Reflections from Rosie Ward, MPH, CHES, Intrinsic Coach™

When we embarked upon this program last year, we went into it being curious and open to whatever might result.  What would happen if we took 5 people and gave them some initial individualized guidance, a small amount of money to support any changes they made and weekly coaching sessions for 6 months?  Would the anecdotal results often found in coaching be validated by clinical measures?

I was hoping the coaching approach would make a difference, but I had no idea what that would be.  No one has gone to the extent of linking coaching with clinical assessments before.  Furthermore, “individualized” programs are usually not truly custom-made; they are often a blend of general recommendations and guidelines.  After giving the participants some individualized expert advice in the beginning, this program was really about seeing what coaching using the Intrinsic Coaching™ methodology would do in moving people forward towards being healthier and bringing forward their best selves.  Having advice and knowledge does not help if people cannot take it upon themselves to view making changes as important and decide for themselves to follow any guidance provided.  Wellness means something different to everyone, so we tried to keep this in mind with this program.

Each participant came into this program at a different spot in life and with different needs; therefore, each person completed this program in a different spot.  One is not better than another because each person is unique.  What made this program so unique is that we met the participants exactly where they were; essentially, each person created the program that was perfect for him or her.  Many people thrive initially from highly structured programs where people check in each week to get weighed in or assessed or have a very regimented routine.  However, when that structure is gone, they revert back to their old ways.

The premise of coaching is that each person is capable, creative, and complete.  These people have all the answers inside of them and know themselves better than anyone.  Most of the participants did not need much expert guidance; they needed to learn to get in touch with their intrinsic thinking and think differently about their choices.  When you shift how you think about things, new choices just seem to make more sense.  Think about it, how many times have you heard someone say “I know I should exercise, eat better, etc.; I just can’t seem to make myself do it.”  Lack of knowledge is not usually the issue, it’s providing tools for people to look at things in a new way and get clear about what is most important to them.

Therefore, I am not surprised that some individuals really took on the recommendations from Paul Ratte, ND, or the exercise advice I gave them when I briefly removed my coaching hat to step into the exercise expert role, while others did not.  Some people had other more important areas where their thinking needed to shift that trumped diet and exercise.  Regardless, each participant made great progress in moving forward; this is evident just by reading their monthly journal entries.  You can watch the shift happen inside of them and with their approach to life, regardless of what the clinical outcomes ended up being. 

What I heard consistently between the participants is that they noticed that how they think about one area of their life keeps showing up in other areas.  We would have a coaching session focused on one topic, and they would come back the next week with amazing results in totally different areas.  What I have seen from this program is that it really all comes down to how people think about their choices.  This was validated by having the participants complete the Hartman Value Profile (HVP) at the beginning and the end of the program which measures how they value themselves and the world and whether they make choices and think intrinsically, extrinsically, or systemically.  Each participant showed a significant increase in intrinsic capacity.  This indicates that being coached with the Intrinsic Coaching™ methodology does in fact increase intrinsic capacity, which seems to greatly impact multiple areas of one’s life. 

Implications for Practitioners:

I never imagined we would get some of the significant results we did and am very encouraged by this!  Most participants were coached using the 10-15 minute model; however, some sessions needed to be longer for some individuals.  Considering that most people in professions of helping people don’t have long periods of time to spend with people, this is encouraging.  It indicates that spending just a small amount of high-quality time using powerful inquiry appears to make a big difference in breaking long-standing unhealthy habits.  Most coaching happens outside of the session; the goals of these short coaching sessions is to open up people’s thinking so that they can take it back into their life. 

A true test of successful coaching is when people get to the point that they can coach themselves and are asking themselves the questions the coach asks; they get to a point they no longer need a coach.  The true test of this approach will be known after we follow-up with these individuals again in three months and in six months to see if their results have been sustained or if they’ve continued to improve or not.

Implications for People Considering Coaching:

What the preliminary results of this program show is that, regardless of the area of life people want to make changes, being coached with this methodology will impact multiple areas of life.  One can focus coaching sessions about thinking better about situations at work or with relationships and end up making better choices about diet, exercise, and personal growth and vice versa.  The Life Balance Wheel shows how inter-connected all aspects of life are.  “Wellness” is not just about diet and exercise – it’s bigger than that. 

When people are given the opportunity to tap into their intrinsic domain of thinking, profound shifts happen in multiple areas of their life.  Some people seem to be able to go to the intrinsic domain easier than others.  What I observed through this program is that those that went to the intrinsic domain easier and quicker were quicker to get in action and see visible shifts.  Those that struggled more with it still moved forward but at a slower pace.  Since everyone starts coaching relationships in a different place, the length of a coaching relationship will vary.  Some of these individuals were ready to be done being coached at 4-5 months (we even decreased the coaching frequency to every other week), while others could probably remain in a coaching relationship for several more months.  Regardless, ultimately a good coaching relationship is one where the coach is no longer needed.

Final Thoughts:

I am grateful for the expertise and assistance from Julia Bartlett, DC and Paul Ratte, ND. It has been an absolute joy to work with each of the participants and to watch them evolve over the past few months.  Regardless of where they ended the program each participant made great strides in moving forward with their thinking and with bringing forward their best self.  What I see is a powerful program that made a great difference.  Sometimes it is hard to quantify, but I can just see and feel the difference in watching them and listening to them - which is evident by reading their monthly journals.

Program funds for making changes - $300

Consultations with Paul Ratte, ND - ~$1,125

Assessments with Julia Bartlett, DC - ~$2,000

60+ hours of coaching sessions - ~$10,500

Making profound, lasting lifestyle changes – PRICELESS!

To learn about each of the participants and follow their journey throughout this program, Click Here.