Coach Class

In conversation with Marissa Makinson-Hall ACA, CTA

June 30, 2021 Dom Burch Season 1 Episode 20
Coach Class
In conversation with Marissa Makinson-Hall ACA, CTA
Show Notes

Marissa is a fellow Barefooter, but who is on a different cohort of the training. We met on the Barefoot Taster Session back in January, but started the course at different times, as I wanted to learn during work time (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and Marissa wanted to go to college at weekends.

She specialises in delivering learning consulting and professional facilitation services, having spent 19 years working at Deloitte. 

She is working full time during the week, and studying at the weekends, but doesn't feel like it's a chore. She gets the energy from the rest of her group, the learning she's doing, investing in herself. But she admits it is shattering! 

She tries not to worry too much about what they've learned each week, go with the flow. When ti comes to learning, people have to find what works for them. We start with the best intentions of reading all of the books on the list, but in reality most of us haven't. But that's ok. Instead being in the moment, rather than stressing or beating yourself up. Look at what you are doing, don't focus on what you're not.

The bits that have stood out so far for Marissa are the vision work, looking back and understanding what it looked like, what it smelt like. The other key thing is her coaching style and how it has changed through the course. She is much more aware of what she is saying, how she is reacting. So much more at ease with it. She used to plan much more, think about how it was going to play out. But now she knows the best coaching conversations are just going with it, and taking away that structure. 

When you first see some of these things in action, you wonder how is that going to work, it feels awkward, but then you bring it into your coaching and see how powerful and impactful it can be. 

But Marissa has also observed that clients react differently - the wheel of anything worked brilliantly with one, but not with another. And that's ok.

Being a coach and being in the presence of another human being when you see them make a shift in their thinking, is a real privilege. 

Marissa's hope for the future - two two years from now she'll have 100 clients under her wing, helping support people. 

I reflect that I am a better person on the back of Barefoot, I am more self aware, I recover quicker. I recognise I have an iceberg and how I show up to a coaching session has an impact on the client. In recent weeks I got to see that in action as I received an email one minute before a session started that previously would have knocked me for six, but I was able to observe my feelings, and manage them in service of the client. 

Loved catching up with Marissa - and seeing how far we have both come in six months. 

If you enjoy listening to this podcast why not check out some of the others in season 1 & 2. Or perhaps you fancy taking part yourself? If so why not get in touch. You can find me via LinkedIn or Twitter