Celebrating TCFS 2021 Cohort 1 Graduates
Here at The Coaching Fellowship we love to celebrate. And we love nothing more than to celebrate each and every woman who goes through the coaching journey and owns her bright and brilliant truth. As Jane, TCFS Founder, so well puts it, “When we help another woman, we set a ripple effect in motion without end. Women are born ready. Sometimes we just need a gentle reminder to own our truth and claim our destiny.” At TCFS, it is our incredible coaches and fellow co-colleagues guiding us and reminding us to do exactly that. We really do have so much to celebrate!
As we did on December 2nd when we congratulated the 18th Coaching Fellowship Program of 2021 Cohort 1 graduates! These inspiring young women social change leaders gathered to share their fellowship journeys, encourage one another, and support each other in continuing to create great impact in the world.
During the time together we heard from 2021 Cohort 1 graduate, Charlotte Smith. She is the Program Director of the Women Empowerment Council, an engaged network of corporate leaders and decision-makers that aims to advance gender equality in businesses in China. Her words were powerful and resonated deeply with us all, as she shared…
“What surprised me most about the Coaching Fellowship, other than actually achieving all my goals, was the way in which I was able to achieve them. I came in with the expectation that I would be learning to analyze myself and my career prospects from an intellectual standpoint. A kind of anxiety-based approach of “if I just think about it enough and analyze it enough, I will come up with solutions”.
Instead, the biggest blessing of the program, my ‘aha’ moment was that the nature of the relationship I had with my coach showed me the nature of the relationship I need to have with myself. She listened, observed, and guided. She created a space free from judgment or expectation. I always felt like I could show up to sessions as my authentic self.
Cultivating this type of relationship with myself, learning to listen, observe, and trust myself as a guide was a revelation. It freed me from the expectations of others. I think as women society places heavy expectations on us to be responsible for everything and everyone. We carry the weight of our families, communities, and the world on our shoulders.
Feeling freed from these expectations isn’t abandoning that responsibility. It actually allows me to focus even more on my contribution knowing that my perspective, talent, and effort is valuable and enough. As cheesy as it sounds, the solutions I was seeking are within me. Don’t get me wrong, I learned so much from my coach and fellows (shout out to my allies pod), but I’m certain that the tools I’m left with to access my inner knowing will have the longest lasting impact.
Thank you to Jane and everyone at The Coaching Fellowship. Thank you so much for listening, I really appreciate this opportunity to use my voice, opportunities that I’m pushing myself to take every chance I get. I hope that you all had equally rewarding and revealing experiences through the program… Congratulations again to everyone, I wish you the absolute best on your journeys!”
This beautiful message left many of us with teary eyes and genuine smiles as the ripple effect washed over each person listening and feeling the impact of its truth.
Next, we heard from TCFS coach Cindy Lima. Cindy joined the virtual celebration from the San Francisco Bay Area where she was a hospital administrator at UCSF for almost thirty years before coaching. She shared how she was raised by “a gutsy, glass-ceiling-breaking mother who was an incredible support and role model” who’s influence she came to fully appreciate later in her life and career. Cindy went on to describe how she met many challenges throughout her career and life, she explained, “During those challenging times, I found two things that helped me find more balance, feel primed to tackle challenges and able to help my team succeed. First was welcoming others’ support and wisdom — particularly that of the women around me. The second was trusting my gut. This discovery alone was life changing and never let me down.”
As Cindy spoke, her love and dedication to the work of coaching and the impact of The Coaching Fellowship was contagious as she congratulated the group:
“What I love about The Coaching Fellowship sounds cliché but, I really mean it. It is the genuine passion and energy around supporting women to whole-heartedly achieve what they were born to accomplish. So many things can get in our way — and most of them, self-imposed. So, to have the opportunity to travel alongside a fellow and help her realize and appreciate her true potential is a beyond-awesome experience. I coach for two other social impact organizations but there is something special about The Coaching Fellowship — a collective upswell, a deep honoring, a true sisterhood and, by far, it draws the most extraordinary fellows!
My experience as a coach has been uplifting, heartfelt, intimate, and inspiring. We’ve shared laughter and we’ve shared tears. There were times we sat in pensive silence and times we sat in utter awe of a new discovery. We didn’t know where we were headed when we started out but we ventured on an amazing journey together. At a time when the world feels like it’s teetering, my fellows I have demonstrated hope and resilience; talent and humor; grace, strength, and humility. These have been joyous collaborations that will live in my heart always.
Today, I’d like to celebrate each of you and the leadership and tenacity you’ve shown; I’d like to celebrate your willingness to grow and your desire to make the world a better place; I’d like to celebrate your forever-connection to The Coaching Fellowship and celebrate Jane’s vision for it as well as the staff. I’d like to celebrate women everywhere, like my mom, who bucked the status quo and inspired us — and upon whose shoulders we stand. And finally, I’d like to express how appreciative I am to have been part of it with you. Congratulations!”
Echoing the words shared by Charlotte and Cindy, we want to celebrate the life changing work of our coaches and fellows in the 2021 Cohort 1 and all the ones that came before! Let’s always remember to celebrate each other, lift each other, and continue to buck the status quo by living out our own truth and claiming our destiny.
