Dear Learner,

When you are ready, please read this tale of one man's discovery of purpose, meeting and learning from wise counsel, striving toward a life of meaningful engagement. I hope it gives you a personal, optimistic feel for what the coaching journey entails.

 

Life Before Coaching

In retrospect, my first attempt at college is when I would have most benefitted from having a coach. I enrolled in a university without any personal purpose – I went because that’s what I thought I “had to” do after high school. I moved into the dorms and quickly lost the healthy routines and personal standards I had growing up at home. My brain and body suffered from lack of sleep. I lost focus and cared more about social status than my education. I did not have any meaningful, self-crafted goals or purpose. My lack of standards caused problems with poor diet, hygiene, sleep, and booze. Eventually, I dropped out of college and crash-landed back at my parents’ house, defeated and depressed.

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Recovery

It took some time and space to rouse myself out of depression with something I later learned was called behavioral activation. I had to force myself to do things that brought me pleasure and purpose. I went out and joined friends to practice songs for a band. I joined my uncle to learn some handyman skills in his business. I contracted with a local mountain farm to provide labor in exchange for lodging and meals. I took a job working the ski lift at a ski mountain. Gradually, I regained the confidence that I could set out and achieve personal, meaningful life experiences. The next big experience I wanted was to attain a college degree.

 

Coaches Appear

When I set out for my college degree, a variety of mentors and coaches began to appear in my life. Collectively, they have modeled how to be successful, compassionate adults in this world. Some could perceive the totality of my words, metaphors, and body language to help me see the deep meaning of my present moment. One taught me mindfulness and embodiment practices so that I could manage my own mind and vitality. Another was trained to ask precise questions and discover which beliefs I had to transform to make progress. 

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The Journey With Their Help

My coaches helped me gain clarity on what drives me, how to find opportunities in this world, persevere through the education and experience, speak with confidence and truth to important people in my life, balance achievement with wellness and happiness, and ultimately, become meaningfully engaged in every important aspect of my best life. That foundation helped me finally attain my master’s degree, become a singer-songwriting entertainer on the piano, use my writing skills for entertainment and career networking, engage in education and career to take contracts and classes around the country and world, inhabit my body to confidently engage in sports like rock climbing and mountain biking, integrate ongoing education into evidence-based psychosocial practices, and operate a personally meaningful business in the beautiful region of Bellingham, Washington. I am grateful for the journey that brought me here!!!

 

Making of a Coach

My formal education is national certification as an occupational therapist – a person trained to set people up to occupy their time and days with meaningful work, leisure, and life balance. All of my favorite jobs involved helping people gain valuable skills and insight, ranging from university tutoring, private piano and guitar lessons, guiding meditation and yoga classes, mentoring students in a university life-skills class, and supporting students with disabilities and their teachers in the public school system.

 

Passion for Learning

I chose learning as the focus of Learning Coach. When I worked in a dementia care unit, I liked to joke with the patients. After a few weeks of working there, the patients would get a big smile on their face when I walked into the room. They couldn’t remember my name or who I was, but they somehow remembered how I made them feel. Isn’t that interesting?

 

To give another example across the kingdom of biological life, when I trained my dog to wait at the door until I said “come,” she would wait even if I opened the door and forgot to tell her. The conditions (standing at door) and reinforcement (getting to go outside after obeying) made her learning simply fall right into place! I have heard that crows can remember people’s faces, and even bacteria can learn. Learning must be somewhere deep in the DNA of life itself!

 

Lifelong Effects

Personally, learning has made my life better on every level. When I read Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, I learned to communicate calmly and fairly with people even about hard conversations. When I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I learned how to visualize my goals, prioritize my energy, and make big progress in less time. When I studied Spanish in high school and college, it paid off when I needed to take a bus to town in Ecuador! When I learned that yoga uses special postures, ways of breathing, and spots for gazing, it helped me cultivate a healthy body and a calm mind. To me, learning is even fun; I love learning new songs and techniques on the piano and then playing them on stage. Learning to ski enabled me to have fun (safely!) at Mt Baker. Being a student in college was never easy, but learning how to organize my time and be a “sustainable student” made college a much more rewarding experience for me.

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Why Coaching?

I don’t say that anyone “needs” a coach. You can keep learning things with your current skills, and if you have blind spots, maybe someone will tell you someday. I say that coaching accelerates your progress and provides tools that might otherwise take years to find. I call it an investment in the self. For Learning Coach, I call it an investment in one's life balance and the intelligent use of their mind. People can experience personal growth from coaching even within 3 months, although many choose to keep their coach after that because they like the growth they experience.

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Affirmation

I am honored to do my work in the beautiful, creative town of Bellingham, Washington. I continually work toward my vision of an enlightened society of people engaged in meaningful work and interaction. I maintain and grow my commitment to provide excellent guidance and coaching to the people of this town. If you would like to accelerate your growth to take part in the enlightening of this society, give me a call for a free consultation so we can talk about working together.

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Let's Connect!

Chris Wrzesien

Learning Coach

Bellingham, WA

360-207-4560

chris@learningcoachwa.com