How did I get here? A business journey to coaching...

Navigating in coaching business is a big challenge for me. It is out of my comfort zone. I am learning. A lot. I have great teachers and mentors. Incredible encounters along the path. It is a peaceful journey because I know what my calling is. I serve people, their empowerment energizes me into finding their journey and giving back their gifts to the world.

It sounds wonderful, right? But how do you know what this means to me? What is the best way for you to know me? What is the best way to know someone you’ve just met? Get curious, ask questions, start to build a relationship. Hmm… so I guess this is my purpose for this blog. I want to build a relationship with you.

I must have written this post more than seven times. Write, erase, rewrite… I still think I am the only one who understands it. I realized something was missing. The conversation is missing. How about an interview? I put together the most frequently asked questions I received when people learned I became a coach. That works for me! I hope it works for you.

Q. Why executive and life coaching?

Cintia - Before working in a multinational company, the only coaches I knew were sports coaches. Someone with knowledge and skills to train an athlete to be the best in their field. Early in my career, with a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics and various career opportunities in the company, I could never imagine how important coaching and mentoring would be for me in navigating the corporate world and becoming a leader in the organization. In the process, I learned that great mentors are great coaches. My best leaders were great coaches. I knew the hierarchy-less nature of coaching as I had great coaches that were my employees and peers. Coaching is a partnership in which you give your 100%, and the other partner offers their 100% in an empowerment journey to achieve meaningful goals. The coach is there to serve the coachee and thrives with each discovery, learning, and achievement. I noticed that it was always there, my passion for people, for their development. I am still passionate about plants, their beauty, and their complexity! Such an excellent metaphor for human beauty and complexity!

Q. You had a career in a multinational agribusiness company. What led you to the decision to leave your job and career for coaching?

Cintia - My decision to leave and to change careers cannot be singled out into a straightforward motive. It was a thoughtful, profound, full of let go’s process to embrace new things. Almost like having to cross a deep dark valley without knowing what I would find on the way, though I could envision the green pasture on the other side. It was tough. Besides me, my family, my spouse also had to understand and agree with the trade-offs we were about to make. We went to a deep dive into rediscovering values, gifts, and talents, empowered by faith. I can imagine how hard it was for colleagues to accept or even understand my decision to leave the company based on their questions and surprising comments. I realized how much we, as human beings, impose our views, perspectives, and values on others while we could choose to listen and acknowledge the other’s perspective, emotions, and decisions. A couple of the most impactful coaching skills. I had so many unanswered questions in my mind: (1) What if I could spend 100% of my time dedicated to people’s development?; (2) What if I could say no to travels, so I did not have to spend days far from the family?; (3) What if I could spend more time with my family and activities that energize and bring the best in me? (4) What if I could give back to the world my entire self, all my gifts combined, instead of just a part of me? How would that be? Where would that be?

Thank you Leo! Photo by Leonardo Hanashiro - Boituva, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Q. How being a coach related to your purpose and values?

Cintia - Being a coach fulfills my purpose, values, and best use of my gifts and strengthens my faith. I know my path is with people and working with plants is a practical and metaphorical way, almost a universal language that binds us all together for the needs and the beauty. My highest values are in God’s love, family, inclusion, uniqueness, and integrity. I am a Brazilian Japanese-descendant, married with a Brazilian Italian-German-Austrian-descendant, mother of 4 wonderful children ranging from 14 months old to 20 years old. Why is that important for you to know? I have known diversity and the importance of belonging and embracing uniqueness all my life. Living in different cities and countries expanded my multicultural awareness. It gave powerful meaning into initiatives I was honored to participate in, leading towards a more equitable working place.

I am curious about how and for what motives people approach or interact with others. I happily engage in approaching others, and others recognize that willingness in me. When people approach me, I notice that they are ready for a change, for a transformation. Most of the time, I am just there listening and witnessing the transformation as awareness is created. Very grateful for that! This has been my life since I remember it. Then, the sensible action plan was to get educated and certified in coaching frameworks, tools, competencies, and practice, practice!

“What if I could give back to the world my entire self, all my gifts combined, instead of just a part of me? How would that be? Where would that be?”

Q. Could you be a coach in the company you were working for?

Cintia - Yes! There is so much power in organizations that invest in leader-coaches. Valuing the employee as a resourceful essential part of the company and helping them achieve their goals. There is a big catch though, that requires agreement (and awareness) from all stakeholders involved. The leader’s conflict of interest in delivering results versus focusing on people development. Most of the time, they converge. Sometimes, the strategy and timing for the company require the leader to make a decision not necessarily in agreement with people’s time and development. For me, while significant in supporting leadership competencies, the leader-coach role limited the potential to serve and support people as a whole human being.

Q. In which way do your background and experience impact your coaching process?

Cintia - Unlike consulting and mentoring, in which you would seek someone with the expertise and experience you desire, a great coaching process does not require expertise in your professional area. It requires a clear proposal and agreement for the partnership and a coach you trust and has demonstrated competencies and skills to best support you in your journey. I appreciate International Coaching Federation ICF for that. It provides ethical guidelines and required competencies for the coach. I am Associate certified coach (ACC) by ICF. Through my experience with the requirements and the thriving results from my coachees (see Testimonials), I realize I have been practicing the skills and competencies since a long time ago, as a scientist, mentor, leader-coach, and as a mother. The game-changer for me was to start practicing conscientiously from the pieces of training and certification by Integrated Coaching Institute ICI, then digging even deeper when mentored by Empower world.

I coach researchers, I coach educators, I coach parents, I coach leaders. Maybe it is the personal or professional connection. Maybe it is the language. Maybe it is just meant to be, maybe… As a human being, I have multiple identities that create this beautiful, complex mind driven and passionate by other complex minds. I am a mother of four, yeap 4!, wonderful children, each very complex and different in their uniqueness. Learning to let go of motherhood perfection is a constant reminder of how fragile we are. I allow myself to be vulnerable as the best way to reach out and be reached.

“What I noticed, though, when people approach me, they are ready for a change, for a transformation.”

Q. What do you think you do as a coach that gives the most value to the coachee?

Cintia - Being present with them. It allows me to access the questions they need answers, listening and reflecting back on what they just said, getting curious about their way of thinking and the way they respond to adversities. With their permission, offering information and tools to elaborate on and create their plan of action towards their goal. I care for them. I believe that because I care, it is never superficial. It is safe to dive deep into challenging limiting assumptions, beliefs, and automated reactions from powerful awareness and transformation.

Q. FOR What are you grateful as a coach?

Cintia - Each session is a unique learning experience. As the client brings the goal for the session, it is special for me as a coach as well. We walk together. Sometimes we run together. Sometimes we pause together. It is all in the client’s need for that particular moment. I am very grateful for the coaching dance and the incredible results I can witness as a coach.

“Learning to let go of motherhood perfection is a constant reminder of how fragile we are. I allow myself to be vulnerable as the best way to reach out and be reached.”

Q. What is your current professional challenge?

Cintia - Get people to know me so I can be there for them. If you are interested in helping, let’s talk! The only catch is that you will have to know me first…

Gratefully,