@Ayesha Ikram @Chimine Li @Nic Minosora @Sharon Little @Rachel Gristock @Luc Campion @Sue Quayle @Diane Sassano @Savciuc Elena Lia @Eugenia Boylan @Michael Carr @Molly Möller @Davonn Keo @Doug Jacobson @Tom Brooks @Ian O Mahony @Ivy Barreto @Mumina Abdullah

I am currently assisting a client who is experiencing significant challenges and appears to be caught in a negative cycle, finding it difficult to envision a way out. Through our sessions, I have been gently guiding her towards breaking free from this pattern. In a recent session, the intensity escalated, prompting me to share my personal journey, complete with its challenges, complexities and messy details. My intention was to offer her a sense of hope by demonstrating that - if I can do it, you can do it too. This client and I have a preexisting relationship from our previous work together, and my decision to share my story seemed to unsettle her perception of me. We concluded the session on a positive note with some tasking for her... however I could she she was visibly uncomfortable. I now find myself questioning whether I divulged too much and potentially compromised my credibility. Initially, I believed that drawing upon my own experiences -- the lived experience of hardship -- would lend me greater authority and conviction in guiding her. However, now I am wondering if I need to exercise more discretion and strategy around sharing my story with my clients. Keen to hear about thoughts / experiences on this from you all.... what do you think? How much information is too much information? And what are some other factors to be considering here prior to sharing?

Hello my beautiful Expert Coach community! Late last year I intensified my journey on self-discovery, and realised that my ikigai is to be a coach. Ever since, I see that the universe has been conspiring to make this a reality for me --- I came across Ed's post and jumped on to it, joined Skool, did the work, and got certified! This arrived in the mail today, and I wanted to share here to say - 1) Thank you to @Ed JC Smith and Team -- what you guys are doing is amazing-- you give so much value, so generously, so openly, that I wish and KNOW it'll come back to you 10-fold! 2) Hopefully inspire others who are on the journey - to keep going - you'll get there, and with every step, with every milestone, you'll strengthen your position and get that much closer to making your dream a reality.

In another update, recently, I took a leap of faith and started sharing content with my network on LinkedIn. Mainly because I wanted to get over the inhibition of posting and putting myself out there! Hopefully also build my presence and brand in the process. My niche is mid-career professionals, so LinkedIn is a relevant space for me to be active, however I do plan to start getting on to Insta/FB as Ed suggests, for broader reach, engagement, and more importantly conversion! Anyway, moving on from that spiel, I realised that I was remiss in not sharing the same content with people here on Skool, as this community is where the magic happens. Unlike any other platform, I see genuine connection here, people who learn from each other, truly support and rally for each other (seen it many a time since I joined).... I would love to connect with on LinkedIn if you are on there - this is my profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhila-ashok/ And here's a link to the video (part of a 3mo series I am doing) I posted this morning: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/akhila-ashok_gold-nugget-from-trent-shelton-that-i-want-activity-7171278411863195648-s3ca?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop I would love your support, feedback and if this gives you some thoughts/ideas/inspiration - even better!

Often, clients might not fully recognize their own strengths or how to harness them effectively. How can we, as coaches, effectively guide clients in uncovering their hidden strengths and strategically leverage them toward greater success?