I did a coaching session with someone… I did a coaching session with someone last year and I would like to say that I did not find the experience helpful. I was having a conversation with the coach and was telling her how me and my friends always joke around with each other and about each other, often playfully making fun of each other. Sometimes I made mistakes but my friends always successfully made me feel better by joking about my mistake and showing love(that's how we show love to each other). She began to compare me with her acquaintance. Someone who she told me was used as a laughing stock by his friends. And although he "loved" his friends, he was still visibly hurt by the jokes. She continued blabbering about this guy and it really felt like she was talking about someone who I could not relate to, however, in her mind she was convinced that by sharing this story I would somehow gain wisdom and share the specific emotional pain she thought I was experiencing. It was a complete waste of time, however, I was very stressed about my work & relationship at the time and was feeling insecure so I was open-minded about her story and let her speak. In this case she was not the coach for me and it felt like she was trying to deeply psychoanalyse me and find something that is not there(common mistake, to be fair) Looking back(although I guess we can't trust memories) she lacked the experience to successfully to understand me, my feelings and my goals(which I don't blame her since I am not necessarily an open book). And she lacked the technical knowledge and experience of how to get there. I understand her intention and empathise with her. But still not good experience for me, personally. This was on my mind today, therefore, I have decided to write this post. I put effort into making it as accurate and honest as possible.

Be honest. The coach I had was a wonderful listener and helped filter out what to focus on more. She also does a great job in putting my feelings and thoughts into sentences. If you are planning to continue your coaching sessions, I recommend just being open and honest about your thoughts and feelings. The root of the problem will be discovered faster. Since my coach was able to understand what I am going through, the feedback really helps me.

Here to help you understand yourself I think the best way to sum it up is that your coach is like a supporting role to your main character in a movie; they're not there to lead your healing journey, they simply offer a new perspective. Your path is yours alone to walk, but talking it out and reassessing your stance with a fresh set of eyes can often be the change you require to get unstuck.

HG Coaching Was Wonderful I really enjoyed HG Coaching: Having a partnership with someone who was there to help me grow as a person was very useful, it helped a lot to see things from an outside perspective but that is probably an individualistic thing and the mileage may vary in general. In general, just having an authentic and compassionate person by your side is so helpful to people who haven't gotten that so much in the past, the mere act of even having one relationship like that in your life can do wonders for your mental health and life in general. It provides evidence that the same thing can be found in the real world. It provides hope to people who didn't get that opportunity in the past. People who used to be like me. (: I would say though, that as coaching is more akin to a partnership, the level of value you derive from it tends to increase exponentially depending on how much effort you put in, so if you give it a go don't expect it to be a walk in the park. Once again thank you the HG team for this experience.

Put in the work, get results I completed 20 sessions of 1-on-1 coaching, after trying group coaching out for about 4 sessions. I really enjoyed my experience with my coach! Coaching isn't the fix to all of your problems but can really help you navigate challenges. I stuck with the same coach for my entire duration, & I preferred this experience much more in comparison to my years of traditional psychotherapy where I'd be circling around the same problems and never really reaching any of my goals. I highly recommend, but would like to note that your coach is mostly there to encourage you to put the work in yourself that way you can navigate your issues on your own. You have to be willing to work on yourself and separate from your ego.