Coaching
“The winds of grace are blowing all the time. All we need to do is raise our sails.” —Rama Krishna
Think of mindfulness as something like aligning the sails on a boat—tightening or loosening the ropes to most effectively harness the wind and direct your course. Mindfulness is an essential ingredient that determines the quality of your results whether your goals concern your career, finances, creative expression, relationships, life transitions, health, or personal development.
My Coaching Approach and Philosophy
What is Coaching?
Coaching is a collaborative process of exploration that strengthens the wisdom you already have within you, allowing you to skillfully establish goals, design strategies, initiate steps and achieve your goals.(Read more about coaching)
My Coaching Background and Training
I earned a Certificate in Life Coaching from New York University in 2007 and began coaching during the course of my training. Since 2008, I have engaged in serious study and practice of Buddhist principles, which inform and provide the foundation of my work.
What is Mindfulness and Why Does it Matter?
Mindfulness is something we hear a lot about these days. Since its meaning can often be misunderstood, I would like to clarify what it means, some of its distinctions, and why it is important. There are levels of mindfulness, beginning with meditations that calm the mind by focusing on a chosen object such as one’s flow of breath, noticing feelings and sensations as they arise without judgment and then gently returning the focus to the breath. This practice is an excellent way to help reduce stress and anxiety and other negative states of mind.
If you envision your mind as a calm body of water, when anxiety and stress are active in your mind it’s as if aggressive winds have churned the water into a stormy sea. It is in this way that your mind becomes agitated and disturbed by negative thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness meditation manages the negative thoughts and emotions at their source, allowing your mind to return to its calm and natural state. Over time, mindfulness practice can be directed toward a deeper awareness that includes introspection to understand the quality and true origin of thoughts that instigate agitated states of mind. Once you understand their true origins, it is then possible to apply antidotes, disabling the habitual thoughts that cause unhappiness, stress and anxiety, and to make conscious decisions that steer your life in the direction that most meaningfully honors the values you choose to live by.
Lojong, the mind training taught by Tibetan Buddhist lamas, entails directing awareness of the mind’s activity, refining, and purifying one’s motivations and attitudes. This practice informs my life and therefore imbues and serves to deepen the quality of my work. Assisting my clients as they cultivate mindfulness is central to the work we do together - without mindfulness, one’s focus is unclear.
You are the Expert in Your Own Life
You are the expert in your own life, and through the skillful use of powerful questions and active listening the coaching process serves to promote insights and give voice to your own expert knowledge. With mindfulness at the core of your motivations, choices and actions, you will design strategies to accomplish your goals and achieve a sense of peace, contentment, and a life lived in a meaningful way. It might sound like magic, but there’s no magic involved— it’s all within your power.
For More Information and How to Contact Me
If you would like to have the support of coaching to make mindful and positive changes in your life I would love to speak with you about how we can work together to creatively and joyfully accomplish your goals. Please send me an email at Janet@JanetEttele.com, or call me at 203-512-8864 and we will set up a time to talk.
To learn more about my understanding of mindfulness, please read my blog: The Creative Power of Mindfulness
Sign up for my mailing list and visit my blog for other Janet Ettele announcements and information.
Coaching Basics
At one time or another, most of us experience a feeling that something in our lives needs to change. Whether the desired change is physical, mental, spiritual or emotional, our sense of balance and wellbeing is off, and we know that we must take action. The question is, how and where to begin. This is where coaching can help.
Coaching is a powerful, collaborative process that strengthens the wisdom you already have within you, allowing you to skillfully establish goals, design strategies, initiate steps and achieve your goals.
The coaching relationship is co-created in a safe, supportive environment of confidentiality, mutual trust and respect. This creates a partnership that fosters and encourages self-discovery. You will discover and align with what you want to achieve, eliciting solutions and strategies that move you consistently in the direction of your goals.
Coaching is about creating awareness. When your awareness shifts, then you shift - when you shift then life as you experience it shifts.
As the client, you will drive the coaching experience. Through active listening and powerful questioning I serve as facilitator. This process helps you to create awareness, discover and release your potential, and design solutions and strategies to achieve your desired results.
Everyone has their unique set of dreams, goals and desired outcomes along with their own collection of fears, resistance and reservations. I will meet you without judgment, and help you to find comfortable ways to stretch and move forward into areas you may not have considered possible before.
Coaching harnesses the desire and energy for change and converts that energy into momentum through focused action.
As a professional coach I listen carefully to your vision and help keep you on track as you design and go through the necessary steps to achieve your desired goals. Through our work together, you will define what constitutes success for yourself.
Who uses Coaching?
- People in transition
- People who are at crossroads
- People who feel stuck
- People with a bucket-list of dreams not yet acted on
- People who want balance in their lives
I focus on "The Model of Human Functioning" or "Action-Results" model that states:
First come Thoughts - then Feelings - then Actions - then Results.
Awareness of our thoughts is powerfully transforming and is an essential element to bring about change. When you take a more conscious role in your life you begin to act on the world rather than being acted upon.
How I Work
Do you work by phone or in person?For the most part, our coaching work will be done either by phone or Zoom with email support as needed. Coaching by phone is a powerful method because it eliminates distractions, allowing you to focus on the content of our conversation. Having the conversation from the comfort of your home or office is convenient and allows you to be in a relaxed, safe setting that supports you in your ability to focus on the dynamics of the coaching session. This method is also cost effective as there is no time or expense wasted traveling to and from appointments.
How often will we meet?Coaching conversations are typically scheduled once a week for one hour. This works well by building support, momentum and accountability. Working together weekly helps you to move forward faster, and to progress further than you might now imagine. However, the frequency and duration can be altered to suit your individual needs and preferences.
How long will we work together? Most coaching engagements are held over a period of three months. It takes about three months for most people to clarify the direction they want to take, design strategies to get moving in that direction, and then begin to see results. This can vary though. Some people may want less time, while many others continue on beyond three months as long as they continue to receive valuable results from the coaching.
What if I just want to try it out?To get started, I offer a complimentary consultation so we can discuss what your needs are, determine if coaching is appropriate for your needs, and if working together feels like a good fit.
What if I need to cancel or I miss a scheduled call?If you need to cancel a coaching call please notify me by email at Janet@JanetEttele.comwith 24 hours notice so we can reschedule the call at no additional charge.
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"Janet is the real deal. She offers a very honest and pragmatic approach to coaching that is geared to your goals, aspirations and needs. I highly recommend her for both personal and corporate coaching work." - G.C. VP Quality Systems, Cambridge, MA
"Shortly after I became self-employed, Janet gave me some important tools to help me determine my next steps. This guidance proved crucial as I defined what I wanted to do, and gave me confidence as I established my new business. More importantly she helped me identify what I did not want, so that I could clearly focus on my goals, and avoid distracting opportunities that would have proven to be time-consuming and potentially derailing. I can't thank her enough for her sage advice!" - J.C. Senior User Experience Researcher - Independent Consultant, NY, NY
"Our work together has helped me gain a better perspective on my own inclinations and sense of purpose. This has helped me direct more energy toward getting myself organized, clarifying my goals, and making strategic decisions about where to focus my energy (and where not to)." R.P. Ridgefield, CT
“Janet Ettele is a wonderful Life Coach! I found her through a mutual friend. I was looking for someone to help my adult son. I called Janet and after a few minutes of speaking with her, I knew she could help my son. Her patience, her understanding and her ability helped my son to realize HE had the power to change the direction of his life. Janet was very patient with my son and ultimately he found his OWN way!”
—L.C. Fairfield, CT
“Janet encouraged me to take a good look at myself and realize that my happiness and success were fully in my hands. Wonderfully intuitive, kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and positive, she worked alongside me as a guide and cheerleader as I grappled with obstacles and learned how to overcome them. Janet is like a Sherpa, who walks with you as you endeavor to summit whatever your mountain is: she is skilled, experienced, willing to share her expertise, and prepared to stick with you every step of your journey.”
— T.R. Redding, CT
“Your guidance through my self-discovery process contributed to enabling me to self-heal. Our time together, even if over the phone, was effective by introducing an analytical thought process that allowed me to discover myself again. Self- awareness has been crucial in the process of making myself whole again. There had been a hole, or something missing inside that I couldn't quite manage to describe. That feeling is gone. I thank you for your kindness.”
—F.C. Denver, CO
“Your wisdom and understanding has already helped me tremendously. I have been desperately searching for something to hang on to, some mantra or game plan so I don't destroy my health and wellbeing. You have given me some great tools to help ease my mind and steer MY behavior in a direction that will help me to avoid the same pitfalls. I am grateful for your kindness, tremendous intellect and your on-going support and guidance.”
—C.G. Atlanta, GA
“Your coaching and the artful aspect of your Buddhist influence helped me to uncover an internal authenticity. Our work together helped me to sift away what wasn’t my own and to hone in on my aptitudes and preferences rather than the “shoulds” I’ve allowed to run my choices in the past. This allowed me to envision what I most deeply want in my life and gave me a tangible process for creating it. Pushing through what has been uncomfortable, and taking steps in new directions proves what is possible. Thank you.”
— E.B. Fort Collins, CO
“What a gift this life coaching experience has been for me. Thank you for encouraging me to take a risk and reach a much deeper place where I found myself.”
—
D.D. New York City
To learn more about my understanding of mindfulness, please read Janet's blog:The Creative Power of Mindfulness
Sign up for her mailing list and visit her blog for other Janet Ettele announcements and information.
Leadership and Team Effectiveness Coaching through Mindfulness
Imagine what your organization would be capable of when its members are clear and focused, working in and creating a harmonious environment with each member aligned with their unique and positive potential.
Provide your organization’s leaders with a tailored developmental process that assists them to achieve goals and to become more effective leaders.
Coaching leaders to:
- Clearly articulate goals and strategically influence others to achieve them
- Identify strengths of a team and put those strengths to purposeful work
- Be empathetic and create an environment of compassion
- Demonstrate to employees that their talents, creativity, and service to the team are valued
- Learn to manage stress and emotions with a holistic approach to strengthen awareness and mindfulness of emotions
- Identify existing behaviors and highlight strengths and opportunities for improvement
- Develop awareness to understand and recognize the cause and effect nature of actions of body, speech and mind, and cultivate methods to circumvent the negative actions at their root and instead engage in actions that deliver positive, fruitful outcomes
- Learn mindfulness practices that bring about a fresh perspective that results in more harmonious dynamics and higher levels of effectiveness among team members
Awareness is the best thing that can happen for leaders! Coaching invites introspection and reflection that develops the necessary awareness to help leaders clear a path for success.
People don’t cease being human when they enter the work environment. The way we deal with life is the same as at work. With mindfulness based coaching I help clients clear the static from their minds, tune into and harness their innate intelligence, creativity and wisdom to live a joyful and meaningfully productive work and personal life.
Janet Ettele is a certified life coach (New York University SCPS) musician, author, speaker, and student of Tibetan Buddhism blending over ten years study and practice with traditional coaching.
Coaching conferences with video conferencing by Zoom or by phone.
janetettele.com janetettele@gmail.com 203-512-8864
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