1:1 Coaching - Sarah Courtney

1:1 Coaching – Maternity & Paternity

1:1 support is great for providing bespoke coaching and to allow the individual to share personal information in a completely confidential environment. This can allow a new mind-set to develop which can bring long lasting positive change, for both the individual and their employer. While group coaching works for many clients, others prefer the privacy of a 1:1 session, and the option to meet over perhaps several months as they navigate the transition before, during and after maternity leave.

Why Maternity Coaching?

Women in Ireland are having children typically in their thirties and into their forties, just at a point in time when they are at their peak contribution in the workplace. Many women take a step back in their careers at this point, some step out entirely as the pressure to manage both becomes too much. This loss of talent can have a significant impact on a company’s performance. Gender diversity helps companies maximize their profit. Women bring a unique perspective, different skills and increase the talent pool. Their retention is key, especially in light of an almost full employment market.

Coaching is a valuable aid in managing change, and so Maternity Coaching is a way of supporting women who are transitioning back to the workplace after having children; a time of significant change. Providing family friendly policies & supports allows those with families find a way to balance their professional and personal lives, and ultimately contributes to the bottom line.

How does 1:1 Maternity Coaching work in practice?

To begin, coachees complete a pre-coaching questionnaire and have a short pre-coaching ‘chemistry’ call with me. This is an opportunity to find out more about each other and for me to answer any questions they may have on the coaching process. It is also the first step in building rapport, a critical component of successful coaching.

Three 1:1 coaching sessions of 75-90 minutes are advised, with sessions taking place at the client’s location or a mutually agreeable alternative. Coaching sessions can take place face to face, online or by phone. For new mums this is typically one session before the baby is born, one shortly before she returns to work and one 3-6 weeks after she is back at work. This ensures she is supported at all stages pre and post leave. The coaching conversation is a place to speak, reflect and be heard, without the influence of family, colleagues or friends, and it is 100% confidential.

Typical coaching conversation in this space centre on:

Guidance with continuing along the career path
Achieving & flexing Work/Life harmony
Re-establishing / Re-igniting confidence
Knowing their value and managing perception
Maintaining visibility

Here’s a testimonial from one of the mums that I coach:

“Thank you, you really are amazing….

I would recommend Sarah’s Maternity Coaching to everyone embarking on maternity leave.

The pointers and insights she gave made a world of difference to how I dealt with the transition out of and back into work.

Sarah has so much knowledge and experience; she is a fantastic Maternity coach. I didn’t realise that Maternity would be the life changing transition it was. Sarah’s support and guidance was invaluable to help me navigate the pitfalls and challenges with ease, before they even arose.

Sarah has the unique talent of being able to balance being really knowledgeable and professional with being super supportive and personable. She pinpoints what help and the areas of focus you need and helps you with them. She adapts to your questions and case rather than just giving generic advice. I couldn’t recommend her more.

Sara, Professional Services

Why Paternity Coaching?

Traditionally, parenting and its impact in the workplace has been seen as a female domain, but progressive employers now view it as simply part and parcel of the employee life cycle and recognise that it also impacts male employees. New fathers have extra demands on their time, may have partners with equally ambitious careers, and they want to be hands-on with their children without it negatively influencing their career trajectory.

Clients who avail of Paternity Coaching are often in leadership roles or have aspirations to get there. The support of a coach to help them focus on achieving their goals while acknowledging their new role as a parent can have a really positive influence on how they contribute at work, as well as their loyalty & commitment to their employer.

Providing Paternity Coaching as an employee benefit is also another way for an employer to visibly demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion. It acknowledges openly that parenting and its ipact in the workplace affects both men and women and treats everyone equally.

How does 1:1 Paternity Coaching work in practice?

Three 1:1 coaching sessions of 75-90 minutes are advised, with sessions taking place at the client’s location or a mutually agreeable alternative. Coaching sessions can take place face to face, online or by phone. For new dads this is typically one session before the baby is born, and two sessions when he has returned to work after Paternity Leave. The coaching conversation is a place to speak, reflect and be heard, without the influence of family, colleagues or friends, and it is 100% confidential.

Typical coaching conversation in this space centre on:

Guidance with continuing along the career path
Achieving & flexing Work/Life harmony
How to best support their partner and be the dad they want to be.

Here’s a testimonial from one of the dads that I coach:

“As a father of two in a new role and in a new country, coaching sessions with Sarah gave me someone to talk to when my life felt out of control. Sarah is an absolute professional, she helped me put several aspects of my life back in perspective including realizing my achievements and being inclusive in sharing responsibilities, plans, activities etc. with my partner and kids. It would be great to get more dads to avail of coaching support.”

William, Financial Services