Joanna Pieters Coaching

13/09/2024

I’ve been fascinated by the Harris - Trump debate. The way they show up is intriguing, and there’s a lot to learn from it, whether you're standing for national election, or standing up for a pay rise.

Every presentation, interview or conversation has an inner game behind it. Three elements underpin everything:

- Your beliefs about yourself
- Your beliefs about the other side
- Your preparation

*Beliefs about yourself*
I’d suspect Kamala Harris is comfortable in her skills, and in her ability to do this job. From her hand-shake to her bemused, amused expression at Trump’s outbursts, she was in control. By all accounts, Kamala Harris is grounded, intelligent and gently humorous, and that’s an identity she’s happy to live with. It’s a good look for top leadership.

Donald Trump has a strong sense of self, too, but his is rooted in a conviction that he is a victim. When you're focused on how oppressed you are, you rarely have a clear, compelling plan of action. That leads to defensiveness and random attacks (dogs in Springfield), and his bellicose approach. It’s a form of leadership, but it's not a comfortable place to be.

*Beliefs about others*
Kamala Harris bypassed Trump frequently, to speak directly to the viewer, presenting it as a personal conversation. She’s a highly experienced prosecutor, where professional conflicts are not personal, and that showed. Sure, there were damming comments on Trump, but her belief seemed to be that Americans are looking for firm, professional leadership. She’s been criticised for being wishy-washy, and she knew she was being watched for decisiveness and clarity. But with an eye on her existing supporters, she knew that her amused dismissal of her opponent would appeal.

This is where Donald Trump’s victim identity is most powerful. He believes plenty of Americans feel similarly oppressed. Each time he complains about bias, or throws in a dramatic story, he counts on his loyal audience to come with him.

His downfall was his reaction to Harris. I saw a man out of his depth: defensive and bellicose in his reactions to her. I speculate that there’s a mixture of fear and genuine disdain that he couldn’t overcome.

*Preparation*
Preparation is being grounded in your knowledge, and skills. It's also knowing how to manage your own reactions.

Kamala Harris has highly developed verbal and presentational skills, and she knew exactly she wanted to express, and how. She had the traps ready for Trump, and she knew how to deflect attention from her areas of potential weakness.

Trump, however, was rattled. I’m struck by quite how hard he finds it to structure sentences or ideas. He was often responding from anger or defensiveness. It’s almost impossible to think or speak with clarity when you’re under pressure and not in control of your own emotions. And that, too, is a problem with an identity of being the victim.

*What did you think?*
I’m intrigued by what you made of it. Do you agree? What else did you notice?

19/07/2024

Last night I walked to the brow of a hill in a park near me and watched the moon, large and low on the horizon.

I was sad, a little upset. It wasn’t anything big, but something had happened and I needed some space, and to move my body, shift the emotions.

The moon seemed to ask me: what do you want this summer to be?

The energy of summer can feel so conflicted.

The energy of summer can feel so conflicted.

Long, beautiful days and endless evenings. Glorious flowers, the shade of majestic trees, warm air on your skin.

That chilled-out feel when the sun comes out, and everything seems to exhale.

And still: the juggle of school holidays. Covering other people’s jobs, maybe, or projects getting stalled. The frustration of rain that hasn’t gone far this year in the UK, but also the threat of extreme heat.

But here’s what I know to be true.

The presence I bring will shape the summer I have.

How I decide to move, stand, sit, dance, will all affect my experience. Whether I choose to take time for myself. Whether I notice what my body is telling me. Whether I take a few moments to ground myself in frustrating situations. Whether I truly notice and appreciate the possibility for joy.

I want my summer to be about flow. About ease.

I want to be able to feel it in my body, my mind and my soul.

I want to notice the days; take joy in the flowers in my street, the card games with my family, even the shouting of the builders working nearby.

I know it won’t always work out like that. I know that, no matter how much I plan, there will be days where I want to escape, take myself away, bury myself in something else.

But I promise myself to pay attention to what’s going on. I promise my body to notice what it’s telling me. I promise my soul to take time for me to find flow, beauty, ease.

What do you need for yourself as we go into this time that can be so magical, and so mixed?

01/07/2024

Happiness is… a run in the woods on a glorious morning.

Why this matters... knowing your happy place is the key to great interviews.

When you go into an interview, you take an energetic state with you. Maybe that’s nervous, or eager to impress. It might be a determination to be taken seriously and show your knowledge, or anxiety about getting things wrong.

Whatever it is, it has a huge impact on how you come across.

🫤 Get it wrong, and you miss out, or you end up in a job that you hate.

🔥 Get it right, and it’s the key to credibility, authenticity and the role where you can thrive.

When I work with leaders preparing for big interviews, we spend a lot of time on the energy you want to take into the room.

But the first thing we do is explore what you want to feel.

❓What does happiness actually feel like?

❓Where do you feel confidence, or gravitas?

❓Where does your ability to use humour, or be fully grounded, live in your body?

Once we’ve discovered that, I teach you how to switch into that energetic space quickly and easily. That means you can go into that interview room with the energetic presence that’s authentic for you, and right for the situation.

Here’s one of my happy places that I can return to in my mind and body. What’s one of yours?

12/06/2024

**How to... recover your calm**

We all have moments when our unconscious spots a potential threat, and reacts with what feels like nerves, fear or anxiety. The difficult meeting, the awkward email, the high-stakes presentation.

Here's a quick and easy way to recover your calm.

A couple of decades ago, a documentary team filmed a polar bear being chased and tranquilised to be studied by scientists. It's been a really stressful experience. It has lots of adrenaline and stress chemicals in its body, released as part of a fight or flight response.

In the film, we see the sedated but conscious bear shaking violently, then taking deep breaths. It then relaxes, and a biologist explains that it will now sleep it off.

This shaking and breathing response helps its body complete a natural stress cycle, and return to its natural state of equilibrium.

When you feel nerves before something big, it’s often adrenaline and other stress hormones that you’re feeling. That sense of being on edge; maybe wanting to pace around, or even feeling a bit sick.

Your body is preparing for something that it recognises is important, and maybe threatening.

A great way to combat it is to do just what the bear is doing.

Shake it out.

Stand up, if you can, and shake everything.

Arms, legs, hands, head. Shake your jaw. Wiggle your butt.

Some of my clients love 3 minutes of high-intensity dancing. Others stomp or wave. Or if you need to keep it more unobtrusive in the seconds before a big moment, just give your hands and arms a vigorous shake by your sides.

Shaking helps move the adrenaline through your system and bring your nervous system under conscious control.

And that will allow you to think more clearly and calmly, and be more present.

*************
If this resonates, I'd love to help you find other strategies that support you to make a impact with clarity and presence. Get in touch: drop me a message and we can set up a time to talk.

07/06/2024

A great end to the week with the National Life Stories team at the British Library. We use our quarterly meetings to catch up, share ideas on best practice and recent research.

It's always valuable to have time away from our direct work. The space to reflect, discuss and build relationships with each other pays off in so many ways.

If you have, or are part of, a remote or freelance team, what works well for you to stay connected?

22/05/2024

**This is why talented people stay stuck**

It’s one of the great mysteries, isn’t it? That people with phenomenal gifts, talents, abilities, stay stuck doing something that just doesn’t light them up.

You can see it in other people, but it’s harder to see it when you’re doing it.

You know when you’re doing something that doesn’t light you up. That doesn’t allow you feel you’re really making a difference. That doesn’t bring you joy.

That’s when talented people often try changing job. It’s often about going for a promotion, or a new area of responsibility. Maybe you look at career pathways of people a step or two ahead, and think ‘I should do that’. Maybe you decide to move from hands-on to consultancy, or from commercial to charity, or from employed to contractor.

We look at what other people think we’re good at, and build on it.

But that’s a mistake.

The problem is, after a few years of a successful career, you’re good at lots of things. Super-competent. Really efficient. You know your stuff. You’ve worked on your weaknesses. People have respect for you and your work.

And so you base your next step on those things.

It means that you apply for a job based on what you can do well, not what lights you up (and, often, you get the interview).

It means you show up for interview in the energy of brilliant competency and skills, for things that don’t make you happy. (And, frequently, you get the job).

So you leap into the job with the approach and the skills that made you successful last time (and you are, to a point).

But it means that you end up - yet again - doing something you can do well, but which doesn’t get you closer to making the real difference you want, with joy.

You don’t truly ask yourself: ‘what do I really, truly want?’

And how do I get myself to a place where it’s possible?

Those questions can be surprisingly hard.

But knowing the answers can be life changing, because that’s what can break the cycle of ‘progress’ based on your past competencies rather than your deepest gifts.

Understanding what you truly want shifts the opportunities you notice. It changes how you walk into the room. It transforms the impact you make.

Finding the role that *really* brings you joy, reward, even fun, is absolutely possible. You just need to know how to do it.

If you don’t yet know what truly lights you up, and how to get it, then get in touch. I’d love to help you take your next step with clarity and conviction.

18/05/2024

Do you ever get the sense that you're being nudged onto a new path?

Maybe people keep telling you the same thing, unexpectedly. Or you keep coming across a book, or an idea, or something that won't quite let you go.

That's been happening for me in the past year or so 🤔.

I kept meeting people, or getting messages, saying, 'Joanna, I've got a really important interview (or presentation) coming up. Can you help me nail it?'

I've never specifically offered interview or presentation coaching. But once I started saying yes to people who asked me for it, they started getting great results.

Like Rachel, who got the big job that she really, really wanted. Like Tom, who convinced his board to make a multi-million pound investment in his department. Like Rebecca, who rediscovered the confidence she thought she'd lost after having children, and found that she could face the most difficult questions with calmness and expertise.

Interviews and presentations have a bad reputation. It's easy to think they're there to catch you out. To find your weaknesses and the reasons not to work with you.

But the reason I love working with people on them is this: it's not true.

Whether you're a filmmaker or a finance director, a doctor or a dreamer, everything changes when you know how to get other people to believe in your deepest, most genuine brilliance.

🚀 Getting the right job or landing the right client can transform your life

🌟 Getting the support from people who believe in you makes obstacles disappear.

🤩 Rather than being an ordeal, interviews and presentations are a wonderful way to give other people the opportunity to believe in you.

I don't believe in turning you into someone else, or putting on an act. My coaching is about allowing you to be your most authentic and most compelling. And if you're not sure what that looks like, I'll help you find out.

This all means that for a little while I'm going to be talking and writing about interviews, presentations and coming across in your most compelling, authentic way.

If you've got an interview or a presentation coming up, let's have a chat to see if we're a good fit. And if you've got friends, colleagues or family who'd love to get some support, do send them my way.

I'm excited about the path ahead. Where is yours currently leading you, and it is right?

01/11/2023

It's nearly time for the Microloan Foundation Coachathon 2023! For one day only, you can have private coaching with me for just £40.

The Coachathon 2023 is a 24-hour, global coaching marathon taking place next Wednesday 8th November 2023.

I'm offering six 45-minute coaching sessions, in return for a minimum £40 donation to MicroLoan Foundation.

100% of your session fee will be directly donated to MicroLoan, supporting a woman in sub-Saharan Africa to start her own small business. With your donation, she can generate an income to feed her family, pay for healthcare and send her children to school.

The booking website is now ⭐️ live⭐️ - it’s first come first served!
I've put the link below, or drop me a line for the details.

What could we achieve in 45 minutes?

Just one coaching session can realign your goals, help you to overcome challenges, tackle change, and increase your self-belief.

We could:

Plan the next steps for your business or project
Work out a plan to get you out of overwhelm
Transform an important presentation or interview
Get clarity on a situation that's been taking up your headspace and energy

Or simply give yourself a first experience of coaching and see just how transformational it can be

I can't wait to work with you, and change two lives in one session.

Joanna

09/06/2023

Out in the garden this morning, I'm preparing a leadership workshop for next week. I'll be working with a group of university women to support them to increase their personal presence to grow their impact on the world, without extra stress, high heels or deepening their voice.

So why the garden? Presence begins with being present to yourself. Being present to the space you're in. Being present to the space inside you. Noticing how you show up in your own body. Other people will perceive the energy and presence that we carry in our own bodies and minds.

My garden helps me to be a little more alive, a little more aware. The bees in the roses and the distant shouts of children make me a little more alert, and, even, a little more joyful. They help me to ground my whole self in creating the exercises and stories that will help the participants discover new presence and power in themselves.

Before we show up for others, we need to show up for ourselves. That means that true presence starts with owning that energy. That could look like 30 seconds of centring yourself before an important call. It might be a non-negotiable commitment to a coaching session, a yoga class, or even 8 hours of sleep. Or it might be recognising that a simple change of view and sparking your senses will change the presence you bring to the next moments.

If you'd like to explore how I can support you to bring greater presence to your own life, colleagues or team, do get in touch for a chat.

06/06/2023

What would happen if you replaced managers with coaches? For this company, it was a 20% increase in productivity, and much higher levels of happiness and retention. Astonishing, right?

That's a big move, thought. So if you're not ready for that, what could you do to start on the path to embedding coaching as one of your essential tools?

Our managers were all replaced with coaches, with a ratio of one coach per six employees.

25/05/2023

Last week I spent a day with my fabulous colleagues in the Oral History interviewing team at the British Library. We spent several hours reflecting in groups and for ourselves on the work we do, collecting stories from people's lives for the BL's permanent archive.

It's tempting to keep our heads down and just work in the way we always do. We get results, we deliver what we need to... and yet, how many opportunities we miss, to improve our practices, to deepen our expertise and have a greater impact on our corner of the world.

Last week, we talked about how we show up, individually, and what we represent to our interviewees. How do we create an even safer space for them? Do they need us to be obviously on their side, or to be an impartial, safe place to tell their story? What's the impact of their perception of us?

I could feel the impact on my work the very next day.

Taking time to reflect on how we show up is one of the keys to greater impact without burnout. When we can explore our work without judgement gives us the chance to see how we can do things better, notice our weaknesses and our strengths, and see how we can be of greater service. It's never, ever time wasted.

Having a safe space for our reflections is essential, however. A critical boss, or a competitive peer, will never provide you with the safety you need. I'm fortunate to work in an extraordinary, beautifully led team at the British Library, where we all support each other to do our best work.

That safe space for reflection is also what I provide to the women I support through coaching. They want to stretch themselves to be the best leaders they can be, in challenging and fast-changing times, and they know that space is essential.

Do you have a safe space for reflective practice for your own role as a leader and change-maker? If you do, what does it give you? And if not, what might change if you did?