One Client's Experience with Virginia's Coaching

An interview with client Tamara S. (USA):

What has coaching with Virginia been like for you?

I would highly, highly recommend working with Virginia. Unlike other coaches who might say something like, oh, I believe you have all the answers, and I'm just here to help facilitate you figuring them out, Virginia actually has lots of really great extra training in all sorts of different techniques.

And she has a truly deep knowledge, both personally and from work with other people in terms of what techniques might be effective to help you lead your life the way you want.

I've read a lot and worked a lot on my own. Coaching with Virginia was still a lot of added value on top of that, and I learned things that I hadn't encountered before. She gives really genuine and helpful feedback, and she's very generous with her check-ins, and the accountability is really helpful.

She's also very encouraging and understanding when, inevitably, things don't actually go exactly the way you planned. She's got a lot of wisdom, and I'm just really happy to be sharing this journey with her. And I can tell I'm making progress, and things are getting better.

Part of that is because she uses science-based approaches. She's kind of melding several different approaches together, which I think is the most effective.

Maybe sometimes I have some solutions of my own. But honestly, if I could have solved my problems myself, I would have. I need some new approaches, which Virginia offers… and then if you can mash them all together, you can really start to see some changes.

It doesn't completely solve every problem imaginable, but you feel a lot more supported and like you're doing what you need to do.

It’s saved me a lot of time because Virginia has absorbed and crystallized the information that’s out there, and can tailor it specifically to my issues.

What were some of your concerns about the coaching process before getting started?

So I found Virginia online, just searching for someone with Tiny Habits training. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But she was so welcoming and wise and I felt comfortable right from the beginning. And in the first session, she really emphasized being playful and making it fun. It was very effective. We set up some Tiny Habits, and they really worked, day after day.

She’s just had so many key insights. I could not get myself to do my physical therapy exercises, for example. And she realized, doing them right after lunch might work. So then I had a clear anchor to build the habit on top of, and I had more energy than at night. She realized that and it made a big difference. And I started doing them for the first time, and kept it up. That was so cool.

And she just knows about so many different resources. It’s great knowing that she’s there for me.

And were there any other surprises? Besides what you've mentioned.

Just that Virginia’s really flexible in terms of working with you and figuring out what would help you. And she's also on her own journey and anything she learns that she thinks is relevant, she'll share with you. So that's really nice to have a model of someone else who's like me, who’s searched and done this work. Just because modern life is so challenging. We need all the hacks and help we can get.

Who do you recommend Virginia for?

If you actually want to see some results at the end, not just, you know, what they call navel gazing, then she's your coach.

What would you say to anyone who’s still not sure about investing in coaching?

I would not delay doing this because it will save you time and be worth it. And it will be fun and not uncomfortable. And, you know, you don't have to make a big commitment at first, you can just try it out and see what you think, and that's okay. So I encourage you to make an appointment and try it out. And you'll be glad you did.

Any other comments?

Yes. I just feel like it's so key that she understands the role that emotion and brain chemicals play in all of this, in procrastination and all the rest. It’s just sort of an integrated understanding of why we do what we do and how we could tweak things. Lastly, she's very compassionate. You won't feel judged, you'll feel understood. And you're not going to have to do all the work. You're doing the work together.