My Approach to Coaching
Are you free to do what is important in this moment? Are you free to follow your inner guidance system? Or do you feel constrained to do things you don’t care about or to do what you don’t want to? Do you constantly postpone what brings you joy, like say being with friends and loved ones? Or being creative? Or finding the job you want? Or moving? Or helping your family, community and world in the ways you care about?
Colin helps me validate and articulate what truly matters to me in my life, making sure that the choices I make are driving toward those values. He helps me turn those values into goals and plans of action for reaching them.”
SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR AND IVY LEAGUE MBA WHO FINALLY FOUND A JOB THAT MAKES HER HAPPY
Do you want to become the person you are truly meant to be? Do you want to help your community or organization to become what it is truly meant to be? Do you want to help our world to become what it is meant to be?
I help people, both individually and in groups, get in touch with and trust their own wisdom and work through the inner maze to find solutions and ways of living that are healthy, balanced, fun and abundant for them while having a meaningful and positive impact on their people, communities and the world (I also write and speak about these things).
I use my training in humanist therapeutic techniques and as a senior dharma teacher, together with my long experience in the recovery movement and as a “lifequester,” in a series of conversations in which I listen deeply with a lot of love, acceptance and trust in the client. I help the client identify limiting beliefs and soulful aspirations. I help the client be accountable to themselves and to take meaningful steps forward.
All the great religious traditions as well as philosophy and psychology tell us that when we find and operate from our truest self, that is when we are most likely to thrive and it is also when we are most able to help the communities, organizations and society we are part of thrive. There is real and concrete science that shows this is true. (This, by the way, is a theme that is explored in my books No Impact Man and How To Be Alive).
Looking back over the course of my life, through all my careers and relationships, I see that the main thrust of my personal work has been to find this seed within myself, to work towards living from it, and to help others to do the same. One purpose of life is to water and bring this seed to fruition. Another, at least for me, is to help others bring their own seeds to fruition.
I had felt a calling for some time but Colin’s kindness and enthusiasm brought out the confidence in me to follow my true path. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier or felt more grounded and sure of myself.”
A senior partner in a law firm who dialed back her practice to become a mindfulness coach
One on One Coaching
People often ask me what techniques I use in coaching but the techniques I use depend on the people or group. There is no standard approach. My coaching philosophy is “client-centered.” The client is the expert and my job is to help them uncover their expertise. I help people uncover their ability to transform, both individually and in groups, through a series of conversations. I don’t do “coaching packages”. All my work is tailor-made according to who the client is and what they need.
In my view, more important than techniques are the qualities I strive to bring to coaching conversations. My hero, Carl Rogers, one of the founders of the humanist tradition in psychology, wrote that there are three “necessary but sufficient” conditions required to assist in other people’s personal transformation. Those conditions are unconditional acceptance, deep empathic understanding and authenticity.
I like to think that I have developed those qualities during 25 years of Zen practice, fifteen years as a Zen teacher, training in humanist therapeutic techniques and forty years in the recovery movement. My clients’ experience is that they transform quickly, that they develop the skills they need to move forward on their own, and that they value and enjoy the experience.
Of course, no one can tell from a webpage whether a coach is a good match for them. If you would like to explore further, let’s talk. My intake process includes a number of conversations to ensure we are a match and that the work will be successful.
Colin helps me figure out what is truly important. To figure out the difference between the stories I’ve told myself—or the stories other people have about me—and what’s true. He’s taught me to translate the noise in my head into clear signals of what to do next in my life.”
A Media Celebrity who stopped demanding so much from her career and let herself enjoy her travels, family and self.
To start a preliminary conversation, just send me a message and we will find a time to talk.
Mastermind Groups
What if you had a group of friends who refused to let you fail at your vision for your life?
My mastermind groups are based on the precept that aligning ourselves with what is most true and important inside us is the most powerful route to building to a joyful life that makes us happy and serves our friends, families, communities and the world.
The question is, how do you discern the truth of how you are called to live and then manifest that authentically? How do you build a life of integrity in every area, from career to relationships to choice of home to friendships to making money to service to the world?
That is what my mastermind groups are about—bringing all areas of your life in line with your most authentic values while being joyfully of service. It isn’t necessarily just about career (though that is definitely be the emphasis for some). It is about living in ways that give you meaning and make you feel purposeful in all areas.
Being part of a group with the common purpose of supporting each other to build meaningful, prosperous, service-oriented lives is a powerful way to move forward forcefully and concretely. My mastermind groups include six to ten people, confidentially and compassionately joining together in exploration and execution.
I and the other members of Colin’s carefully curated group embarked on a journey of self-discovery that culminated for me in a life-changing way. I was able to make changes in the way I view myself and the world. I now move forward in the world in a way that is in line with my core values resulting in my sustained happiness and a much more meaningful life.”
–Jennifer D
- Groups meet once a week for 90 minutes by video call (we are able to see each other).
- Meetings include smaller breakout groups for active sharing and discussion.
- All members join a Slack group to continue working and sharing between meetings.
- Members sometimes partner with other group members to collaborate between meetings.
- You will have fun and be inspired and see real changes in your life.
- You will feel supported and included in a group of people who share our values.
- The groups are facilitated by me and include email support from me.
To start a preliminary conversation, just send me a message and we will find a time to talk.
Colin’s mastermind group enabled me to move beyond the usual gung-ho goal setting that happens in the rush of a resolution. I found a vision that fits and habits that worked. Six months after we finished, I’m still feeling the deeper learnings resonating and seeing the changes unfolding, and I believe that comes from being held accountable by a supportively honest group of people over an extended period.”
–Deborah K