Frequently Asked Questions

Who uses a Decision Coach?

Almost everyone at one time or another can benefit from the services of a Decision Coach. It is quite common to have difficulty making decisions and bouncing your thoughts off of a neutral person can be very helpful.

What kinds of decisions do you help with?

A couple of different kinds of decisions:  first, making the really big decisions in life- major purchases, job change, moving cities or counties. These are important decisions with long term consequences for your life.

Second:  issues such as procrastination, feeling stuck or playing catch up, impulse buying and credit card debt. These issues also have long term and often negative consequences for your life.

As a coach I work with clients facing both these types of decision making challenges. My practice is focused on women and couples.  (couples is used in its broadest definition of gay, straight, bi or trans). I don’t usually work with people who have relationship issues or parenting problems.

As my coach will you make my decisions for me?

The short answer is NO ABSOLUTELY NOT.  The coach’s job is to provide a neutral, safe space for you to make your decisions in a way that will create positive long term consequences.

To accomplish that, I may ask you challenging questions to help you consider all the ramifications of your decision.  Sometimes, in the first flush of enthusiasm it is easy to overlook important details that can trip us up.

Can't I just get help from my family or friends?

Most of us have family and friends we bounce ideas off of.  They give us advice; often conflicting and it can make it more difficult to come to a decision.  And of course, there is the risk of hurting feelings because you will need to choose one person’s advice over another. As your coach, my only intent is to assist you in making the best decision possible.

Why is your practice focused more on women?

Women are often encouraged to put aside their own wants and needs to make others feel happy.  Over time this creates a pattern of being “nice”. Eventually as women, we can lose track of our own wants and needs and even feel selfish about choosing ourselves first. As your coach it is my job to help you sort out your priorities to create the life you want – not the life others think you should have.

There’s a big difference in the length of the services, why?

Life’s Big Decision is intended for people who generally do make decisions fairly readily and then run into something that requires decision making knowledge outside of their usual pattern of thinking. Usually four sessions is enough to get them past the logjam and moving forward.

Decision Making 101 is intended for people who have a pattern of difficulty in making decisions. It can range from being overwhelmed by the choices on a menu or  what outfit to buy, to severe procrastination and an inability to move forward. That can make teachers, bosses and others very angry and impatient with us. Often we procrastinate because we are unsure of the results, have a pattern of poor decisions and bombard ourselves with negative self talk.

These issues generally create patterns of thought and behavior which require more than just 4 sessions to change. Like changing any habit (think diet) it takes constant thinking and support to make the changes needed for a happy life.

Is it painful and difficult?

It can be challenging and I do my best to help you have fun in the process. And at the end with a new set of skills to use, you will happier and more productive.

What happens if I get stuck again?

Sometimes all the skills in the world may not help you if you are overwhelmed with emotion about a choice. Then a quick call may be all you need to reset and move forward.

What happens when I make the changes?

The people around you will also change.  If they are uncomfortable with the “new you” they may try to pull you back into old patterns of behavior. You know who will have difficulty and we will create a plan for you to address the naysayers.