Listening in deeper ways reminds me of roaming New Zealand’s hills as a girl: Freedom

Two weeks ago, I coached and listened in deeper ways that will stay with me forever. I felt deeply connected to my coachee. And she to me. I slowed things down. As did she. I poured in very little. In fact, I only asked questions. I mirrored back. I got deeply curious. I noticed inconsistencies between her non-verbal cues and her words, but without trying to mold, steer, nor change. 

We experienced joy, abandonment, discovery—all through me actively listening. And the entire call, all 38 minutes and 25 seconds of it, focused on what she wanted and needed, not me, and the results and clarity were huge. I never poured in one solution. She had the answers—all of them. By giving her the space, she changed how she related to her business and creativity, even her time, all from what she unearthed with me in under 40 minutes. 

Reading from my essay on Medium, I’m exploring what happened in this recorded call, one I can submit to the International Coaching Federation for my mentors to evaluate me as a hopeful, certifying Master Certified Coach. (I’m chronicling this journey in my Competency No 5 podcast. But I wanted to bring this piece of my journey, this breakthrough as an active listener and coach, to my Sage Sayers show. It ties back nicely to effective, stand-out communications.)

I’ve realized from experiencing active listening and coaching flow this deeply, and for the entirety of a call, the empowerment and connection that comes feels extraordinary. Life changing. Emotional. I want you to experience this joy with me, which can change how you relate to others and feel about yourself. And it can help us in business as well. 

You can reach out to me, your show host, on all things to do with storytelling, public speaking, branding and positioning via my website or Linkedin. And join me for my first workshop in active listening via Maven Learning this month through my Listen Like a Boss three-hour workshop.