Coaching as Benevolence | Podcast on RSS.com

Coaching as Benevolence

Coaching as Benevolence

by L'Shawn Howard and Eryn Elder

Self-Improvement

Season 8

Anchored in Values: Taking Action in Alignment

L' Shawn and Eryn focus on exploring personal values in their discussion of their guided journal prompt from the "ACT" section. The conversation centers on understanding how values serve as a "North Star" for navigation in both personal and professional life, with L' Shawn emphasizing the importance of aligning decisions with both organizational values and personal integrity. Both participants explore how values change throughout different life stages, with L' Shawn sharing how people-pleasing was no longer a priority in her 40s after developing greater self-worth, while Eryn discusses shifts from achievement-oriented values to greater emphasis on creativity and compassion. The discussion highlights the practical application of values in workplace conflicts and relationships, with both acknowledging the ongoing challenge of balancing personal values with organizational expectations.

Play as a Portal to Wellbeing

L' Shawn and Eryn explore prompt three about feelings of play from their guided journal, where Eryn shares her recent experience taking tap dancing lessons and how her daughter enjoys watching her play. L' Shawn reflects on how her parents didn't model playfulness, making it challenging for her to incorporate play into adulthood, and discusses how her husband's playful interactions with their children inspire her to be more playful. They explore how parents modeling play affects children and the importance of finding ways to incorporate play into busy adult lives, with Eryn noting she prefers physical play over board games and L' Shawn emphasizing the need to customize play activities to suit individual preferences.

A Simple, Quick Mindful Exercise May Lead to Taking Your Best Action Yet

L' Shawn and Eryn work through the second prompt in the third section of their guided journal prompt about finding time for micro-moments of breathing and reflection, discussing how even brief moments of stillness can help people reconnect with their bodies and gain clarity before taking action. The conversation covers the importance of making these practices routine, the value of noticing without judgment during these moments, and various strategies for reorienting throughout the day including engaging the senses, using word puzzles, or taking physical breaks.

Feedback Informs Inspired Action Journal Prompt 1, Section 3

L' Shawn and Eryn focus on the "Act" section of their guided journal, exploring how feedback informs curiosity and enhances living. They discuss personal experiences with receiving feedback, with L' Shawn sharing how feedback from her cousin helped her reassess her decision-making process and Eryn describing how a colleague's feedback about caring too much about her career led to a career pivot. The conversation covers how feedback serves as a mirror for self-awareness, the importance of delivering feedback with care and objectivity, and how feedback can lead to clarity and inspired action when aligned with purpose and values.

Floating Leads to Deep Reflection and Insight: Try this Prompt as a Guided Visualization

L' Shawn and Eryn focus on the "float" prompt in section two of their guided journal, exploring the metaphor of floating in a large open sea as a way to surrender control and allow life to guide them to new places. L' Shawn shares how a recent YouTube video about Bashar's teachings on following what excites you inspired her to pursue two new passion areas: co-facilitating civic academies through Coloradans for the Common Good and facilitating Family Constellations. Eryn describes her visualization experience of floating to an unexpected urban island with skyscrapers accessed by an escalator, revealing her shift from needing control to being open to mysterious guidance. Both hosts discuss how the visualization experience mirrors the surrender required in Family Constellations facilitation, where the facilitator must let go of control and trust the collective wisdom emerging through the representatives.

Expanding One's Heart Space with Exploration, Imagery, and Honesty

L' Shawn and Eryn conduct discuss prompt six in section 2 from their journal series focused on exploring heart space and ways of being. L' Shawn imagines her heart space as a luxurious palatial estate with nature surroundings where people could retreat and connect with their bodies. Eryn shares how her recent cardiac CT scan results were unexpectedly positive, leading her to explore how physical and metaphorical heart spaces intersect, while they both discuss how opening one's heart space can lead to healing, vulnerability, and helping others despite the counterintuitive nature of embracing pain to find strength.

Considerations on Grief and Way of Being, Journal Prompt 5, Section 2

L' Shawn and Eryn focus on journal prompt 5 in section 2 of their guided journal. The prompt is about grief and authenticity in supporting loved ones who are grieving. L' Shawn shares a personal story about losing a friend named Angus who died unexpectedly in Italy, discussing how geographic distance made the grieving process more complex and how Eryn's coaching helped her process the grief authentically rather than feeling pressure to be helpful or strong. Eryn reflects on the complexity of grief, particularly how family dynamics can complicate the grieving process and the importance of being seen in one's grief, while also discussing how grief can lead to spiritual transformation and a different relationship with concepts like fate. The conversation explores how grief experiences can be both challenging and transformative, with Eryn sharing how her own significant loss led to personal growth and a deeper appreciation for mystery and spirituality.

Buoyancy Built Through Skills and Reflection: Staying Afloat, Sinking, and Resurfacing, Journal Prompt 4, Section 2

Eryn and L' Shawn conduct a guided journal discussion on prompt number 4 in the second section of their guided journal, "Coaching Nuggets of Wisdom to Inspire. Explore. Act. Flourish: A guided journal to live your best life." This section focuses on deeper exploration of their ways of being in the world and the prompt looks at emotional resilience. The prompt introduces the concept of buoyancy as having inner strength and emotional resilience to rise again after challenges, emphasizing that it's not about never sinking but always finding a way to come back up. Eryn and L' Shawn discuss their experiences with staying buoyant during challenging situations. L' Shawn explains how she practices staying buoyant by acknowledging emotions without judgment and focusing on the present moment, using the metaphor of a buoy in water to illustrate how she can realign herself when feeling overwhelmed. Eryn describes a recent situation in a business meeting where she had to recognize and process anger before responding, demonstrating growth in her ability to stay buoyant. They discuss how humor can be used as a tool for disrupting depressive cycles and providing relief after difficult situations.

Inspiration is More Available Than You May Think, Accessing Inspiration, Journal Prompt 3, Section 2

Eryn and L' Shawn continue their review of their guided journal "Coaching Nuggets of Wisdom to Inspire. Explore. Act. Flourish: A guided journal to live your best life," focusing on the third prompt in the Explore section. L' Shawn shares how inspiration from a workday planting trees led to a powerful metaphor about plant roots growing in circles and how this connected to considering homeschooling options for her son who is struggling in public school. Eryn discusses how inspiration often leads to perspective shifting and how she found inspiration in stories about cave rescue divers and medical professionals, which helped her move beyond gratitude to feeling awe and hope. They explore the connection between feelings, well-being, and inspiration, with L' Shawn emphasizing how emotions serve as information about our alignment with well-being. They discuss how inspiration can lead to hope, which naturally progresses to taking inspired action, though this process is rarely linear and involves ongoing reflection and adjustment. Eryn and L' Shawn will be reviewing their guided journal throughout season eight. If you would like to follow along with them, purchase the journal here: https://a.co/d/0a9IeCM0

Being Your Own Objective Observer: Journal Prompt , Section 2

L' Shawn and Eryn continue their survey of the "Explore" section, focusing on the journal prompt about believing in oneself and capacity to do hard things. They discuss how to approach past challenges by observing them objectively as if through an anthropologist's lens, identifying strengths, and applying lessons learned to current situations. L' Shawn shares her experience transitioning from teaching young adults to children in Japan, emphasizing how observing veteran teachers and receiving feedback helped her succeed. Eryn explores the concept of neutral observation and reflection, suggesting that journaling with curiosity rather than judgment can help identify what's working and understanding one's values. They discuss the importance of embodying feelings and using body awareness as a guide for alignment, with L' Shawn sharing techniques like muscle testing to determine if actions align with personal values. Purchase the journal: https://a.co/d/0cGS135j

1 of 13