Deciding to work with a coach can be intimidating or scary because of the unknown. What’s a session like? What if I don’t have anything to talk about? (Spoiler: There is always something to talk about!) This post is a quick rundown of what a normal coaching session is like.

The most rewarding aspect is celebrating my clients’ success, learning and growth. There is nothing I love more than getting the email that they did something, tried something, failed at something but they took an idea and went from dreaming and imagining to doing.

Jim Collins created the concept of the ‘hedgehog’ in his book, Good to Great. This is the intersection of (1) what you are passionate about, (2) what you are ‘the best in the world’ at and (3) what drives your economic engine. In his conversation with Brené Brown, he discussed applying some of his concepts to individuals.

I am becoming an Open science leadership coach to support the leaders around me. I think by supporting Open science leaders, we will have more leaders, better leaders and the Open science movement will accelerate.

There is no right or wrong way to journal, it is just finding what works for you. This post has a few ways to experiment with journaling.

No - we aren’t talking about the gym… The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. In the Open science community, it seems like coaching is still a new part of professional development, where workshops and training are the norm. I think coaching is a secret weapon to getting where I wanted to go faster.

A quick update on my leadership coaching journey! I started the Co-Active Coach Training series with the first course, Fundamentals, in mid-January. It was a great introduction to the Co-Active coaching approach and I am so happy to have found a coaching method that feels like the right fit for me and will support the leaders I coach.

Virtual events are here to stay and navigating them without overwhelm as a leader is a skill we are all learning. These are just a few ideas on how to make the most of your participation in virtual events and really any event. I’d love to hear your ideas too. How do you balance Zoom fatigue and work/life with gaining value from virtual events? Leave a comment!

My word for 2020 was release. I liked the double meaning of letting go and putting something out into the world. However, when I picked release in January 2020, I had no idea how appropriate it would be. In March, the COVID pandemic forced me to release every expectation for how I thought my time with ESIP would end.