like a way to make some money”) …it seems like there are more than a million coaches in the world.

Actually, there’s probably 8 billion coaches in the world, because everyone has the ability to be a coach, and at some point in time, we all experience that dynamic as we hold space for a family member or friend…yet only a small percentage commit to the industry through personal development and a commitment to excellence.

For me, it’s been a journey of self discovery.

I left my sales career in 2014 to discover a new path that aligned with my passion for problem-solving and my purpose of helping others live more powerful lives.

That path took me first to hypnotherapy. I opened my practice in 2016.

Because of the misconceptions about hypnosis, I chose to add coaching as a service to my prospective clients who were hesitant around hypnosis.

I received my first coaching training certificate in July 9, 2017 from what is now the Certified Life Coach Institute.

In May of 2018, I received my first credential from the ICF: my ACC (Associate Certified Coach). That requires at least 60 hours of training, 100 client hours, and 10 hours of mentoring.

Less than 3 years later, in September 2020, I received my PCC (Professional Certified Coach). That’s a minimum of 125 training hours, 500 client hours, and another 10 hours of mentoring. (I need closer to 15, as I had a hard time shifting my hearing to coaching the person, not the problem. But once I heard the opportunities for deeper dives, now I can’t unhear them. I cannot thank my mentor enough for her patience with me through this process.)

Less than 3 years after that, May 2023, I received my MCC. That one requires 200 training hours, a whopping 2,500 client hours, and, you guessed it, another 10 hours of mentoring.

In total, that’s close to 3,000 hours of committed time in under 6 years.

Sounds like a lot, until you realize that it’s only about 10-12 hours per week.

That is what commitment looks like.

That is what singular focus looks like.

That is what truly loving what you do looks like.

This is also what accepting short-term defeat looks like.

Making mistakes is an integral part of the journey of mastery.

There is no growth without errors.

It’s OK to fall down. In fact, in some ways, it is necessary.

It’s not OK to stay down.

My first sessions with clients were bumpy, and I was uncomfortable…because I was in my head thinking about the model, not being present with the client. My tools were limited, yet the clients told me that they were impactful conversations.

With practice, I got better. Repetition builds confidence, skill, and flow.

Last year, in working with a PCC mentoring client, I shared one of my passing recordings from 2020 (with my recording client’s permission, of course).

Three years ago, when that recorded session took place and passed review, I remember doing a happy dance. I felt like I had reached a pinnacle in my listening.

It was a plateau.

Listening to that session two years later, I was embarrassed. I even recall telling my mentoring client, “Eh, I wouldn’t talk that much now,” and “Oh, that question could be a LOT shorter….”

It’s easy to judge our journeys looking both forward and backward.

Looking forward, we tend to get frustrated with “I’m not there yet” energy. That can help or hinder our progress, depending on how we harness it.

Looking backward, we might judge our prior selves for not knowing what we know in the present. That could look like, “I was so stupid…” or “I can’t believe I didn’t take that chance then…” In those moments, we tend to miss the fact that we’ve grown so much and come so far.

The journey to my MCC has been a metaphor for life success.

The key bullet points are:

·       Stop talking and listen.

·       Learn and accept that you know a lot less than what you think.

·       Listen more deeply, notice the patterns no one else senses.

·       Trust yourself and take the risk of asking bold questions.

·       Know that humans are not frail (no matter what the current cultural talking points say) – that means you and your client are powerful. You’ll both be fine.

If you fall down, get back up. Learn a new way not to fall down.

That’s called building resilience.

No one said it was going to be easy… you just have to believe it’s all worth it, because when you commit to one thing with singular focus, you will be saying no to other things.

Make your choices wisely and create flexibility.

In all of it, I invite you to remember the powerful saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

I would not be where I am without the support of many people in my life, both personally and professionally:

·       Those who saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and challenged me
to discover it.

·       Those who held space for me when I fell down and didn’t want to get back up.

·       Those who inspired me by setting the ultimate standard with their way of being.

Thank you all. While I may not have had the opportunity to tell you how important your presence was in those moments, please know now that your impact was not unseen/unfelt.

·       Thank you to my mentors who guided me.

·       Thank you to my coaches who empowered me.

·       Thank you to my clients who inspired me and helped me to see more deeply into myself through their experiences. Reflection is powerful.

In some ways, at this moment of celebration, this achievement feels like another pinnacle. It is after all the highest credential with ICF.

However, I know it is just another plateau.

I think I’ll pause and enjoy it for a bit.

Looking forward to meeting you on our way to the next summit.

In the meantime, climb happy. Enjoy your journey.