Frequently Asked Questions | FAQs
Nicole is responsive, easy to talk to and very professional. She is an amazing listener. She is able to process a lot of information and from it, is quickly able to provide solid guidance and options. She is warm, open and a pleasure to work with. All of my sessions have been productive.
- Grace L., Marketing Executive
What exactly is coaching? It sounds a little touchy-feely and unspecific. Can it really help me?
What's the difference between coaching, mentorship, and therapy?
How much does your coaching program cost? Do I have to purchase up front? Do you offer installments? Are there money back guarantees?
What if I don't want to go through one of your programs and need coaching on something in particular?
How do I pick a good coach? How do I know we're a good fit?
How are the sessions conducted? How often are the sessions?
Are the sessions confidential?
How do I pay? I only see links on the website to set up a consult.
Is there homework or outside work?
How will I know if it’s helping or working?
Are you certified? Can I speak to others you've coached and get their experience?
What exactly is coaching? It sounds a little touchy-feely and unspecific. Can it really help me?
Coaching in executive circles is not different than coaching in sports. The idea is to have someone invested in your success to notice your patterns, help you make adjustments, and recommend strategies for improvement and effectiveness. (Sometimes, my coaching is touchy-feely, but only if it serves the larger goal for you. Pragmatic and accountable is more my style.) Back to top
What's the difference between coaching, mentorship, and therapy?
There is overlap among the three, as well as clear distinctions. Both coaching and mentorship are future-focused, but a coach is someone you pay to keep you accountable to reach that future vision, while a mentor is subject to availability and shares what they personally experienced that might help you. While coaching and therapy both employ inquiry-based interaction with you, therapy is focused more on coping mechanisms regarding the past, while coaching is more action-oriented toward the future.
You would benefit from coaching if you are focused on achieving progress toward a future vision, are ready to take action and be accountable, willing to accept guidance toward your own solutions to your problems, and are able to integrate processes for sustained change. Back to top
How much does your coaching program cost? Do I have to purchase up front? Do you offer installments? Are there money back guarantees?
Coaching programs vary in cost but start at $2,400 for 6 weeks of intensive coaching. Programs are comprehensive and include tools, techniques, and resources that have been validated across multiple companies, industries, and executive roles over the course of 20+ years. You're in good hands.
Coaching is a process where YOU are doing the heavy lifting with my help, guidance, and direction. Too often, clients put their coaching sessions (and themselves) on the back burner. Everything else somehow creeps in as more important or urgent than the coaching you need to achieve the future personal or professional self you envision. So, yes, you invest completely in yourself up front, without guarantees, so that you are committed to showing up and doing the important and necessary work. Set up a consult to speak with me and get an idea of whether it's worth investing in to achieve the results hundreds of other clients have. Back to top
What if I don't want to go through one of your programs and need coaching on something in particular?
Use the individual coaching engagement, 6 sessions, to start right away and get coached on your most pressing issues. (I do offer one-off sessions, but only for my alumni who are familiar with the tools, techniques, and vocabulary of my methods. Once you graduate from a full coaching engagement, you can receive a link to set up individual coaching sessions and pay for them as-needed.) Back to top
How do I pick a good coach? How do I know we're a good fit?
We have a consult first, to see if it's a good fit. You should get a sense right away if I "get" what you're saying or dealing with, and if what I offer through my programs is something truly new that you haven't tried before. A good coach doesn't hold back on the "what" and the "why" of what you need to do, nor does a good coach put that information behind pay walls. The coaching engagement itself helps with the "how" and supporting you to remove the barriers you experience in executing well. Back to top
How are the sessions conducted? How often are the sessions?
Each Aurelian Coaching program is different. Once you purchase an engagement, a 30 min or 60 min session should occur at least weekly. The DART Method program also has a video tutorial that you can access on your own time. The Executive Monthly Accountability program has an monthly deep-dive as well as weekly check-ins to keep you on track. Team coaching engagements are customized - some are half-day seminars on effective communication, some involve 3 months of DART Method implementation and integration, while others involve a mix of group and 1:1 coaching. Back to top
Are the sessions confidential?
Absolutely. When you sign up, we enter a legal agreement which includes clauses on confidentiality.
How do I pay? I only see links on the website to set up a consult.
Go ahead and set up a consult. While I appreciate the eagerness, I want to make sure your needs are truly aligned with my specialty and that I can help you efficiently. Then, I will take payment over the phone or send the payment link via email, as well as calendar links to set up sessions. Back to top
Is there homework or outside work?
Rarely. I expect clients to come to sessions focused without distractions or interruptions. The work can be hard (sometimes the most valuable insights are the most buried), so you have to be in a physical and mental space to be truly present for yourself. The heavy lift is done during the sessions, so there is no required work outside those sessions, except to think about what you want to start trying to do differently. Back to top
How will I know if it’s helping or working?
My method of coaching is not to talk just to talk, or talking to feel better in the moment by getting things off your chest. (Your friends or a therapist might be better for that). The real proof of the coaching's impact in your life is whether you are implementing new behaviors, breaking down the barriers preventing you from doing so, and seeing new and different RESULTS. It is hard, often uncomfortable work, but usually, the source of the discomfort is exactly where the changes need to happen! Back to top
Are you certified? Can I speak to others you've coached and get their experience?
Yes, I am a certified coach through The Life Coach School, which focuses on emotional health and well-being, which I then apply to executive leadership. I'm certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through the Academy of Applied Modern Psychology for application to my decision coaching practice. And I am a Registered Organizational Development Professional (RODP) through the International Society of Organizational Development and Change.
Due to the extreme sensitivity of content shared during coaching sessions, and the confidentiality clauses of my contracts with clients, I do not offer live references. However, you can see the numerous testimonials on every page of this website! Back to top