Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2015 - The Health & Wellness Issue | Page 49
HEALTH & well-being
“Coaching takes
you through
a journey and
moves you from
being stuck,
paralyzed, and
disoriented to
being on track
with clear direction
and goals.”
are many areas that can be worked on through coaching,
from career goals to relationships, but for Amelie expatriation is the main topic:
“Life coaching touches all areas
life, but people mostly come
to me for coping with expatriationthe expat wives who say, ‘I’ve lost
myself. I’ve lost my self-esteem.’
Or those who say, ‘I want
to contribute economically.
I don’t want to spend because I feel
I’m not contributing.’ There are those
whose children are grown and they
cannot justify staying at home.
Expat women want to reconnect with
professional women. Or they want
to find the bodies they had before.
–Be and Become I see expat wives in a lot of pain.
Life and Motivational It’s my goal to pull them out of their
Coaching website pain and empower them.”
Amelie didn’t tell me what to do or what to think.
There was no force or strong hinting. Instead, through
a series of gentle, steering questions, Amelie helped
me arrive at conclusions on my own. When it came
down to a “game plan,” she didn’t get out a dry erase
board and map it out for me. Instead, she helped
me figure out my own plan, stated in my own words.
There were injections of wisdom, which
I appreciated. She at times quoted inspirational
leaders or used analogies to illustrate things more
clearly. My favorite tip, something to put in the toolkit,
was this:
In a confrontation, the first thing to do is voice
my need and then try and focus on identifying the need
of the other person. This would help me not get caught
up in the battle but rather remember the other person
is human and probably feeling hurt, too. What does that
person need? Conflicts could be resolved so much more
quickly if we would focus on the needs of others instead
of putting up defenses.
At the end of the session, I felt lighter, like a weight
had come off my chest. I was happy to have some
new tools to use for the next time a conflict arises,
and I was grateful to Amelie for expressing genuine
concern, warmth, and care throughout our time
together.
IS LIFE COACHING FOR YOU?
I asked Amelie what are some of the classic kinds of problems she helps people overcome in her coaching. There
FIND OUT MORE
For more information, contact Amelie through her
website at www.bblifecoaching.com. She has an office close to Ploenchit BTS and she can also hold
coaching sessions via Skype. Amelie offers personal
coaching, team and group coaching (for the workplace), and motivational speaking in English, French,
and Spanish.
“Life coaching
touches all areas
of life and many
people come to
me for coping with
expatriation— such
as the expat wives
who say, ‘I’ve lost
myself. I’ve lost
my self-esteem.’”
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