President's Letter
Thank You 2018
This is the last President’s letter I will write as your ICF Minnesota president. As I reflect on the past year, I recall the feelings of fear that surfaced in my mind a short year ago of taking on this role, yet here I am, writing my last letter; eternally grateful for the experiences and growth it has given me.
While it has not been the year I anticipated (no one can anticipate the death of their mother or any loved one) and dreamed of for myself; as we are aware of, there is a higher power that has a plan that we sometimes are forced to adhere to; one that plays out not on our timeline or will.
Sometimes those unplanned events help us realize the power of those you are surrounded by; most often family and friends and in this case, additionally the ICF Minnesota board.
As this year has passed, I am extremely appreciative for my ICF Minnesota family. They have picked up the slack and continued on with the vision when life happened. Many stepped up when I just needed to talk and others coached and hugged me when needed. For those moments, I thank you.
While I cannot begin to list all that I have learned over this past year, I want to touch one thing. There is strength in numbers. While developing a three-year strategic plan with Sara and Trish over 3 years ago, we set in motion a vision that you, ICF Minnesota had identified in your desires for a coaching community. The entire board has embraced and moved this vision forward this year, even when I was not able to fully participate.
My wish for ICF Minnesota in the years to come: My hope and dream is that we, as a whole community continue to learn, grow and connect. There are many talented coaches in this state and as we continue to educate and band together with strength and passion, I can only begin to visualize what the future holds.
It has been a privilege to lead ICF Minnesota in 2018. Thank you for your support, expertise, and time over the past year. I will be eternally grateful for the experiences I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the growth I have experienced.
Please welcome Trish Perry as your 2019 President. She leads with vision, drive and a passion for coaching and coaches that is both inspirational and determined. She is well prepared to take us to the next level and I look forward to watching that evolve under her leadership.
I look forward to seeing you at our 2019 events and beyond.
Enjoy!
Shari Fruechte, ACC, CAP, OM
ICF Minnesota President
 
Highlights from ICF Minnesota Coaching Connection event at Kips Irish Pub.
The evening started off with a “Nutty” Ice Breaker that got the group laughing and mingling. More than forty attended the evenings event. It was a marvelous opportunity to connect with other coaches in the profession.
Look for more events like this in 2019.
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Blogs from the Board
Theresa Nutt
Web Support Chair
My Journey from Superwoman to Creative Goddess
By Theresa Nutt
So many women have learned how to be Superwoman these days. We learn to thrive on constantly caring for others, producing in a masculine fashion, and being so busy that we don’t have the time to ask the deeper questions or tend to the soul journey. I have always been a seeker of spiritual truth and personal growth. I woke up 5 years ago and found myself on a journey to reclaim my feminine nature. I had become the buttoned-up corporate success, the woman who was able to work 80 hours a week and rarely slept, and the woman who had lost so much of herself that she spent every day in the agony of deep emptiness and grief that she could not explain. I was separated from myself so significantly that I became physically ill. And I began a journey to reclaim my Divine Feminine nature, though I had no idea that was what I was doing at the time.
The journey to reclaim my Divine Feminine brought to light many aspects of my life that were missing or untended. I hated my physical body and had no sense of inner beauty because I didn’t fit the ideal standard of beauty in our American pop culture. I thought that the only way I had value was based on producing a lot and making great money in my work. I was so dependent on the opinion of others that I had bent, twisted and stretched in every direction trying to please others and keep them happy. I never made time for the things that mattered to me because I was always banking on that magic someday when I could finally have a life that truly mattered to me. I was rarely, if ever, speaking my truth in the world or sharing my sensitive nature, and I certainly was not taking time to care for myself. I was completely empty and disenchanted with the daily grind. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and lost. And a deep yearning I couldn’t understand grew inside of me, begging for my attention.
I started the arduous journey of leaving behind the behaviors and patterns I had grown to rely on and fell into the deep abyss of darkness, uncertainty, grief, and confusion. Though harrowing, it turns out that this combination was the perfect incubator for reclaiming the Divine Feminine. I found pieces of my shadow reintegrating after years of separation and suppression. I started speaking my truth and trusting in my own experience. I trusted my intuition. I started to really understand what it means to care deeply for oneself on every level. I stopped waiting for someone to save me. I stopped punishing myself for being sensitive and started listening to and acknowledging the myriad of emotions that arose in my experience. I started looking for more ways to be in community with others because I was surrounded by people and still felt completely alone. I delved deeper into the mysteries of my spiritual journey and asked myself the questions that were long overdue. I welcomed back my playfulness, wild side, daydreamer, sexual goddess, creative, and a host of other parts of myself that I had dissected or discarded over the years. I learned for the first time how to tend to the rhythms and cycles of my feminine nature. I became comfortable with the periods of rest and turning inward followed by outward, creative expression. I started dressing in a way that celebrated the fullness of who I am and I was no longer hiding my powerful goddess nature. I became comfortable taking in and receiving attention, nourishment of all kinds, and the energy of the world in a whole new way.
I hear the stories of women every day who are disconnected from their Divine Feminine nature. It’s an epidemic in our society. Fortunately, our feminine nature means we are reaching out to one another in conversation, compassion, and concern to tend and create together. And in this connection, may we each elevate one another to own our Divine Feminine gifts of love, connection, receiving, creativity, intuition, beauty, purpose, mystery, nurturing, and untamed wildness.
SPEAKER EVENT
Trust the Process: What really happens when we shift from rescuing clients to releasing responsibility?
DATE: Tuesday, December 11, 2018
TIME: 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
CEUs: 2 Core Competencies
LOCATION: Metropolitan Ballroom
Register For This Event
Registration is required by December 8, 2018
Payment In Advance Only
Member: No Fee
Non-Member: $40.00
Presented by: Jennie Antolak, MA, MCC
Most of us would deny we ever rescued a client. We faithfully recite the statement, “We believe our clients are resourceful and they have the answers inside of them.” However, when the stakes are high, we are tempted to step in and expand awareness for them. We think we are simply helping by sharing a story, providing a bit of information, or suggesting alternatives in hopes that our efforts wake people up to better outcomes or solutions. The reality is the opposite often happens. When we step in, we remove their opportunity to discern what is important, discover their path forward and develop self-efficacy and resiliency. This keeps them playing small in the world and limited to the information we imparted on them rather than them stumbling and learning from each experience. In addition, it greys the lines of coaching, impacts the coach’s personal credibility and ultimately, extends into the perception and validity of the entire coaching field.
Join us in hearing compelling stories, supporting data and the value of releasing responsibility. Attendees will see how allowing clients to falter can help them better find their way to a greater story.
ICF Core Competencies Addressed:
1) Establish the Coaching Agreement,
2) Powerful Questioning,
3) Direct Communication
4) Creating Awareness
Objectives:
1. Understand the possible negative effect a coach can have on a client when s/he influences the session vs. trusting the person and the process.
2. Further develop coaching skills to expand perspective for the client without having to insert personal perspective or guidance.
3. Re-engage and further believe in the power of coaching.
Jennie Antolak is co-founder and President of Learning Journeys, a coaching certification institute committed to protecting the standards, ethics, and credibility of coaching throughout the world. Jennie co-developed and teaches the practitioner level (ACTP approved), mastery level, and narrative coaching certifications. When she is not teaching or coaching, Jennie is continually developing coaching tools and materials to ensure coaches have access to relevant and reliable resources.
Jennie holds a B.A. in Communications, M.A. in Organizational Leadership and is credentialed as a Master Certified Coach (MCC) through the International Coach Federation.
The Gaston Corner:
Thoughts, insights and stories shared by our Gaston Award Recipients.
Keep Track of Values by Elaine C. Gaston
This is my first article for the Catalyst since its inception. Hang on.
I have observed myself since the 2016 National Election that I have become a cutter! Let me explain myself. My come from place is respect, truthfulness and compassion. As the National 2016 election unfolded, I discovered my values were not held commonly. I received a wake-up call which has led me to really read the Star Tribune [which by the way is a good newspaper] among other sources to understand what I am missing. I now “cut out articles” almost daily that eke out a truth or two. I am seeking to bridge communication gaps in family life, our neighborhood, our precinct, our city government, our state government and in all the work that went into our midterm elections.
I especially use the lens of environmental activists groups. It is sobering to know that lasting damage has been done to our democracy. Voter suppression and gerrymandering are alive and active.
This brings me to our coaching profession that I know is needed more than ever these days. The initial exploratory step when building any coaching relationship lies in routing out our clients values while we as coaches keep routed in our values. We want our clients to live their values and to know they have impact when they are truly coming from their deep true selves. We want our clients to be curious in the face of differences; to be able to ask “what’s really important to you about __________ [gun control, gerrymandering, border walls, reopening copper mines that pollute our water system]? And then to gently express “can we keep talking about this?” to look for bridges instead of counterattacks.
Commentators are saying voters voted their values. How inspiring is that!
I say good work coaches for waking up humanity and sometimes it means we are re-awakened.
Book Corner
The Art of Possibility
by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.
It’s a powerful book for coaches because it looks exclusively at how a person can cultivate a mindset that sees potential and possibility instead of lack and limitations.
It has exercises and stories that can be used in facilitation of groups or personal inquiry.
Coaching Book exchange, swap, and take-away~
December meeting ONLY
At our December meeting, we will have an area designated for coaching books!
Please bring any books you'd like to donate and please plan to take a book or three.
We may even have a member willing to host a book club.
The only parameters are:
1. No money is to be exchanged.
2. If you bring books and some of your books are left over at the end of the event
please take them home because we don't have a place to store them.
Chapter News
As a board we have been working on changing our vision and mission to be more concise and in line with Global. Here is our new Vision and Mission:
VISION
Be the premier organization for advancing the coaching profession.
MISSION
To cultivate a community of coaches that advances the coaching profession through professional development, networking and adherence to ICF professional and ethical standards.
2018-2021 STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
#1 CULTIVATE A COACHING COMMUNITY
#2 PROMOTION OF ICF ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
#3 OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY
#4 OPERATIONAL HEALTH
Please consider membership with ICF Minnesota!
We are stronger together than we are apart!
~Walter Payton
Benefits of Becoming a Member of ICF Minnesota
Here are some of our Membership Benefits: Monthly events that include quality speakers, webinars for learning relevant content, and the coaching connection, which is a social networking event.
• Find a coach feature that allows potential clients to search for you
• CCEU's for credentialing requirements
• Recognition for individuals, businesses and organizations who have created excellence around coaching
• Coaching School partnerships
• Opportunities to work with non-profits in a pro-bono or reduced rate fee to give back and create greater capability and community value
Go to the ICF Website for more details and to sign-up for membership now!
We have 2 Board Positions open and would welcome new members. One of these two volunteer opportunities could be perfect for you! Join us and help us to grow ICF MN in being the premier organization for advancing the coaching profession! For a full job description, please contact Trish Perry at trish.perry@harmonizeu.com
Event Coordinator: 2 year position 2019-2020
Do you have a special gift for event planning and coordination and want to get more involved with ICF Minnesota? This position includes communicating and coordinating with board members in all areas of planning and execution of chapter events.
Secretary: 2 year position 2019-2020
Do you have strengths in organization and communication? As a member of the Executive Team, the secretary plays a critical role in fostering communication and ensuring proper management and utilization of important Chapter records. The time commitment is 3-6 hours per month including sending prep documents for monthly board meetings, attending the monthly board meeting including documenting minutes and votes, and distributing minutes. Also included are one hour quarterly Executive Team meetings as well as occasional special projects.
New Board Members:
Treasurer - Cheryl Hegland
Membership Co-Chair – Darcy Stivland
Outreach Co-Chair – Judy Zimmer
Sponsorship Co-Chair – Jennifer Byrnes
Secretary - Open
Event Coordinator - Professional Development - Open
Continuing Board Members:
President – Trish Perry
President Elect – Deb Johnson
Past President – Shari Fruechte
Web Support Chair – Danielle Allen
Web Support Co-Chair – Ellen Carlson
Communications Chair – Michon William
Communications Co-Chair - Theresa Nutt
Membership Chair – Polly Edwards
Outreach Chair – Lance Hazzard
Professional Development Chair – Mary Kay Delvo
Professional Development Co-Chair – Sara Krisher
Global News
Did you know?
The ICF Strategic Plan? ICF Strategic Plan
Did you know?
The ICF MN Vision and Mission?ICF MN Vision and Mission
Did you know?
You can get discounts on things like business insurance, websites and business supplies from ICF Global if you are an ICF Member?
ICF works with several partners to offer ICF Members discounts or special pricing on goods and services. This is another benefit that comes with your ICF Membership.
For more details about any of the benefits mentioned below, visit our Partners page.
ICF Global has great articles? Check out these great reads!
Did you know?
ICF Updates Credential information each month?
26,448: ICF Credential-holders
616: ICF Credential applications approved in October 2018
Congratulations to two countries achieving ICF Credential milestones in October! Japan reached a milestone of 500 Credential-holders, and Puerto Rico reached 25 Credential-holders!
Last year, the ICF Global Board of Directors agreed upon several changes to ICF Credentialing and Accreditation policies. On July 31, several changes to ICF Credentialing policies went into effect. Learn more about these changes HERE.
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