Coaching
ICF-certified professional career, life & executive coach.
What is coaching?
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with Clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
The coach’s role is to hold Clients as whole, capable, resourceful and creative. During a session, I ask provocative questions to support my Clients in unlocking their own internal wisdom about what they really want and how to overcome what’s blocking them. I assist Clients in hearing their own voices more clearly.
As an Professional Certified Coach (PCC), I adhere to the ICF’s Code of Ethics and Core Competencies. ICF credentials are the international gold standard in coaching preparation. The PCC indicates I completed an accredited coaching program, completed over 500 Client coaching hours and passed an exam. There were only about 11,000 PCC coaches worldwide when I achieved this certification.
Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires client’s maximum potential.
Why coaching?
There are many reasons why people come to coaching. One of the most common is a crossroads: finding yourself at a turning point but not knowing which way to go. Others finally get tired of being tired, unhappy, or dissatisfied with their career or life in general. Some feel stuck, with no way out or through.
Many clients who choose to coach with me do so because I’ve had a similar career to one they imagine for themselves, in a STEM, User Experience or creative field. I deeply understand the rewards and challenges of being the lone woman in male-dominated professions or a fish out of water in other ways. When appropriate, I offer combination mentoring-coaching, to support clients’ continued professional skill development while helping them tap their own inner wisdom.
Other clients coach with me for a very different reason: because I’m a cognitive psychologist and former clinical speech-language pathologist, I have broad knowledge of various disabilities. I’ve coached a variety of caregivers of family members with special needs, supporting them through the most challenging role of their lives.
Regardless of what brings you to the powerful process of coaching, what all coaching clients have in common is a small voice telling them things don’t have to be this way. There must be something better.
And there is. It just takes one step.
ICF-certified professional coach
Testimonials
Mentoring
UX Researcher, Wall Street Journal
Two years ago, I started my career as a freelance UX designer and researcher working with Melanie; I had just come out of a UX bootcamp with little prior UX experience and only a vague idea of the direction in which I wanted to go. It became immediately apparent that I had struck gold with Melanie. She took on her given role as my supervisor and then went above and beyond by becoming my mentor, a role she holds to this day long after I left freelancing to go in-house.
“Melanie deftly distills years of experience and advanced education in UX and Psychology into actionable, bite-sized, tailored pieces of advice. She is clearly a born educator.”
Her wealth of advice, technical skills, and philosophies have been instrumental for me to move forward in my career as a UX Researcher. I’m now leading research at my company and constantly face complex problems both internally and when conducting the actual research.
Melanie continues to support me, checking in and, as soon as I signal for help, hopping immediately on the phone and/or answering emails. I am so grateful for her dedication to my career and personal growth and it just continually amazes me that I am not the only person she is mentoring!!
