We love group coaching.
One of the great things that came out of this stay-at-home pandemic era is that it forced us to go virtual with our clients. That may not seem great at first, but it happened that we gathered several women together in wellness groups that may not have otherwise joined us. The ease of being at home over Zoom allowed these women to be a part of our groups and experience the growth and shifts they’d been wanting to make but just hadn’t made the commitment.
What happens in groups is magical. One of the most important things that happens is that we realize we aren’t alone. There are a lot of – “oh, yeah, I think that too OR I do that too.” This feeling of shared vulnerability allows shifts to happen in a safe environment. One woman said, “I don’t know how you two do it, but you simultaneously help us hold high expectations AND non judgment. It made me really want to show up for myself and each other.”
Our groups turn out to be a bit like a team.
We show up for each other. We are all in it for wellness goals, sometimes very similar ones, and we all support each other in this similar quest. It’s the synergy of people wanting the win for the team. Of course, the individuals all want personal wins as well. As health and wellness coaches, our guidance gives the group the direction and the focus.
We always have a mix of introverts and extroverts, working women and stay at home, some with family and some single. This diversity of different styles and ideas introduces us all to things we might not have thought about. It helps us understand that every path to health is a little different and it lends itself to a more gentle attitude towards our challenges.
In one of our groups, a woman who was working on increasing her movement began recruiting friends to walk with regularly (different friends were available on different days, so she worked it so she’d have someone to walk with every day). When she reported this to the group, it inspired another member of the group to do the same. They both supported each other with this shared win.
When one person had a tough week and felt behind their goals, everyone rallied with support and ideas. When another had a big win, we all celebrated with her as well. Being in a group is accountability times 8 or 10. That is powerful, especially when making changes can be difficult.
For those who really love the energy of a group or want to give it a try, our next group is a four-week Spring Renewal starting Friday May 7th at 10am. We meet via Zoom each Friday for four weeks. It’s a way to jumpstart your way from spring into summer. Here are all the details.
