This is a Coach In The Spotlight Special as we are very excited to be welcoming a new member of our Qualifications Team to The Coaching Academy. Meet Nikki Streatfield who joined us last month as a Coach Assessor. As well as being a Coach herself, she is also busy currently studying for her doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring. Read on to find out more and if you’re lucky enough you’ll get to speak to Nikki soon on your next practical assessment!
Continuous professional development is something I take very seriously. It is essential to stay on top of your game in a rapidly evolving and changing industry such as coaching, which is why I decided to start a Professional Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring at Oxford Brookes University last year October. I am very proud of taking this step in my career and it is a huge commitment to what I do. So far I have really found it very stimulating, engaging and of-course stretching.
I am quite inspired The Coaching Academy’s philosophy of ‘coaching heart, commercial mind’. Developing a more commercial mind is definitely a personal development area I would like to focus on this year.
Networking and building relationships, it’s really about quality rather than quantity.
Don’t over think things, just put yourself out there and get going. This was a big obstacle for me, as I can get caught up in the perfectionist trap. Get your profile, website, business cards etc. good enough to get started, you can refine as you go along. Don’t get stuck in the details, it’s not about you it’s about your clients.
I dislike sweet things, in particular chocolate. People often find this hard to believe.
The Bible, ….. nope I’m not kidding!
I was fortunate to see David Whyte speak at a recent ICF conference. He is an English poet and distinguished leadership coach. He interwove coaching insight with his poetry, drawing from actual client narratives and case examples from his leadership work. It was inspirational to see a true example of ‘being’ a coach rather than ‘doing’ coaching.
A luxury yacht to get me out of there….
Cape Town, my home city. It is spectacularly beautiful, with so much to see and do. It is also a very vibey, innovative place that encourages creativity and ingenuity, values I hold dear.
Taking a bus trip along the notorious ‘Death Road’ in Bolivia, stretching from Coroico to La Paz. I would rather describe it as the most terrifying thing I have ever done, Google it.
Living in alignment with my values and having a positive impact on others.
Getting insight into other peoples’ stories. I am absolutely fascinated by people and feel very privileged to play a constructive role in how people make sense of their world and master their journeys.
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