Elitza is special.  I mean, really, really special.  And that became clear in the first coaching conversation I had with her.  It has been said we live in a listening deprived world, and when we had our first mentor coaching session, I experienced what completely devoted listening from a coach feels like.  Going with my inner wisdom, I had chosen Elitza to be my mentor coach after interacting at several professional and networking events.  But in our appointment, I had the distinct feeling that she had chosen me.  By which I mean that every molecule in her body was suddenly in service of me as her client, as though there was no higher good she could imagine for that moment.  

Many people, I would surmise, go to mentor coaching with some apprehension.  This coach has to be someone we trust completely with our fragile, fledgling confidence in our newly-found voice and skills as coaches.   In our first meeting, she asked me what I needed to make our coaching engagement successful, and I responded “unconditional positive regard and space for me to think and not be rushed.” In every session, I have felt both of these things.  It is a luxury that few of us experience in life.  Yet, gentle reader, lest you think I do not get the feedback I need to grow and sharpen my skills, I want to vouch for her organization and extremely effective methods for helping me get through the ICF Competencies in a balanced, considered and well-paced fashion.  She ALWAYS asks what I need to cover in order for our session to give me what I need.  The phrase “mentor coach” didn’t mean much to me before starting the mentor coaching process.  I though to myself that this person would be someone who mentored my coaching.  Period.  She has become so much more.  She is a mentor, for how to BE and exist, not just for how to coach.  She is also my COACH, not just for coaching, but for this new season of personal growth.  And having her walk alongside me as I learn the art of coaching has provided the support of a colleague with whom it is always safe to ask questions.  She never lords her knowledge or skill over me, instead choosing to view me as a peer.  I didn’t know that would be so important.  

I look forward to continuing with her as a mentor coach long after the original engagement is over.