“The summit is what drives us; but the climb itself is what matters”

The delightful quote comes from Conrad Anker, the American rock climber, activist, author and mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest three times. Anker, known for his visionary approach towards hardship, also tackled challenging routes across the Americas, Antarctica, and the Himalayas.

I’ve thought of Anker’s views on the journey of learning often whilst securing my final goal of MCC certification: Finding a second viable coaching recording to submit to my ICF evaluators.

In this week’s episode I’m airing (with my clients encouragement and permission) a coaching call that came once I refocused my mind to love and trust the climb vs. the summit. (This nay meet the mastery level ICF evaluators look and listen for.)

Why? Because I felt SOOO anchored and present in this call for the entirety vs. moments throughout. I encouraged and witnessed my coachee’s empowerment without pouring in ideas. The results? Massive clarity, awareness and truly a joyous human experience requiring trust in the journey of learning–for us both. Listen in.

For Anna Damsma, maintaining presence was not much on her radar when working as a consultant. Work was more about pouring in excellent advice and building profits.

But when later training to become a coach with the prestigious Co-active Coach Training Institute, Anna, based in the Amsterdam area, discovered three levels of listening existed. And level three listening—a universal level of listening which requires listening on a deeper, more full-sensory level, brought her extreme presence. “This felt so wonderful,” she recalls. “I’ve been hooked ever since.”

In our delightful conversation on how we both define and strive to maintain presence, even when the mindset and feeling feels unattainable, we hear of a woman who now builds her very day around creating moments of presence.

For Anna, that feeling of calm and bold intuition comes from setting her intention in the morning, visiting her garden often (and between calls). Presence comes from coaching, being with her family, and from immersing her hands in clay as a potter.

Whether we’re busy or not, we can learn lessons on maintaining presence as we coach, lead, and live our lives from our interview with Anna.

You can find Coach Anna Damsma on LinkedIn by clicking here. Find me, your show host, via my website, or find me also on Linkedin. Join my first workshop on Maven, Listen Like a Boss, here.

I’ve not mused about my certification efforts with the International Coaching Federation as a master certified coach for a good while. Much has happened, and not happened since my January update. Here’s where we’re at.

To certify as an MCC coach, coaches must submit for thorough evaluation two recorded coaching calls of at least 25 minutes in length. These conversations must resemble pure coaching, not a smidgen of consulting nor therapy, and at a level of coaching the ICF, the world’s largest non profit organization for coaches, deems as “exceptional” even “beautiful coaching.”

If you’ve been following my Competency No 5 show, you’ll know I’ve secured one recording I deem as “beautiful” and my MCC mentor coach Ben Dooley agrees. Oddly, I’m struggling to secure the second.

In this episode, I share my struggles lest it helps fellow coaches striving for MCC, that top 4% of ICF globally certified MCC coaches. My musings may also help other deep listeners who also find asking “how are you?” opens floodgates. That very genuine inquiry, especially in these troubling times, allows us to ask with heart, but then risk losing the thread of the conversation, or even creating one.

Reach out to me, your show host, for keynote speaking engagements, coaching, and training via my website, or find me also on Linkedin. Join my first workshop on Maven Learning, Listen Like a Boss, here.