Coach teaches strategies for balancing life, work
July 29, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon @ fredericknewspost . com
FREDERICK — Jeanette Eleff's career in health care was rewarding, but after 25 years of working at Frederick Memorial and Montgomery General hospitals as a registered nurse, health educator and hospital manager, something was missing. For 13 years, she longed to own a business.
“I wanted to do more one-on one interaction with people, and I also wanted to have more time so I could be creative with speaking, writing and developing workshops,” she said. “It was time for me to take the next step in my life.”
Learning to become a certified coach allowed her to start her own business and fulfill that dream.
“And that's what I love doing, is helping people realize their dreams,” she said.
Ms. Eleff, who lives in Frederick, earned a coaching certification in 2005 after more than 120 hours of training at The Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, Calif.
Job coaches have long helped people find and keep jobs, but a new trend focuses on finding balance in life while pursuing business goals.
It's called life coaching.
Many people find it difficult to set goals and manage their time. Coaches partner with clients to set goals and determine accountability, often acting as a personal cheerleader.
But coaches do more than root for their clients.
“We open doors so people can learn more about themselves,” Ms. Eleff said.
Coaching sessions revolve around conversation driven by powerful questions that help clients put their life issues into perspective. Questions such as “Who am I becoming?” or “What's getting in the way of what I want?” give clients insight to help them reach goals.
Ms. Eleff's niche is assisting women find harmony between work and life. She sometimes helps clients manage finances, child care and school while they start businesses, change careers or advance in their career.
“In the ‘70s and ‘80s women suffered from the superwoman complex,” she said. “We were told we could do it all and never let them see you sweat.”
As a result, she said, many women have a tendency to take on too many responsibilities and have difficulty setting priorities. Ms. Eleff advocates balance in life.
“Balance is not about having it all,” she said. “It's about finding a better quality of life by learning when to say yes and when to say no.”
Working with a coach may help someone discover it's OK to leave a job she's not happy with, she said.
“As a coach, I see my client as being naturally creative, resourceful and whole,” she wrote in an e-mail. “They know the answers, they know where they want their life to lead, but sometimes ‘stuff' gets in the way.”
Ms. Eleff should know. She has a coach too.
While helping clients reach their true goals, Ms. Eleff returns to her coach to help make her own dreams come true.
Ms. Eleff has contributed to a book about women in business. Her article details how strategies she learned while coaching invigorated her entrepreneurial spirit.
“The Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs,” by Love Your Life Publishing, will be released in October.
“I love sharing information with women on how to be successful, and will be super elated when I'm actually holding the book in my hand,” she said.