Who's Your Coach?
Even Coaches Need Coaching
The new year or a new season is always a great time to renewand start fresh. This year I decided to focus on ME a little more than I normallydo. I tend to spend some much time focusing on my clients, kids, husband, homeand multiple businesses that I often don’t remember to slow down and take careof myself. I find myself exhausted and burnout as we get into the holidayseasons and into the new year. So this year I made a promise to myself to investinto myself and really focus on goals and things I needed to work on so I couldgrow as a woman, as a mother, a wife and an entrepreneur. I hired a life coachto help me redirect what I was feeling and experiencing, and me find resolutions and learn how to “reframe”my current situations. (It’s one of the coolest techniques-google it and seehow great it truly is!)
Within the first session I saw immediate results in my way of thinking, processing and reevaluating priorities, even in my ability to refocus on my goals and what I really needed for myself, family and the most important parts of my life.
Meet Dr. Erin Fiero!!
She is an incredible coach and she is one of the most loving and positive people I’ve ever met. I always say if you’re having and awful day to call Erin and she can make you feel like a million bucks! So I wanted to pass along her expertise and love on to all of you.
Here’s our little interview and a sneak-peak into her knowledge and insight:
*Tell us a little about yourself and why you love coaching?
Dr. Erin Fiero is a Personal Coach, ReikiMaster, and former English professor, who founded Coaching with Enthusiasm.With over 20 years of experience in personal wellness, Erin is passionate aboutsupporting people in letting go of negative self-talk and embracing self-care.Erin works in one-on-one and group settings to help people live withenthusiasm. She is especially passionate about working with special and medicalneeds parents to optimize their roles as parents and caretakers. Recently, Erinhas embraced the clean beauty movement as a Beautycounter consultant. Originallyfrom Maryland, Erin now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and twochildren, one of whom has special medical needs.
- What is a life coach? How does lifecoaching benefit someone?
Alife coach is a broad term to describe a professional who supports you in yourgoals. There are coaches who specialize in everything from business coaching tonutritional coaching, and you can find a coach to help support you through lifechallenges, transitions, and even creative endeavors. The best life coacheswill ask you powerful questions to get to the heart of your goals and help youcreate a plan to achieve them. It’s important to note that a life coach is notthe same thing as a therapist, consultant, or advisor. Many coaches can tailora program to your specific needs and requests to help you reach your optimalpotential in any area, whether that’s personal, business, or creative.
- Why did you decide to become a lifecoach?
Well,I was an English teacher and professor for almost ten years and had justfinished my doctoral work when I became pregnant with my son who ended uphaving a birth defect and a subsequent chronic medical disability. When I firststayed home to care for him, I imagined that I would eventually go back to thetraditional classroom and pursue my career in English. However, his care hasrequired much more than we originally expected, and I found myself looking forflexible jobs that allow me to work when he is well but take time when he needsmy undivided attention. Coaching was the perfect fit for me. When I began mytraining, I knew I had found my calling!
- What's your best advice for fightinganxiety and stress?
Thisis an interesting question, because I believe my coaching approach can helpeach person tap into their own unique and powerful resources for reducingstress and anxiety. I approach each client where they are, and a great coachreally believes that you already know or know how to discover YOUR OWN beststrategy or technique. So, a coach would need to refrain from giving straightup advice and instead ask the right questions to facilitate you to your owntruth. However, I will point out that science, psychology, and spirituality allagree that there’s one proven tool we all can use: learning a breathingpractice. With a daily breathing practice, perhaps meditation or Reiki, we canlower our heart rate and blood pressure, regain our emotional regulation, andeven tap into spiritual awareness.
Oh,I also want to add organization and decluttering! Clearing away clutter in ourphysical space has a truly transformative effect on our personal energy.
- What's a great technique for letting goof something you fear and chasing after the thing you want to do the most?
Inmy coaching sessions, we practice all kinds of transformative activities, likerole-playing, brainstorming, even mind-dumping. Getting past the insecuritieswe all bring to the table can really help us achieve our goals. Therefore, Ibelieve the best technique is also one that is already within the client’sreach, and that is journaling. When we write about our fears, regrets, orfailures (and yes, we all have them), one of the most liberating things we cando is throw away or burn that piece of paper! This creates new space (andapparently helps to re-wire neural pathways) to replace fears with somethingnew and positive. And that’s where journaling comes in again, because when wewrite, repeat, and cherish our words, they can become more than just goal, theybecome transformative affirmations that help us feel the deep motivation to followour dreams.
- What are your 3 favorite self-help ormotivational books?
Onlythree?! This is a very difficult question for a former English teacher. But Iwill say that one book every woman should read is a self-help classic called The Courageto Be Yourself by Sue Patton Thoele. This book had a powerful effect onmy awareness of our tendencies to say no and suppress our own feelings. We canbe so much more powerful if we claim the courage to be treated fairly and letgo of guilt. I can’t say enough about how clear, encouraging, and insightfulthis book is.
TheHighly Sensitive Personby Elaine Aron is another book that helped me become more self-aware. Afterspending my childhood and young adulthood being embarrassed about my sensoryand emotional sensitivities, I felt liberated when Aron’s book helped merealize that I am a highly-sensitive extrovert. As an added bonus, this personalityis the perfect combination for a life coach, because I am highly intuitive andempathetic, but also not socially shy or easily embarrassed.
CurrentlyI am reading a book called Molchanie by Catherine Doherty, amodern mystic who wrote poetic and stirring books about radical spiritual living.Molchanie means spiritual silence, and this book is inspiring me to reduce muchof the media and superficial noise that surrounds us. Inevitably, we areinundated with all kinds of messages, and this book is about the sweetness thatcomes when we experience the kind of silence that allows us to get in touchwith the much deeper sounds of our soul’s calling.
- What skills or experience have yougained outside of coaching do you integrate with your practice?
Ilove this question! It is clear to me that my nearly 10 years of teachingexperience funnels directly into my coaching. I have no trouble being clearwith my clients, helping them create and complete their goals, and listening toexactly what they need. I also have no problem speaking in front of people!After all those years in front of teenagers, you kind of lose yourself-consciousness, especially when they lovingly make fun of all of yourgestures and habits! My teaching experience also helps me stay organized and ontask in my coaching sessions.
- What are 3 of your favorite things todo when you're not coaching?
Well,I love the beach, I love to read, and I love to be with my girlfriends. Any waythat any of those three things can overlap, I would consider true soulmedicine. A book club, a long leisurely read on the beach, a girls’ trip ornight out, or even just snuggling up in bed with a really great literarynovel…any of those sounds like the perfect activity for me!
In love with Erin as much as we are? You can find more information and connect with her on her website. www.erinfiero.com.