1. The document describes the author's learning journey in coaching as climbing a mountain. At the base, the author starts learning basic coaching concepts and techniques in Level 1 but realizes there is more to learn. 2. In Level 2, the author gains insights into self-awareness and mindfulness, which helps improve connections with clients. Practicing strength-based and solution-focused coaching further enhances results. 3. Having completed Level 2, the author is eager to continue growing skills in Level 3. The journey has widened perspectives and humility, recognizing that more remains to be learned on the path to mastery.

1. Reflective Learning Task
My learning – Mountain Climbing
My learning is described as mountain climbing and it is vivid in my mind. Standing at the base, I
sense its presence. I know there is a climb ahead and that the climb will vary, sometimes steep,
sometimes gradual. I also know there will be terrain to negotiate and some terrains will force me to
descend before I can resume my climb. This is my psychological climb I make from the moment I
have stepped into the world of Coaching.
“The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know.”
At the base of the mountain, I started the coaching adventure in level 1, learning concepts, key
techniques and tips. I was at the start of the climb without realising the whole adventure ahead of
me. This is high, breathtaking and very exciting. How will my climb be? How will I cope mentally?
Will I run out of oxygen? What will be at the summit of the mountain?

2. 1. Base Camp: Level 1 - What is coaching?
When I started my coaching experience, my needs were pretty basic. I really wanted to know what
was going to be expected of me. When I arrived at base camp and decided to go on the climb for
Level 1, here were my findings:
I was convinced that in order to help people grow and succeed I needed to help myself grow and
succeed. Therefore in order to improve my performance and develop a roadmap to my personal
success, I committed to using the techniques such as the GROW model on myself: identifying specific
goals I wanted to achieve; assessing my current situation; listing my options and making choices. Did
I fully trace my path to camp 1?
By purely concentrating on the techniques I learnt, I empowered myself to become more efficient in
my climb therefore in my coaching sessions. One step at a time, I managed to help some of my CC
(coaching counterparts) reaching new perspectives, but something was missing. I could see that the
CCs (coaching counterparts) were not fully engaged or committed. Did I miss something?
“The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know.”
2. Camp 1 - Level 2
Appointment with myself – NeuroWifi
By climbing a little higher, my perspective changed. I am eager to know whether I will be any good at
coaching. This is the start of my questioning on my own abilities. Can I do this? Can I really help
people in figuring things out, in changing? The more I started adventuring towards steeper terrains
and finally reaching level 2, I quickly found out that helping alone would not help me to fully connect
with the CC (coaching counterparts).
Level 2 has been an enlightment, a confirmation of what I was really thinking deep down, an
appointment with myself, a realisation of my intentions, it all makes sense, and everything is
connected.
Self and Role: Level 2 has helped me to consciously realise who I was and who I wanted to present to
others around me. As well as recognizing the type of people I was dealing with on a daily basis. I
quickly realised that dancing between the self and the role will help me to figure out how to better
help people and understand them.
Be careful of mountain sickness! How do I deal with the different versions of me? How do I deal
with the voices in my head? Is there a Village in my head? How will I know I am on the right track, in
the path to Camp 2?
The more you climb the less oxygen you get and the more voices you hear. They can encourage and
they can criticise, they can sooth, empower and love and they are able to caution or oppress. Who
do I give more airtime to? Who will help me in the climb? My inner champions or my inner critics?
Here again, level 2 has been a grounding exercise, I learnt that Voice Dialogue was the basic method
for contacting, learning about, and working with the many selves that make up each of us. Although,
letting the voices talk, making sense and being more aware of all my thoughts has led me to
mindfulness. I started practicing meditation, particularly mindfulness around 2.5 years ago for about
6 months. At the time it helped me to deal with specific problems that I was facing at home and at
work. I was miles away to think that it would help me today in my new journey, in my climb towards
the coaching summit.

3. Awareness & Mindfulness (listening with presence)
"Love yourself - for everyone else's sake" Dr Mark Abramson, Director of Stanford University's
Mindfulness.
Again be careful of mountain sickness! Be grounded, don’t think it is obvious, Listen with presence,
live it and SMILE. Slow down, Move, Inhale, Let go and Enjoy.
Letting my mind be the open infinite sky: During my climb, as I started to become aware of all the
sounds in my environment, above, below and all around. I let the sounds come to me, naturally
absorbing me and washing over me.
Awakening awareness, by becoming more aware we enrich our life and of those around us. With
increasing awareness our sensitivity, connections and the way we live and we engage with the world
is enhanced. Awareness fine tunes and sharpens our application of skills as the quality of our
behaviours on our daily actions generates greater ease, flexibility, increased generosity, loving
gratitude. As we pay attention on purpose, we are awaken to being right here, right now in our grace
and acceptance of all we are in our life.
Experts increasingly recognise that developing mindfulness skills is an effective way to improve
performance, reduce stress, enhance emotional intelligence, increase life satisfaction, and develop
leadership skills.
“Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally”
(Kabat-Zinn).
Recently, before a coaching session, I listened to a mindfulness tape; it helped me to be with my CC
(coaching counterparts) in the moment, fully aware of his messages and his un-said. Developing
mindfulness skills is an effective way to enhance emotional intelligence, facilitating empathy,
compassion, and unconditional positive regard. It allows me to stay focused and present, even when
my CC (coaching counterparts) is not. It helps me you stay grounded, centred and composed, even in
the midst of CCs’ (coaching counterparts) emotional turmoil. It increases my awareness, my ability at
observing my CCs’ (coaching counterparts) responses.

4. 3. Camp 2 - Level 2
“The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know.”
I keep climbing, my perspective widens. I look around and ask: Do I belong here?
Coaching as a Dialogue
As one says: “Welcome to another day of Paradox” and this is again part of the climb. Now the climb
and the altitude have more meaning, I have felt more connection with most of my CCs (coaching
counterparts), particularly in the level 2 exercises. But with a bit more step back, I have realised a
real change with my daily interaction and coaching session with my CCs (coaching counterparts) at
work. I have been more in-tune with the flow of meaning between us. I have deliberately been
promoting a dialogue with common ground, building trust, shared understanding and shared pool of
meaning.
I have seen a real change as a result, where I have been called to diffuse stressful situations between
people and where I have been a real advocate for self-belief and change.
I have been focusing on:
 the dialogue, not the content
 how my CC (coaching counterpart) shapes their meaning about an event
 how I could be this uncompromising friend, employing tough compassion, processing
information and signals (visual, auditory, verbal, sensing/touch, kinaesthetic and small/taste)
Strength-Based Coaching: Focus principle
I must admit that I am a great believer in bringing up and focusing on people strengths. Since
completing level 2, my dialogues with my CCs (coaching counterparts) have been focused on helping
them to uncover what makes them excel, what makes them really good at what they do in their daily
life. Practically, having a conversation with a computer genius around his feeling, emotion and
talents has been challenging, although exponentially revealing. Utilizing the FOCUS framework has
supported the growth and the change in my CCs (coaching counterparts) behaviours, particularly in
supporting them to move above the line and away from the problems and focusing on opportunities.
I recently facilitated a ‘3 chairs’ exercise with a CC (coaching counterpart) who was really affected by
the relationship and communication he had with his CEO, to the point that his CEO gave him 3
months to change. By helping him walk into his CEO’s shoes, get his perspective and asking him to
play Zeus in Mount Olympus, he reached clarity and full awareness. He has been able to deal with
his Village in his head and been more aware in the moment of his vocabulary and his gestures. He
has also understood that his negative thoughts were communicated by abusive behaviours to others
and were a clear obstacle in his work of his leadership style. I told him of the NeuroWifi analogy. We
only had 2 coaching sessions and his relationship with his CEO has changed dramatically. I am
regularly catching up with him to discuss his progress and he is now looking into Mindfulness
Meditation to help him cope with his thoughts.

5. 4. Camp 3: Level 3 - Coming home to myself?
“The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know.”
What a journey. This is the most advanced stage of my climb. After the completion of Level 2 and the
start of the climb towards level 3, my breathing is better, I am not that affected by the lack of
oxygen. I am very impatient to improve, asking: how can I grow more? I want to coach better, to
learn, to grow, to innovate.
What is the next phase in the climb? I am focused on the right expectations (Base Camp), have
confidence in my own coaching expertise (Camp 1), and aware of how my ideas, my thoughts, my
influence, my help and support will be accepted or rejected by my CCs (coaching counterparts)
(Camp 2).
Conclusion: The Summit - Guruness Status
My focus is clear; I already have a recurring sense of achievement. Although I am certain of
something: The more I learn, the more I learn how a little bit more I know!