President's Message from Lori Candela
Lori Candela | Published on 3/14/2023
Hello fellow coaches,
When I was a young girl, I enjoyed reading some of the books my mother shared from her childhood. One of my favorites was Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. There are so many things I love about this story. Alcott introduces us to the March sisters, four very different types of females: strong, maternal, tomboy, shy and musical and an artist, styles with which any girl could connect. While the sisters were very close, each had her own strengths and weaknesses. There were conflicts between them at times, yet they were able to resolve them. This story is truly timeless, realistic, and relatable. When my daughter was younger, we read Little Women together (and watched the movie). I recently passed on my mother’s copy of the book to my daughter for the baby girl she is expecting in a few weeks!
March is National Women’s History Month and the theme for 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” According to the National Women’s History Alliance, they “encourage recognition of women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, and more. The timely theme honors women in every community who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art, pursuing truth, and reflecting the human condition decade after decade.”
As coaches, we often encourage our clients to share their stories to help them gain new insights. In their article, How Storytelling Can Help Coaching Clients Access Their Inner Wisdom, Alexis Niki, ACC, WPCC & Andrew Shaffer, MCC explain that “Our stories arise out of our human experiences. Each of us is a protagonist in our own life. The stories we tell about ourselves reflect our struggles, build our identities, and help us make sense of our world. As coaches, becoming alert to the dynamics of a story and its parallels to life opens up new avenues for helping our clients.”
The use of stories or metaphors can also help us build our brand and connect with our ideal clients. I thought you might enjoy reading these helpful articles from the ICF Global website:
• Storytelling and Implicit Bias in Coaching
• Building a Strong Brand Through Storytelling
• Attracting the Right Coaching Clients through Successful Storytelling
• Shadow Stories and Financial Well-being
• Hero’s Journey® Change Model
• Bring It to the Streets
Which woman’s work has had the greatest impact on you? Is she an author, an artist, an entertainer? What about her work resonated with you? Just a few questions to ponder as we celebrate women in history this month. Wishing you a wonderful March!
Lori