Mimi Nelson
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

When did you first become aware of Life Coaching?
It was about four years ago when I was with Habitat for Humanity International in the position of Rocky Mountain Regional Director.

When did you become a Brande Foundation Life Coaching client?
I’ve been a client with The Brande Foundation for about four years now. I was prompted to use Life Coaching because I was dealing with a number of issues both professionally and personally, and I needed to make some critical decisions about how I wanted to move forward in my life. Frankly, I jumped at the chance. It seemed like a great opportunity to deal with a trained, objective person who would help me through a critical time.

In what ways has Life Coaching been useful to you in your personal life?
I’ve been able to develop more clarity about what I want and need. I am seeking peace and joy in my life. Through Life Coaching I’ve learned techniques that I wasn’t aware of before that I can now use to bring those things to my life.

Have your personal relationships been affected, and if so, how?
I’ve found that I am able to deal with friends and family in a clearer manner. In fact, both friends and family have commented to me that they’ve seen a change in me. I have a great deal more personal power than I had before I began Life Coaching.

Professionally, how has Life Coaching affected your performance and productivity?
At the time I became a Life Coaching client, I was dealing with a number of critical issues in my organization. These were issues that the company heretofore had been unwilling to deal with. My Life Coach taught me that I had a right to demand that those issues be dealt with. In fact, he helped me write policy so that I could present it to the company. Later they adopted that policy and we were able to move forward on these issues. I’ve learned to speak more candidly about what I need in my professional position. I’ve learned to use language with more clarity, and I’ve learned that I had a right to get what I want in my professional life.

The coach/client relationship in Life Coaching sometimes involves open, candid, and honest communication about very sensitive subjects. How comfortable are you with divulging confidential information to your coach?
My Life Coach explained to me that being open and candid with him about everything would be the best way to develop a good relationship. When we first started, of course, I didn’t know him. As time passed, I developed a great trust in the coaching techniques we used together. I was able to be very candid with him about very personal issues that I was dealing with in my life.

Is there any one experience or change in your life that stands out and that you feel is directly attributed to Life Coaching?
There is one situation in particular that stands out for me that made a dramatic change in my life. I was dealing with a difficult personal challenge that I needed to resolve, and it had been going on for some time. I had not come to any decision about it. My coach frankly asked me if I wanted to be in this situation five years from now. I immediately said no. That taught me, right then, that indeed I needed to take some action.

If I were a close friend of yours contemplating Life Coaching, what would you say to me to convince me of its merits?
Since I received the gift of having a Life Coach, I have spoken to many people about it and they are very intrigued. There are many people who want to speak with someone in a confidential manner and receive some objective approaches to problems. In fact, this morning I spoke to one of my colleagues here in the office and he said to me, “Could you get me a Life Coach? I really need somebody to talk to right now!”