Coaching Chronicles: Making a Profound Difference in People's Lives

In the realm of coaching, professionals strive to make a profound impact on the lives of their clients. They possess a unique ability to guide individuals through personal and professional challenges, helping them uncover their true potential and achieve remarkable transformations. To gain insights into the remarkable differences coaches make, we asked the thought-provoking question, "What difference do you make in people's lives?" In this excerpt round-up, we present the perspectives of five exceptional coaches. Their diverse experiences and expertise showcase the power of coaching to inspire clarity, purpose, achievement, and determination.

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Yvonne Brockhaus, M.A.

Career Coach

As a Human Resources professional hiring and training people in 5 countries during the last 17 years, I am truly passionate about people of all occupations and walks of life. The biggest compliment is when someone says they were at ease, had fun and gained many insights on the road with me towards successfully reaching their goals: be it kick-starting their career, making a foreign country their new home or overcoming burn-out. My clients are as varied as I am: companies of all sizes and industries, research institutes, universities, international employees plus families as well as job hunters and career changers from all around the world. Having worked for 100s of reputable companies, big and small, across various industries, I can quickly relate with the situation and draw from an extensive repertoire of experiences and coaching tools. This allows me to help my clients quickly, pragmatically, and confidently. After an initial analysis of their situation and wishes, together we work out highly individualized actionable recommendations. Resulting in structured, well-explained steps that I tailor to fit the energy, time and needs of every coachee. The progress as well as setbacks are empathetically and pragmatically accompanied by me, yielding rapid results. And even after having accompanied 1000s of individuals I am still touched daily by clients` enthusiastic feedback on how I made a palpable difference in their lives.

Robert Moment

Leadership Coach

I help my clients in several ways to foster positive relationships and collaboration, achieve their full potential, and drive better business outcomes. Firstly, I guide them to develop better self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills, which are crucial in establishing positive relationships. Secondly, I assist my clients in identifying and overcoming limiting beliefs and behaviors that may be hindering their progress, empowering them to succeed. Additionally, I support them in developing stronger leadership skills, including strategic thinking, decision-making, and effective communication, to drive better business outcomes. Furthermore, I provide a safe and supportive space for clients to explore challenges, find new perspectives, and develop actionable plans to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Finally, I offer guidance, encouragement, and accountability to help clients stay focused, motivated, and committed to their growth and development, both personally and professionally.

Sarah Blackford

Academic Career consultant

I think I would best describe myself as a career catalyst, helping people to modify their current state, so that they feel more confident and empowered to take positive action. This can range from the highly personal, such as identifying negative thoughts that might be holding them back to the more pragmatic, such as job seeking strategies, making connections or writing an effective CV. Whether it happens in career workshops or in individual coaching sessions, my principles are the same and are guided by the ethical standards to which I work as a qualified and affiliated career professional.

Steph Durbin

Founder & CEO, The Coach Directory

The most common words used in feedback from my clients are: 

Clarity - "I can see clearly now what I’ve been avoiding, and what I can do about it"

Purpose - “I feel a real sense of purpose”

Achievement - “I’ve really got somewhere, I can see how it all fits together now"

Determination - “I am really determined to make this happen now"

My focus is on helping clients to recognise their strengths, their "super-powers", how those have got them to where they are today, and how they can use them better going forward. It’s a huge journey of self-awareness, self-acceptance, self-management and leading to self-confidence and self-esteem - helping them to see themselves for what they are, and how others might see them also. How over-stretching and over-relying on strengths can cause as many problems as not using them at all - this enlightenment in clients is really powerful and a real pleasure to observe their growing awareness in themselves as the coaching progresses.

Anne Grewlich-Gercke

Head of career evolution and business relations, Max Planck Society

I cause people to turn their kaleidoscopes. What if you sit down with yourself? What if in your inner you find ways to bear discomfort and stretch your soul? What if, when you return, you are able to cherish the echo of change? What then …