Frequently Asked Questions

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  An executive coach isn’t just for executives; a coach can help people at all stages in their careers. Coaching is not consulting, mentoring, or providing wellness advice. A coach may offer advice if it’s relevant to the coaching conversation, but the main elements of such a conversation are active listening and active inquiry. The coachee determines the topics and goals and the coach helps them uncover working strategies, overcome limiting beliefs, and identify false assumptions. A coach is a professional thought partner and accountability partner.

  Yes, coaching conversations are held in strict confidence, as detailed in the International Coaching Federation’s Code of Ethics (https://coachingfederation.org/resource/icf-code-of-ethics/). The only situation where I would break that confidentiality is if I had reason to believe you would be of harm to yourself of others.

  A certified coach is someone who had completed a rigorous training program, preferably from a International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited program. My level 2 certification was from the ICF-accredited Center for Executive Coaching (https://centerforexecutivecoaching.com/). I have also earned a number of coaching specialty certifications, including perceptual shift, communication impact, change leadership, culture change, and career coaching.

  That can vary greatly depending on what the coachee wants to accomplish. Coachees contract with me for either a block of one-hour coaching sessions (typically 4-8), which can be renewed. Career coaching, involving resume building, networking, researching opportunities and interview preparation can be covered in as little as for sessions. Coaching for leadership development, managing change in an organization, and strategic planning typically involve a longer number of sessions.

  Pricing packages very depending on whether I am hired by an individual, a company to coach one or more employees individually, or hired to conduct group coaching. Contact me to talk about your needs and I can quote you a price. My rates are much lower that those at HR and consulting firms.

  My coaching training program taught me how to coach people at all career levels irrespective of their profession. A coach doesn’t need to be a subject matter expert in the coachee’s line of work. That said, I find coachees are more comfortable working with a coach who has a background similar to the coachee’s. Prior to becoming a coach, I worked for 35 years in academia and at the National Institutes of Health as a professor, research scientist, program director, science administrator, and science management executive. Many of my coachees are scientists, academics, scientists at Federal agencies, and science-adjacent professionals.

  Yes, I coach individuals remotely (by Zoom). For group coaching, I prefer to conduct these sessions in person, where I would also bill for travel expenses, but this can be done remotely as well (especially for small groups).