 Featured Business
WillCoach Life/Career Coaching
by Virginia Bruce
With the economic downturn affecting many local businesses, and Oregon unemployment at record levels, many individuals are finding themselves with important questions about their futures including career and life choices. Will Wiebe can help.
Wiebe is a Certified Life, Career & Transition Coach. Will works from his home office in the Cedar Mill area of Portland. Through his coaching practice, he guides individuals through a process where the entire focus is on YOU: your needs, aspirations, passions, desires, fears, courage, achievements…your future.
Wiebe’s clients come to him through his association with Feroce Coaching, an international professional coaching business, VocationVacations, where you can test drive a dream career, and through referrals from past and present clients. Individuals work with Will for several months, some for several years. It all depends on the needs and expectations of the individual. Four to six months is the recommended minimum to see desired changes in thoughts, habits and achievement of goals.
 Through Feroce International Coaching, Will is presenting a Group Career & Life Coaching Program starting on May 7. This 90-day series includes six hours of coaching sessions with a small group of participants (4-6), along with three 40-minute individual phone sessions, exercises and tips by email, for an affordable package price. There are still openings, contact him if you’re interested (see below).
So what does a Life Coach do?
Wiebe says that a few key questions he invites his clients to explore are these:
What are your passions and interests? In other words, what activities give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction? Can you envision yourself in a career that fully engages your heart and mind?
Who is designing your life? If it isn’t you, how can you take control?
What is most important to you? Greater life satisfaction comes from knowing who you are and doing work you care about and that has meaning.
Where do you want to be in one, three, or five years? By thinking past tomorrow, you will find a path that will lead you to your goals, dreams and passion.
What will your legacy be? Is it the legacy you want to leave behind? How will people remember you, what impact are you having on the lives of those around you—your family, friends, community?
Are you living a balanced work/ life? Is there room in your life for the things you care about? For physical activity, fun and pursuing things that have meaning for you?
How does coaching work?
Will offers a complimentary session of 30-45 minutes to explore the client’s goals and to discuss how the coach/client process works. If both Will and the client agree that it’s a good fit, a coaching schedule is set and Wiebe emails coaching documents that help the client prepare.
What will happen in a coaching session?
Clients talk, the coach listens and ask questions, helping to clarify and focus the conversation. Coaching sessions are used for exploration of ideas, brainstorming of new possibilities, discussion of strategies, and development of action plans. The Coach acts as a supporter and sounding board, providing resources and motivation.
Ninety percent of all professional individual coaching is facilitated by phone and email/fax. The majority of Will’s clients live all over the US/Canada and Europe. For clients in the region, he usually meets them once for a face-to-face session and the balance of the sessions are over the phone and email/fax.
Wiebe engages with 15-25 clients at a time, primarily over the phone and by email. His clients range in age from 21-72 and come from all types of professions and careers. In addition, he does executive counseling for several corporations.
Action Steps
Engaging in Life & Career Coaching isn’t a passive activity. Through the integration of action steps that come from the client and the coach, clients are prepared to step back from their lives, and do introspective personal and professional growth work.
Wiebe explains, “As an wholistic coach, I take into account the entire being of the person, their emotional and mental intelligence, spiritual, health/well-being, and civic/community engagement.”
Wiebe says that one of the largest obstacles for people who want change in their lives is fear. He says, “We fear financial instability, family disruption, change, success, giving up an identity and even failing at something new. It is important to meet the fear head on. Examine the fears with reason, play each one out and ask yourself, what is the worst thing that could happen?” One book he often recommends to his clients is Susan Jeffers’ “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway,” which offers steps to move from being the victim to being the creator of your life and techniques to out-talk the negative chatterboxes in our brain.
He tells his own personal story of participating last year in his first Olympic Distance Triathlon—for Team In Training, a competition that involves running, cycling and swimming. He had a lifelong fear of water, but received encouragement and guidance from the Triathlon Coaches and learned to, “meet, greet, embrace and move through the fear.” He was able to put in a strong performance in the swimming event and ended up fifth in his age group.
For many people, fear leads to inaction. Will helps people learn to make decisions without having everything lined up perfectly. “No-lose decision-making,” lets you tap into your self-knowledge and get past the fear of making the wrong choice. Mistakes are learning experiences, and moving forward is always preferable to being stuck.
 Vocation Vacations
In addition to being an Associate Coach with Feroce Coaching, and having his own private coaching practice, Wiebe is a partner and lead coach in a business called VocationVacations. Their slogan is, “test drive your dream job.” If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a bed and breakfast, or running a vineyard or having your own radio talk show, this company arranges an apprenticeship with successful business owners who do that. Will explains, “We have over 200 VocationVacation packages where an individual has an opportunity to immerse themselves in a one, two or three-day mentoring/hands on experience of a dream career.”
Participation includes a package of coaching before and after the immersion experience. Some individuals do it just for fun, and sometimes it just gets a long-time dream “out of their system.” But many participants go on to success in their new career. One couple bought a vineyard!
VocationVacations packages are located all over the US, with many opportunities in the Portland Metro area, including JaCiva chocolates in Portland and Schroeder’s Den, a doggy daycare in Hillsboro. Visit vocationvacations.com for more information.
Will Wiebe received his professional coaching certification through the Centre for Professional Development, Portland Oregon. He’s also certified through an international professional coaching association called ICF (International Coaching Federation) based in Washington DC. He has a Masters Degree in Human Relations & Organizational Development – University of San Francisco, CA.
He worked as an executive leader in the non-profit field for 25 years. Six years ago Will felt an urge to do something different with his life and began to look for a different career. Upon much research and exploration Will discovered professional coaching. “It was a yes!.” He hired a professional life coach who guided him through a six-month discernment and decision making process, where the world of professional life and career coaching unfolded for him.
He says that coaching is a wonderful fit. “Being able to guide individuals, groups and organizations in a process of self discovery and transformation that unlocks their full potential is very life giving. Through the coaching / client relationship, the process integrates wisdom, compassion and creative strategies that helps individuals tap into the creative power that already exists inside of themselves. It is a way of Being.”
Will has two children, 26 and 29. He and his wife Lisa love the outdoors, specifically hiking and backpacking, and kayaking. And they both love Blues music. Lisa is currently in a graduate program at Antioch University, Seattle, WA.
Contact Will Wiebe through LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/willwiebe or his email at will_wiebe@comcast.net or visit his website willcoach.net. Call him at 503-626-9839 (office) or 503-467-1812 (cell).
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