Interview with Carol Harris-Fike
Interview with Carol Harris-Fike, CHF Coaching & Consulting, LLC
Why did you choose professional coaching as a new career?
I “coached” leaders for 30+ years and, oh yeah, I lived life for 60+ years... so far!! Professionally, until 2005, I was a public school teacher, principal, and administrator coaching teachers, parents, principals, and others. Over time… a long time… I learned to handle the stress and give through my heart each day, no matter the current crisis. Personally, my life to this day has been rich with growth experiences. I have visited the deep valleys… divorce, major illness, giving up and letting go. I have climbed to the highest peaks… finding the love of my life, changing careers to follow my bliss, learning that allowing what comes without holding on to it is the key to letting go and flying high.
What is your focus as a coach?
My work is mainly with people in transition… change in careers or relationships, retirement, or lifestyle. I support people who want to (finally) let go and live the life they are here to live.
What is your approach to working with your clients?
My work is ALL about my clients… never me. My job is to listen with my inner ear… (or is it my inner eye??), ask the difficult, challenging questions, declare the breakthroughs, and to support the client’s work with ideas for practices and actions that will lead to the transformation of whatever. Clients call me on the phone or sometimes come to my office for hour long coaching sessions. I usually work with a particular client for three to six months, (always negotiable). Periodically, I offer teleclasses on specific topics around transition and support change over time with study groups for people with similar goals.
What are some of your accomplishments as a professional coach?
I have supported clients in making shifts by observing how they live life and make choices. This has lead to transformation in how they see life situations. One client saved $30,000 by discovering that she could make a career by following her bliss rather than pursuing one more degree. Another client is taking giant steps in relating with people in ways she never has before… ways that are leading to lasting relationships in her life. Still another client is dealing with a very difficult family situation and even having fun with it along the way; at last she is at peace.
What is your educational background and training?
First of all, I’m a SWTW, a Strong West Texas Woman. West Texas women have to be strong; it takes it to live on that land!!?? I now live in beautiful western Colorado, and it takes strength to live in the mountains, also. My degrees come from Texas Tech University and The University ofTexas at Austin. They include a B.S. of Education and a M.A. in Educational Administration… and LIFE. My coaching training and certification is from Newfield Network, Inc. in Boulder, CO (undergraduate and graduate programs) earning the Newfield Certified Ontological Coach (NCOC) distinction and also the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credentials from the International Coach Federation (ICF)... lets not forget what I've learned from LIFE... the most important teacher of them all.
What other interests have added to your knowledge and skills as an ontological coach?
I am a Reiki Master/Teacher which opens me to be a channel for healing. I am a student of Tai Chi and Chi Gong (more than ten years) and studied many mind/body gurus and scientists from Deepak Chapra to Ken Wilber to Candace Pert to Bruce Lipton… and on and on. I presently serve on two non-profit boards; Friends of the Ute Indian Museum and Museum of the Mountain West, Inc. I look for connections among people and in all we learn from each other… and I find them everywhere. We have the answers within us… we just don’t always have a way of calling them up exactly when we need them… without connecting with someone else who will support us along the journey. I am so pleased to have been called to support others in this beautiful journey… what a joy it brings to me every time a new client makes a breakthrough and sees his or her truth!!!
How can people find out more opportunities to work with you and/or attend one of your workshops?
Would you like to discover if transformational and ontological coaching are for you? Take advantage of my offer to experience a complimentary one-hour coaching session. We will discuss what transformational and ontological coaching are and are not and you will experience laser coaching around any issue, challenge, or goal of your choice. One complimentary session is offered each week, so email me or call soon to get yours scheduled: Carol@YourLifeFromHere.com, 970-249-4162.
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