I was offered pro bono coaching by apac through the NGO sector. I was instantly very interested to take this opportunity. I was not 100% sure what the process would entail but I overall I thought it would give me tips and advice on how to be a better leader, communicator and perhaps help me put a little structure into my heavy workload. I was expecting it to be all work/business related.

I quickly learnt it was much more than that. It was a personal journey that took me through my work, my personal life and certain challenges I had been facing. Coaching was about discovering what was important to me and setting goals in those areas to help me achieve them.

I enjoyed going to all my coaching sessions. Catherine was open and relaxed and allowed me to lead the way, I also found her questioning insightful and eye-opening. She gave me time to express myself, gave me space to think and really be true to myself in the sessions. Because of this, I was truly able to benefit gratefully from all the sessions.

I would recommend coaching to everyone. It so rare these days to find the time to go within ourselves, to listen to ourselves and understand what we need and want. It’s also rare to have someone who genuinely listens to you and helps you find your way to goals. A very empowering experience – thank you

I have known Jyoti since many years. She became my coach, when I was migrating to (another country). Jyoti was my coach and mentor, who coached me to cope-up with the stress caused by a major change in my life. She is a very professional and an effective coach. I really appreciate her for being so calm, positive and helpful. I highly recommend her for coaching projects and wish her success in future endeavors.

Haseena has been my coach for the past 6 months. Her coaching sessions have really transformed my life. The way that she makes you feel so comfortable during the sessions (which happened over Skype) is remarkable. She has helped me set a goal for myself and guided me in every step of the way to achieve it. She did an amazing job of helping me find my own solutions. By the end of our sessions I truly got to know myself much better and this has helped me tremendously in both my personal and professional life.

The coaching experience is a journey of exploration and reflection, with the coachee being empowered to achieve their stated goals. I have learnt how to be a more effective leader, knowing concrete actionables which will lead me to my goals. The experience has shown me that it is crucial to pay attention, to listen attentively and to be more mindful of the words and actions of others. Anyone who has an interest in professional development and leadership growth will find this a tremendously rewarding experience.

I am assigned Jyotii as my mentor on 11 May 2018 during the kick-off session of ICF-YWAS IGNITE 2018 Coaching Program. My first impression of Jyotii is that she is a friendly and approachable lady. Through the four pro-bono coaching sessions over a period of six months, Jyotii has clarified my doubts and fears, and at the same time guided me in my life journey by presenting new perspectives on my personal challenges. These increases my confidence to make a better analysis of my situations and enhances my decision-making process. I feel more satisfied with my work and life. Thank you Jyotii for being such a dedicated and insightful coach!

I found the following in my Inbox and was intrigued: ‘Why are we providing coaching to NGOs free of charge which otherwise cost thousands of HK dollars per hour basis? Because we want more small to medium sized NGO leaders to experience the power of coaching, a tool of growing importance. And we believe that by enhancing the effectiveness of leaders, in turn, they will create an even bigger impact to the community they serve.

We also believe that the most powerful coaching arrangement ideally starts from the leadership team of the organization. And the success of coaching is highly depending on the willingness and the commitment of the selected coachees’

I was intrigued mainly because as the Director of the Samaritans I have always strived to be the very best I can be. But being at the ‘helm’ can be a lonely place without a sounding board or a reality check.

I wasn’t really sure what I was going to talk about because of the confidential relationship we have with our callers. Nothing that transpires between us is ever spoken of outside Samaritans. That is the rock on which Samaritans stand and to me confidentiality is the overriding principle that cannot be bowed...

The support I got through APAC Pro bono coaching was immense. The coaching helped me a lot in understanding my strengths and areas of development. It helped me in working towards my goal. My coach Nigel, helped me in dealing with my weaknesses and always encouraged me and gave me that courage to face the challenges. He helped me understand myself better, thereby giving me a chance to improve myself. I opted coaching so that I can be better at communicating with other people. Every aspect of the coaching was extremely useful to me. The sessions we had always left an impact on me and always will. Especially, the way he set some goals and expectations, like taking initiative in conversations, being an active member in group etc, helped me to work towards them. Especially, the conversations around how different people dealt with different situations made me think that change is possible in me. The support I received through different personality tests, articles etc helped me a lot. Initially I was a bit anxious, but slowly I opened up and it really worked well for me. I would highly recommend this coaching to others as there is a lot to gain from it. Thank you Nigel and APAC team

I needed clearer directions in my career aspirations and needed to work on weakness and to overcome whatever is holding me back emotionally. Even though I have vast experience in my teaching track, I have low self-confidence especially after an incident that happened in my earlier school and I feel that that experience has held me back in any possible promotions that may have come my way. When I started the coaching session, I had no expectations and did not know where this would lead to. The only thing I was sure was that I wanted something out of the sessions and move my career out of stagnation. I think anyone who is unclear or have doubts about yourself or in your career should try career coaching.

Dear Catherine,

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to these 3 months of coaching that you have brought me through. I feel and think that you have made a difference in how I perceive success, leading and my own motivators. I thank you very much for providing affirmation and counsel in my leadership journey. Take care!

“Catherine makes the unseen, seen; she had helped me to gain greater awareness of my cognitive and effective leadership processes through her patient and firm expectations and coaching. Her attention to my growth is amazing!

Thanks again Catherine and I wish you well!

Coaching was offered as a personal and professional development opportunity through our organization. Only in my early 20s and remotely located in rural China (detached from the urban, western world to which I’ll be returning), I figured it would be helpful to get different perspectives on some of my challenges and struggles and some choices that needed to be made at the moment. I had never been coached before, but the title of the program sounded encouraging and I expected to learn from this experience. I also expected the advice of someone older or from a different background. What ended up happening was all this and much more through the artful process. Melinda didn’t tell me the answers, and she didn’t offer the cookie-cutter answers that I was seeking for a quick fix of my challenges. There were no “Five steps to xxx” or “Ten phrases you can use to xxx.” though eventually she also guided me to this information because I’d requested it. No, my coach was kind of like a medidative partner or the voice inside my head, asking incredibly crucial questions everyone should be asking themselves when they open their mouths or do anything. Many of these questions began with “Why.” I’ve often asked why of the things happening around me, it’s just as important to ask why of myself. Over the course of coaching, we talked about the issues I came in with but my coach was also supportive of issues happening in real-time over the course of the coaching period. Surprisingly, and not-so-surprisingly, the issues that came up were very related to those I had initially brought forward, as 90% of the things I say and do today are what I did yesterday, says my coach. It was a wonderful learning process, I firmly believe I am a different person today because of it.

We are very grateful towards all of you (APAC Coaches) for extending this kind of invaluable service to us. Thank you very much for the time you have spent with me. I appreciate your patience in putting up with my postponing the sessions. Initially, I was apprehensive that coaching could help, thinking that I have been with the Home Nursing Foundation for a long time and that there was no need for improvement or change. Subsequently, I realised that coaching is actually very different. It is very effective and should be extended to other Volunteer Welfare Organisation (VWO), other home nursing. Prior to my session with you I was unaware how inspirational coaching can be.

My Coach Jyoti has helped me a lot in this short period of time. She has helped me gain more clarity about different parts of my life, especially my work. I also gained more insight about my thoughts and habits. I am also in more control of my thoughts. I would highly recommend coaching to any person in any stage of their lives. It will help them to be more organized, to work out their own issues and to be more efficient and stronger in their daily lives.

“I had three sessions to date with Ms Jyoti Sapra and I am looking forward to have more sessions with her. An easy-going and passionate coach who is definitely someone whom I find easy to relate with whenever I met her for my coaching sessions. She never fails to lend a listening ear to hear my predicaments and challenges in life and every moment spent was an invaluable one. Life goals and plans became more concrete in every session and for me, taking one step at a time was the most difficult one.Yet it was always about her coaching skills and guidance that led me to be stronger and develop myself internally day by day. She is definitely someone who draws her intrinsic motivation to impact others positively and to look at the brighter side of our life. I could have been certain that my ambivalence and being too caught up with the demands of life have made me unaware of where I am heading.