Flyover people
Cheryl Unruh
Originally published 02:11 p.m., April 15, 2008
Updated 02:11 p.m., April 15, 2008
“The big thing about (life) coaching is that you have your own answers,” Julia McBride told me.
But when your life feels stuck or stale, those answers aren’t always so easy to see.
A life coach can help people find balance, discover new opportunities, and create a fresh vision for their lives.
Last week I wrote about Julia Fabris McBride, who, with her husband, Bill, moved from Chicago (pop. a lot) to Matfield Green (pop. 62).
I first met Julia two years ago and was taken by both her energy and her calmness. She is spirited yet serene. And while visiting with Julia recently about her and her husband’s move to Kansas, I also asked her about her career as a life coach.
Julia’s office is in Matfield Green, in a small and charming house. This house has been opened into one large room with a small kitchen in the back. The walls are painted a cheerful yellow and the sun beamed inside that morning, casting lines of white light on the wooden floors.
Julia McBride, 46, who has a B.A. in theatre and completed a graduate program at the London Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, is also a graduate of Coach University. She is certified by the International Coach Federation and is president of its Wichita chapter.
She has worked with non-profit organizations and has a strong background in leadership development. Julia is a trained mediator and a public speaker.
So what does a life coach do?
“At the beginning of a relationship with a client I come with a big list of questions,” Julia said.
The answers may reveal how satisfied a person is with his or her life, career and relationships — and the balance between work, family and the relationship with a significant other.
“We’ll probably end up taking about your barriers and your values, who you want to be in the world and what it means to have a purposeful life — and getting really clear about that,” she said.
“We all have gremlins in our heads telling us something. What’s your gremlin telling you? What’s getting in the way of you doing what you want to do?”
The client’s goals are defined and clarified.
Julia holds onto those goals and helps the client stay accountable to him or herself.
One client intends to write a book this year. “She just sent me the first draft of a chapter and that was exciting for me and for her,” Julia said.
As a coach, Julia sometimes suggests exercises or field work. “Whenever I make a request, you can say yes, no, or you can make a counter offer. And even with a counter offer, a client is taking control of her life. That’s probably the most exciting response I can get.”
For persons interested in trying her services, Julia offers a free 30-minute sample session.
“I love doing those,” she said, “even if people are just curious about coaching, not necessarily ready to commit to working with a coach themselves.”
Regular weekly sessions are 45 minutes. She’ll meet with clients in person, if that’s desired and possible, but like many life coaches, most of her sessions are done over the phone.
In addition to one-on-one coaching, Julia also teaches workshops at the Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center located deep in the Flint Hills, about four miles from Matfield Green.
Her next overnight retreat for women, on May 2 and 3, is “Treasures in Transition: Finding Meaning in the Choppy Seas of Change.”
A change in life, planned or unplanned, can have a variety of side effects. In the workshop, Julia will offer ways in which a person can use a time of transition as an opportunity for personal growth and development.
More information about coaching and this retreat can be found at www.coachjulia.net. Or call Julia at 620-753-3470.
“Flyover People” is online at www.flyoverpeople.net.
F Cheryl Unruh can be reached at cheryl@flyoverpeople.net.