FAQ

Why work with a coach?

Coaching is about forward movement toward a vision or goal for some area of your life, such as relationships or work, or for some chapter of your life, such as retirement or aging. It’s a partnership where you and your coach create and implement a plan for getting from where you are now to where you want to be. Your coach is your sounding board, your cheerleader, your challenger, your guide, the one who holds you accountable as you move through this process. Could you get where you want without a coach? Maybe you could but not with the confidence and efficiency that working with a coach provides.

How would retirement coaching improve my life?

Here are some areas where retirement coaching can help.

Time Management: Without coaching you may flit from one activity to another, ending up with activity fatigue and no sense of accomplishment. With coaching, your days will be filled with meaningful activities designed to get you where you want to go.

Work: Without coaching you may take a job related to the one you retired from to please others or stay connected. With coaching you will find that job you are passionate about in a new field.

Volunteering: Without coaching you may volunteer to fill empty hours. With coaching you will volunteer in a place that reflects your values as you give back.

Relationships as we mature: Without coaching you may hang on to old relationships that are toxic or energy draining. With coaching you will have the courage to let go of old relationships and develop new ones.

How long does it take for coaching to work?

Coaching is more like a cross-country run than a sprint. It’s about change, and change takes time. Allow at least three months of weekly or bimonthly coaching sessions to experience results, and these will be dependent on how much time and effort you put into the work. Many clients stay with a coach for years, so there’s no formula for how long to have a coach.

What is an ideal coaching client?

To benefit from the coaching experience, a client should be open and ready to change and have the time, energy, and resources to devote to making this happen. She should be ready to take responsibility for her growth, resourceful, and willing to take an occasional risk, excited about learning and experiencing new things, and vulnerable and honest in a coaching situation.

Because I coach people transitioning into retirement and aging, my clients are 55 and older and are either considering retirement or already retired.

What is Virginia’s approach to coaching?

Coaching is a partnership between me and my clients. The solution to whatever problems they have is already within them. My job is to help them find those solutions by asking insightful questions, encouraging them to explore more options, providing resources, and holding them accountable. I don’t judge or try to control my clients’ decisions as I trust the coaching process and their abilities to come up with the right answers. I strive for the highest good for my clients.

What makes Virginia qualified to coach?

As an educator at the community college level for 26 years, I coached and supported my students to do their best. After retiring from this career, I learned coaching skills and worked with at-risk community college students, helping them make the transition to college life. I discovered that coaching was my passion and completed a coach training program through IPEC, the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching, becoming a Certified Professional Coach. I did further training with Retirement Options to become a Retirement Coach.