Do you want your teen to win at life?

How do you define Success?

The first thing parents usually think about to measure success is academic performance. Grades and test scores are quantifiable and easy to measure. Success for teenagers also includes emotional intelligence and communication skills that allow them to build strong friendships.

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You want them to have the adaptability and resilience to overcome obstacles and move forward on their goals. You want your teen to be able to navigate life with confidence, self-acceptance, and a sense of purpose.

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Independence is the foundation upon which success is built. You won't always be there to remind them to put the homework in their backpack after it's finished. You want to equip your teen with the strategies to make informed choices, to learn from both triumphs and setbacks and to navigate life's challenges without constant handholding.

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How did I get here?

The first time I worked with a coach, I was 28. I met a gentleman named Russ at a workshop and learned he was an Executive Coach. I was in Human Resources at the time, and was curious about Organizational Psychology but had never heard of Executive Coaching. Russ explained that he helped Executives develop the tools they needed to become better leaders, to get more done, and to have better balance in their life. It sounded awesome! So I asked him, "Do you have to be an Executive to have a coach?" Apparently, nobody had asked him that before. He considered for a bit before he said, "I suppose not." And I became his first client. I still have the binder from my work with him. It has my goals, some affirmations, and a vision board attached to it.

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Russ was my first Life Coach, but it was not the first time I was taught the tools and skills that he was helping me master. The first time I had encountered the world of personal development I was 10. My parents were recently divorced, and my mind was exploring all sorts of "self help" trainings. I tagged along as often as I could. Everything that was designed for adults went just a little over my head, but I still picked up a lot of important lessons that changed the way I approached the world. By the time I was thirteen, I was telling the people who ran these programs that I wanted something for kids my own age. They made a deal with me - if I could find enough people to come, they would run the workshop. I did it twice - with two different companies.

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I didn't start my martial arts studio knowing I was going to be teaching the same kind of transformational lessons. I honestly thought I was teaching kids how to love to exercise and take care of themselves. It didn't take long, however, to realize that I had become part of the team that was raising these kids. Parents would come to me and ask me to talk to their kids about things happening at school, about helping at home, and about how to lead on sports teams.

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Over about twenty years, we had more than a thousand students. I watched first graders become middle schoolers and eventually graduate high school. I had students who grew into not just black belts and instructors but caring, compassionate community members. I watched families connect and friendships develop that lasted lifetimes.

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When it came time for me to retire from teaching martial arts, I knew that I wanted to continue working with teens to help them develop the life skills that I had been teaching on the mat. Becoming a teen life coach was the obvious evolution for me.

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Client Success

When Jenny (not her real name) started working with me, she was about to start her sophomore year in college. It was a huge transition for her as her entire freshman year had been online.  The main thing that Jenny wanted to work on was time management.  Over the course of our 12 weeks, we were able to develop strategies for managing her schedule so that she felt she was keeping up with her workload and also had time for a social life.

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I worked with Dave (also not his real name) during his senior year in high school. His mom was concerned about his efforts academically and his lack of interest in applying to college.  We worked together through two levels of my program.  When we started he said he wasn't interested in college because "it's hard to think about something I can't see."  We worked on identifying his personal values, setting and moving toward goals, and exploring what going to college would mean to him.  Today he's a freshman and loves living on campus!

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Champion Strategies

The Champion Strategies Core Program is a 12-week program that uses a research-backed framework to help teens develop the skills that have been proven to help high performers succeed without sacrificing their personal well-being.

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Each session is a private 1-on-1 phone call, followed up with a summary email and worksheets to help solidify the topics we discuss on each call. In addition, my clients have direct access to me so that they have one more trusted adult on their team.

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I work with teens who...

• are doing well overall, but could still level-up.

• are struggling with academic or social pressures

• are finding their way in a new school environment

• need help with social-emotional skills

 

What Sets Me Apart?

Two big things set my program apart from other coaching programs for teens: my experience and the structure of the program itself.

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I taught martial arts for over 20 years. Unlike most teachers, I had the same students for years at a time. In many cases, they started with me as early as preschool and stayed through high school.  Over the years we had more than a thousand students. I’ve worked with families through navigating new schools, navigating a variety of diagnoses, and the loss of parents, siblings, and friends. I’ve supported numerous families through puberty and back to harmony. It’s a depth of experience that few coaches have the privilege of.

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Additionally, I am a Certified High Performance Coach. This coaching system was developed by the High Performance Institute over 20 years based on research into what makes people high performers. Each level of the program (there are four) includes scripted conversations about specific topics. While the conversation will always go where my client needs to, it also always includes something specific to talk about. If you’ve ever asked a teen “What do you want to talk about?” you know how helpful it is to have a launch pad.

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Common Reasons Parents Want a Teen Life Coach

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Homework struggles

Parents want their teens to develop positive habits when it comes to getting their homework done. They dream of the day when their constant reminders are no longer needed in order for their teens to remember to do their homework AND turn it in on time. Coaching has a positive impact on study outcomes because my life coaching clients learn tools for prioritizing and managing their time.

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Teen's low self-confidence/body image issues

Self-confidence and body image issues are common among young people. They need to navigate the online world and develop resilience in the face of the messages that cover social media. Many parents see positive change in teenagers's self-confidence as they become more self-aware and begin to identify their own core values.

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Time/schedule management

Teens are not immune from burnout. Between academics, sports, extracurriculars, and having a social life there is often more to do in a day than there are hours to do it. Sometimes one area of life suffers as their focus shifts to another. Sometimes friendships suffer. Sometimes, in an attempt to do it all, they simply wear themselves out. Life coaches teach new skills for balancing all the activities and their well-being.

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My teen is stressed out

How do you balance the need to teach your teenager the importance of doing their best in school without creating stressful situations around tests and grades? It's a struggle that seems to be starting younger and younger. It's important for teens to learn good coping skills for managing their energy.

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Need another voice in their Teen's life

It's been said that young people need at least five trusted adults in their lives to thrive. Parents often feel like their teens are listening to everybody but them, and they worry that the wrong voices have too much influence. Having a life coach for your teen means that there is one more trusted adult supporting your teen.

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What Your Teen Will Learn in this Life Coaching Program

The Core Program consists of 12 one-on-one coaching calls, each with a specific topic in high performance.

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Week 1 - Focal Points

We will set the foundation for our time together. We’ll review your teen’s goals, sense of agency, and what habits are or are not working.

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Weeks 2 to 6 - The High Performance Habits

We will explore five specific topics and start building new habits.

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Weeks 7 to 11 - Mastering the Pillars of High Performance

We will dig deeper into topics that will help build communication and relationship skills as well as solidify the habits we built through week 6.

 

Week 12 - Commitment to High Performance

This is our chance to celebrate the growth and make a plan for how to keep the momentum going in the next 90 days.

 

Common things that prevent teens from getting a life coach

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My teen is busy and doesn't have enough time

It's amazing how teens with "no time" can always find time for video games and TikTok, isn't it? If it's important enough they will be able to make the time. It's just a matter of priorities.

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My teen thinks you'll report back to me

I guarantee the privacy of my clients. In teen coaching, that client is your teen.  Therefore, I will not discuss with you, their guardian, any information disclosed in the session with your child. When I think the information is very important for you to know, I will encourage your teen to share this information with you.  The teen coaching program is designed in such a way that teens are asked to share and work with their parents or guardians to stretch themselves and grow.

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The only exceptions to this are when I feel someone is in an unsafe situation. In those cases, I will disclose information to you, the parent - only after letting your teen know that I will be letting you know.

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This information is explained to your teen during our first hour so that they understand what they can expect in terms of privacy.

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My teen doesn't open up well to new people

One of the benefits of High Performance Coaching for teens is that I bring a topic to each coaching session. I find this is extremely helpful for teens because they don't have to come up with what to say. I will lead each conversation via specific questions, and in the process, we will have the opportunity to explore what's going on in your teen's life.

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