By: Kim Green

Hello. There is one week before I jump into my training to become a Life Coach at ILCT. I am so pleased to be here. My name is Kim Green and I am a writer. I have always thought that the written word is all I had until coaching came along. I have secretly fantasized about being a coach for decades. Some would say that I have already been a coach, but only now am I ready to claim it. This first week can’t come fast enough.

My writing was born the day that my mother died suddenly on the New York City Subway. I was 15 years old and the sky had officially fallen. All l had was paper and pen to help me figure out the rest of my life without a mother.

That was 35 years ago and I still find myself clinging to the written word more than ever. I’ve learned that words on a page force one to face what lies within. So, after over 30 years as journalist, copywriter, ghostwriter, novelist and essayist, I can finally see words in a new light as they fly off the page and into people’s hearts.

Without me being aware of it, my life coach training came out of my marketing firm, Veritas Communications. The company’s name literally meant “Truth Communications” and that is what my marketing words were all about. Suddenly, clients started asking me to come speak at their businesses to help them form mission statements and help them find the voice of their organization. After I spoke a few times, then they’d asked me to lead seminars about truth, honesty and integrity.

After these well-received workshops, people would come up to tell me that I had changed their lives. I was excited by that at first and then, I’ll admit, it scared me. I thought since my life wasn’t perfect, what could I possibly share with them that would have life-changing value? Although I was scared of the accolades, I was really coming to terms with my need to know more, to go deeper. Sadly, my speaking career went to the back burner because my health turned on me. That was nearly 14 years ago and my health has since recovered. I am ready to coach.

All of the non-credentialed coaches that I know have said, “Just start! You don’t need credentials.” But, my heart knows that I do. I know that I want the people that I coach to know that I honor them enough to be trained to enter their lives, mold their future, help to rebuild what they have started. I want my clients to know that my wisdom is proven. This work is not just work; it’s people’s lives…

When I met Ellen Neiley Ritter, she was so warm and encouraging of my idea of building a coaching practice with the power of writing as my foundational tool. I want to reach my clients with a blank page, a safe space where they can reach themselves without interference. I want them to build their lives based on their own words, truths and desires. My practice won’t be about writing to be published, it will be about being who you say you are. My clients won’t necessarily be writers; they will be people who see the value in putting their words to work in their lives.

Ellen jumped at the idea of me chronicling my own upcoming journey as a student at ILCT as a weekly blog as I go through the program. So, here I am, writing about what promises to be the intellectual and spiritual adventure of my lifetime. Please check back as often as you can to see how I am doing. I will also be spotlighting recent grads and sharing their stories.

It is my greatest hope that others interested in life coaching will read my words and see this possibility for themselves. I will make you this promise: I will tell the truth about my experience – the places where I am stuck and where I can see clearly.

Thank you for being a part of this coaching community, whether you are a full-fledged coach or just a person who is thinking about how you can be a part of making the world a safer place; a place where people can find peace and truth is not the exception.

KG

Kim Green is a writer and a student at The Institute for Life Coach Training. In this blog series, she has documented her experience as she goes through the Foundational training. To read about Kim's journey, click here.