Coaching for Writing and Creative Projects

The work on your project was going so well… and then you hit a wall.

Smack. Ouch.

Your confidence in completing the project wanes. You begin doubting the validity of the work – will people look at it? You might even get so down on yourself that you question your career selection.

The self-doubt grows as you think of all the ways this project could go wrong… how to get the project flowing again, the reviews, the tendency to want to give up.

No Mud, No Lotus.

You know that the wall you hit could turn your project in a fruitful new direction. It’s conceivable that the mud you’re stuck in is more fertile ground than you could have ever imagined.

And we have heard all our lives that it is always darkest before dawn.

But you can’t do much with these bits of wisdom when your head hurts, you can’t move your soaking-wet feet, and you can’t see what’s in front of you – aside, perhaps, from a looming deadline.

Every tick of the clock chips away at what remains of your process, your confidence, and even your well-being.

Don’t stop. Grow.

A coach can save you time – that might seem illogical since it takes time to meet with a coach. But… when you have a setback, a coach can help you make a rapid recovery. A coach can guide you to turn obstacles into options.

And not just any coach – I know how to help you through these challenges and prepare you for the next.

In my two decades as a historian, professor, author, journal editor, documentary filmmaker, public speaker, and exhibition planner, I have hit walls, been stuck in the mud, blown tires on potholes, tripped on my own feet, and stood on the verge of giving up more times than I can count. So have the hundreds of scholars, writers, and creatives I had the privilege of guiding from despair to discovery.

Writers’/creators’ block, imposter syndrome, procrastination, digesting negative feedback, and general loss of focus feel horrible.

Resisting, avoiding, or telling yourself to “just get over it” are natural impulses. But shrinking away from the problems makes you smaller, not them. Worse, it moves you back when you most need momentum.

Lean in, move forward.

A coach supports you as you lean into the challenges to explore new avenues, peer into the pitfalls, and extract what is fertile in the mud. The coaching process is rooted in evidence-based, results-oriented inquiry that accelerates your process of clarifying your goals, capitalizing on what is working, identifying and mobilizing your strengths, and extracting useful information from the obstacles.

Every client is unique in their projects, their processes, and their talents. Coaching unfolds for each in a way that responds to their goals, challenges, and needs. I provide the structure, tools, rigorous honesty, accountability, and unconditional support that accelerates each client’s progress toward their goals – and builds energy, inspiration, and self-knowledge in the process.

These transformations are powerful and lasting. They can reveal what is truly significant about our work, expand our angles of vision, define our viewpoints, lead to remarkable inventiveness, and amplify our authentic voices.

And they expand our range of positive responses to the walls, swamps, potholes, and whatever obstacles we encounter in the future.

The savings of time and energy throughout a career makes coaching a sound investment in your work and well-being.

Let’s talk.

I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation, so we can determine whether coaching with me is the right next step for you. Please fill out the contact form to request an appointment.

I look forward to hearing about you, your work, and your aspirations!