Hello Christelle,

Welcome to the September 2022 Pistachio-Cassis Newsletter

Summer (or winter) will end soon…

For many, it’s time to go back to work, to study or to school… But that doesn’t mean that it’s also time to forget about the self-reflective journey we took during the holidays – however short it may have been!

On the contrary, it’s time to expand this self-reflection into getting inspired by others, exploring what’s around us, and expanding our views of the possibilities that are “out there”…

It’s time for step 2 of my 5 Steps to Empowering Yourself to Create the Life and Career You Want:

STEP 2. Get Inspired, Explore, and Expand Your View of the Possibilities “Out There”

This is a follow-up to the August 2022 Pistachio-Cassis Newsletter.

Now that we have a better understanding of who we really are, right now, it would be tempting to immediately look into who we want to be, where we want to get to, work on setting goals and on how to achieve them.

But I’d suggest that we start by spending some time looking for inspiration, exploring and expanding our view of the possibilities that are “out there”… in order to get more ideas before looking into who we really want to be and where we really want to go…

Let’s start with a few definitions:

Inspiration is “a feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, which gives you new and creative ideas.” – Collins Dictionary

Exploration is “the activity of searching and finding out about something” – Cambridge Dictionary

Read the full article on LinkedIn: Life Coaching: Inspiration, Exploration, Expansion… and our Goals

And if you want to know more about the 5 steps right now, click here to get the 5 Steps to Empowering Yourself to Create the Life and Career You Want guide!

And now, how is that inspiration, exploration, expansion coming up for you?

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in these ones:

• Want an International Construction Career? Here Are 4 Tactics that Worked for Me
• The Construction Industry – a Land of Many Career Opportunities?
• Want a Fulfilling Career? Ever Thought of Creating Your Own Unique Non-traditional Profile?
• I’m a Woman in Construction – No Role Models? And So What?
• From Construction To Life Coaching – My Exploration Journey

Other News about Pistachio-Cassis Coaching

• On August 3, 2022, I was invited to speak at a Coacharya webinar “Being a Coach Series - Challenging the Status Quo: The Coaching Way!” – A very interesting experience, especially when not used to public speaking… and very happy to see that supporting women in STEM / construction is “challenging the status quo”!
• On August 25, 2022, I had my first article published by Business Magazine: “3 Steps To Empower Yourself – Explore, Experiment And Expand” – Another new experience for me!
• And my 2^nd article got published on September 6, 2022: “Women in STEM: To Stay or to Leave? Remember Your “Why”, and Don’t Forget Your “What Else” ”
• Throughout August, I revisited an older article of mine – “I’m a Woman in Construction – 4 Simple Ways to Start Addressing the Lack of Role Models”: mentoring, participating in a professional association, writing about our own experience, and public speaking… in our own ways. I know, this is not “coaching” as such, but I believe these activities are part of our path toward creating the life and career we want for ourselves – if we believe that Representation matters, and if we’re prepared to do something about it!

Introducing how the “Empowering Yourself to Create the Life and Career You Want” works!

In July, I introduced the “Empower Yourself Discovery Call” and the Sample Coaching Session. And last month, it was time to introduce the services I provide (webpage being prepared):

• The Empower Yourself Package;
• The Jumpstart Package; and
• The Express Package.

And I also explained why I haven’t been sharing the prices… It’s because YOU first have to assess the VALUE of what who would get out of a coaching experience and then decide HOW MUCH you’re willing to INVEST in yourself (financial commitment of course, but also time, energy, missing out on some fun, saying “no” to others, reflecting on past events that may have been difficult times, going through ups and downs…)!

Interested, or simply curious? Book a free 45-minute Empower Yourself Discovery Call! If you haven’t already booked one…

“Coaching Moments” We Can All Enjoy & Practice

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you may have seen these “coaching moments” already… but as it takes time (and practice) to create new habits, here is a recap. of the August 2022 “coaching moments”!

• At another WBECS Summit 2022 session (“Haesun Moon, Coaching A-to-Z: Using Ordinary Words in Extraordinary Ways"), I listened to Haesun Moon explain the Dialogic Orientation Quadrant (“DOQ”)

I love the simplicity of the representation, and how we can all use it on ourselves or with friends / family / colleagues when discussing an issue: in which sections fall the different “things” that we say, and where do we want to get to?

• “You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe” – Oprah Winfrey

Or the importance of our MINDSET… and the importance of working on our mindset as we travel through life, and the challenges, unpleasant circumstances, setbacks that come with it!

*What’s the mindset we need to achieve what it is we want?

*Do we have the “right” mindset, or do we need to “adjust” it?

*If we don’t “adjust” our mindset, how will it impact our “chances” of achieving what we want?

• Coaching is about “empowering people to empower themselves to grow” - Jean-Francois Cousin, at the WBECS Summit 2022 session “Jean-Francois Cousin, COACHING DEMO: Go for Gold! Setting Up Successful Sessions"

What a “powerful” statement! That’s definitively what attracted me to life coaching: setting up our own ways of growing, progressing, moving forward rather than simply following others’ guidance and advice!

• “People fall in love with the destination, not the day” – Anthony Trucks, in a Marie TV episode

Could that mean that out “real goal” should not be the “end goal”, but should actually be the “enjoyment of getting there, one step at a time, including sometimes getting sideways or even feeling like going backward”?

“Secret” Life Coaching Techniques We Can All Use

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you may have seen these “secret” life coaching techniques already… but as it takes time (and practice) to create new habits, here is a recap. of the August 2022 “secret” life coaching techniques!

Here is another powerful, yet very simple, “coaching” question: “And what else?”

• How often do we “allow” the other person to keep digging in their thoughts, whether they’re talking about solutions, potential queries by someone else, or potential obstacles?
• How often do we “push” them to go behind what they think they know?
• Just by asking “and what else” a few times, we “help” the other person in coming up with more answers… because (almost) no one likes to answer “nothing else”… until they feel they’ve really emptied their mind on that subject matter…

Time to get a “bird’s eye view” of a situation, problem, thought? But how?

In the case of this photo (from Toronto CN Tower, Ontario, Canada), I went for the easy option: the high-speed elevator… but more often than not, it feels like I’m taking the stairs, or even trying to climb (without any climbing skills!), to the top…

But, having this photo nearby is a reminder that it’s time to look at a situation “from the top”…

What’s your technique?

What’s your first response when someone comes up to you with a problem they have?

Very often, we want to help that person, give them some advice, or even tell them what they should do.

But what about simply asking them “what do you want from me?”

Because, maybe, what they want is:

• To talk it through with someone and get some feedback
• To simply be listened to
• To think out loud… and figure out the next step on their own
• And yes, sometimes, they’ll want advice or even instructions – but not always!

Connect With Me

I look forward to hearing from you if you have any feedback, suggestions, or anything else you want to tell me!

Email: christelle@pistachiocassis.com

LinkedIn

Know someone who could be interested in the Pistachio-Cassis Newsletter?

Forward them this latest newsletter!

They can then Click here to register for the Pistachio-Cassis Newsletter.

Keep up the good work!

Christelle

Personal Leadership & Development Coach

P.S.(1): Interested, or simply curious? Book a free 45-minute Empower Yourself Discovery Call! If you haven’t already booked one…

P.S.(2): Looking for a past newsletter? Click here.