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Deanna Beaumont – Episode 14

    Deanna Beaumont joins Brendon Le Lievre to discuss the moving from being alive to thriving, a trauma informed coaching approach and why we should review the decisions our 16 year old selves made about our career.

    About Deanna

    Deanna is a heart-based solo business owner, who specialises in supporting individuals to increase their wellbeing and resilience in their life so that they can thrive no matter what life throws at them.

    She is energized by what people can achieve when they work out what matters most to them and work towards something bigger than themselves.

    Deanna is inspired by how resilient people can be when they are faced with adversity and can overcome what seems impossible and move forward and grow along the way.

    You can find out more about her by connecting with her on linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-beaumont/

    Transcript

    [00:00:00] Brendon Le Lievre: Hello and welcome to the coach conversations podcast, the podcast where coaches have conversations about all things coaching. I’m Brendan Le Lievre, and today I’m joined by Deanna Beaumont. How did you find coaching or how did it find you, Dee?

    [00:00:16] Deanna Beaumont: Uh, coaching found me about 10 years ago, I was living in Bangkok at the time and a friend just said, “oh, I’ve, you know, I’ve just had these 10 coaching sessions” and I, to be honest, really didn’t know what she was talking about, but she said it had really changed her life. She got some clarity, she knew what, how she wanted to move in her career and I kind of thought, oh, why not give it a go? So, so I did that and, um, kind of learned about coaching along the way. And through, through the sessions, I kind of got to thinking, there’s something in this, there’s something in this that one day I’ll wanna explore. So that was the kind of first, um, entry point, I guess.

    [00:00:55] Brendon Le Lievre: Hmm. And what made you step into the becoming a coach and, and being a coach yourself?

    [00:01:02] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. So I guess over the years there was time when either I wanted to look into it, but there was other work commitments or there was just something always going on, and I think what changed for me was around getting that clarity myself. I’d had an accident six years before and had this process of trying to work out who I was moving forward.

    And around that thing of it’s one thing to think through yourself, but to have somebody else to talk it through with was really important and so I just got to a point where I thought, I dunno whether I wanna be a coach, but I want to. I want to get beyond thinking about it as a possibility. And so I just decided to do a course to see what it was like to see whether it was something that, that I could do for work.

    Um, and so yeah, as a result, I sort of got into it and just kept the whole time in the beginning. I was like, oh, I’m just seeing, I’m just testing. But then over time with sort of practicing with peers, I began to realize there is something there’s something I enjoy about this. So yeah, it was just that thing I guess, work wise, everything just sort of came together that I felt there was time for test it out and give it a go. And then that’s, that’s where we are now.

    [00:02:12] Brendon Le Lievre: Nice. Pleased to hear. I like that, that moment, you know, like when, when did you know you could coach, like what, what was the, the turning point for you to around I I’m someone who has these skills, or I have knowledge and awareness of, or, you know, the frameworks and the structures are there to actually hang on I’m pretty good at this.

    You.

    [00:02:32] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. I mean, I remember in the first course that I did, I kept saying, oh, I’m just, I’m just testing this out. I, you know, I don’t think I’ll be a coach. I think that was that sort of, um, safety mechanism of don’t want to really dive in. I remember in the first course where I was being observed and the feedback I got was funny, I was really nervous cuz I was going to be observed. So I was like, oh, I don’t wanna do this. And then when I started the coaching session, all of a sudden the fear dropped away. I was just sort of in this, this zone, in this calmness, and I felt like my tone of voice, everything just was really calm and balanced and going from this place of fear to this place of, I’m just doing this it’s it’s happening.

    Um, that was, I think probably the first thing that I’m thinking. Oh, so maybe it’s more than me just testing the waters. Maybe there’s something more. And then after that course ended and I was doing peer coaching with, with, you know, other classmates, but I started to toy with it more often.

    And then I think the biggest thing was being able to utter the words I am a coach, you know, even though I was, I had the training and I was peer coaching, I still found it hard to say I am a coach. And I think it was through a peer coaching session that I was able to say that, and then that sort of changed everything that was sort of like, okay, this is not just me doing study.

    This is me actually coaching and, and just that thing around when I’m coaching, I am in a completely different space. It’s this thing about being present for another person and yeah, it’s just, it for me, it’s enjoyable. And it doesn’t, um, it doesn’t sort of feel heavy or anything. It feels this lightness that I’m there really present for this other person, uh, seeing them as they are whole and just something that feels very, um, quite natural for me when I’m in that, in that process. So, and that’s sort of evolved over time as well.

    [00:04:32] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah there. I mean, that’s a good set of words. I, I am a coach, you know, being able to say that and. I think it’s common for people to struggle with that. And, oh, I’m not a very experienced coach. I’m not a, I’m a very new coach. I think to myself, I used to think that, and then, you know, now I reflect on it, it’s like, no, you just new it applying the skills. Like you bring a whole bunch of other stuff with you.

    [00:04:57] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. And I think, I think that’s the thing I, I thought back to when I was in this phase of thinking, I can’t say that I’m a coach and I thought back to all the other careers I’ve had and I never felt that way. When I had a new skill, I’d say, I am this. And for some reason with coaching and I’ve spoken to this with other coaches, it’s this thing, I can’t call myself a coach.

    You know, it seems to be this stumbling block that many of us have. Um, and I don’t know why that is in, you know, different to other professions, but it was something that I was like, why am I finding it so hard to say this? But then when I did say it, I was like, oh, it wasn’t so hard. And actually, yeah, yeah.

    [00:05:35] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. Yeah. It’s, it’s a real, I think it’s a really important stage in coach development and say, no, I’m I’m, I am this and I am good at this. Uh, and I will, I think, you know, my reflection on coaching is that one of the reasons I like it is I don’t think I’ll ever do it perfectly. , you know, if I ever have a coaching session or I pause afterwards and think, yep, that’s it.

    That’s the best session I’ll ever do. That was perfect. I wouldn’t have, you know, I was present throughout, I wasn’t distracted. I asked all the, the right questions, which is, you know, another challenge that I’ve bumped into a couple of times, like I have to do it right. What is right, that I’ll put it away and I don’t think I’ll ever get there. I think if I’ll be disappointed, if I ever do it, won’t be an achievement. It’ll be a failure.

    [00:06:21] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. Yeah. I can really relate to that. I think there’s something. What, one of the things I love about coaching is what the client gets from it, but what you get as well, like you cannot coach someone without learning about yourself in the process. Like it is such a two way thing. And I just think same as what you’re saying.

    I, I can’t imagine getting to a point where I’m like, well, this just happens without, you know, effort. Like it’s something that you’re always growing and evolving. And I think that’s what makes me passionate about coaching is that I can’t see myself getting to a point where I feel like I know all there is to know in this, you know, it’s gonna be a constant journey.

    So that’s, yeah, it’s a great thing.

    [00:07:02] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah, it’s not gonna stop me trying, but. I’ll chase it.

    [00:07:07] Deanna Beaumont: Trying to tell yourselves.

    [00:07:08] Brendon Le Lievre: get there. just, and one again, you touched on one of the things that worked for me around, you know, I’m always learning, always taking something away. Um, Can’t not learn about myself or others in a coaching session. Oh, that’s different, that’s not how I would’ve thought about that. Or that’s an interesting way to reflect on that. Or, you know, even, you know, when assumptions and biases appear around, oh, that’s what are you talking about that that’s hard to do, that’s really easy, or that sounds really hard. Why would you put yourself through that?

    You know, it’s like, well, it’s not about you, Brendon. So. Just dial that back. And what sort of coaching do you like doing the most?

    [00:07:58] Deanna Beaumont: Uh, so for me, I mean, I have sort of two areas that I work in. One is trauma informed. So that’s working with people who’ve had some, or several experiences of trauma. It can be trauma from, you know, far back, it can be recent trauma. Um, and it’s not to coach them on the trauma per se, but it’s to work with them to help them move forward.

    Uh, despite the fact that they’ve experienced trauma. So as a trauma informed coach, I don’t need to hear about the trauma. It’s that I have the skills to recognize trauma and then to hold space for, for that. Uh, and so it’s, that’s an area that I’m particularly passionate about, um, just from my own experiences.

    Um, but then the other areas that I’m interested is working with, with individuals to help them increase their wellbeing and the way I look at this with wellbeing during times when life is more stable and, and everything’s going well, focusing on your wellbeing helps you to, to flourish, to really thrive in life, but it also is a form of preparedness.

    So by constantly maintaining your wellbeing, when you do come across a life disruption, which we all will, and we all do at different times. You’re just that bit more resilient. So you’re facing it sort of, you know, with a level of fitness, so to speak. And so it’s just, yeah, for me, it’s, I, I love the idea.

    It’s the, the Maya Angelou quote of, you know, I don’t wanna just survive, I wanna thrive in life. Um, and I think that’s it. So for me, it’s that wellbeing, helping individuals increase their wellbeing and build that resilience in their personal life in their workplace and in their business, I’m, I’m quite focused on small business. Um, I am, I have a small business myself, uh, at the, yeah. So it’s just around that wellbeing and resilience to be prepared for when life curve balls, which it will.

    [00:09:47] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm, they, they both sound so interesting. And at the risk of this sounding like a coaching question, which it’s not, which would you like to talk about first?

    [00:10:01] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah, I suppose in a way. Yeah, I guess maybe the, the wellbeing first. Cause I think then that sort of does lead into to how that impacts the, the trauma informed as well.

    [00:10:14] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm. So what attracted you to the wellbeing space and coaching in that space in particular?

    [00:10:22] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. I think again, for me, like, especially. You know, after having my accident, I went into that. It was a car accident and I went into it extremely fit and healthy. I was probably at my peak and you know, my, my career was in a good place. I was physically and mentally fit and healthy and I had, I was really focusing on that sort of, that level of health and wellbeing.

    And then when I had the accident, I was actually in the best position I could be, to be severely in injured. Um, I didn’t have sort. Yeah. Like, I, I guess that level of resilience to help me in a difficult circumstances. So that meant that through my recovery, I was starting, I was coming from a place of, of good health and, um, yeah, I was able to deal with what the, the recovery threw at me.

    And so. Throughout my recovery. I put a huge focus on my mental health and always maintaining physical health, you know, depending on where my abilities were at the time. And so just over time, realizing that looking into what wellbeing is, you know, there is the physical, emotional health, but then there’s also meaning like what gives your life meaning, and, and that being in states of engagement, what gives you a sense of accomplishment and then the role of positive emotions, which also impact recovery as well.

    So, yeah, I think it, for me, it was just having that experience of when life throws you a curve ball and let’s be at our best for when that happens. Um, so yeah, it just sort of became over time and interest. I read more, I studied more and just realized that that was something that I was interested in that there’s, I think it’s the components of, of meaning and engagement, like it’s bigger than just being fit and healthy. It’s a much more soul based and heart based approach to life. And we can all you know, thrive that bit more, be that, you know, just have that more engagement in life. So that’s sort of where I, I got interested and as I sort of learned more in, you know, the wellbeing space and positive psychology, it’s just sort of, it kind of makes sense to me and I think it’s, um, anyway, that we can just make small improvements in our life means that we are just gonna enjoy life, but also be prepared.

    [00:12:35] Brendon Le Lievre: It’s a, it’s a topic that I. I really enjoy as well and, you know, I find, you know, most coaching sessions, you could draw a link back to some sort of wellbeing element that people are taking away from it but I do some workshops around resilience and wellbeing as well.

    And, you know, helping people be better prepared, like you say, for whatever might be coming, you know, flex. you know, work out now and then you’ll, you’ll have the muscle to flex later on, so to speak and it’s it intrigues me how it lands differently with different groups. Um, I find. uh, those earlier in their career are like, oh yeah, we’ve seen all that before, we’re we are doing all of that. You know, I’d agree with the first half of that statement. I’ve got questions about the second half. Um, but those more senior or those, you know, longer in their career often say, oh, that was, you know, really good and I’ve taken stuff away and I’ve applied it and I’m better as a result.

    And part of me was, you know, left thinking with, or thinking on, reflecting on, you know, Why are those earlier in their career giving that feedback? Like, are they exposed to it earlier? Is it a topic that’s more front of mind or, um, has everyone been exposed to it and people forget it? Or what’s going on in that space and, and yeah, the, the second part of that question, or we already do all of that.

    I’m like, well, do you, um, But yes, I think that’s, what’s your experience with people’s exposure to, you know, wellbeing theory.

    [00:14:09] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah, I think, I mean, it varies some people, there are elements of it that, um, people. Sort of like, oh, I didn’t know that that was wellbeing theory. I think others are very much like, I know, I know I know this, but you know, there’s some kind of resistance to it. I think there’s, there’s a lot more around the, the knowing around, you know, you should have more sleep and exercise and food and this sort of thing.

    But I think around the other elements of wellbeing theory, Positive emotions, engagement, even meaning like meaning is, is so big and it’s actually not something that’s talked about. It’s not talked about in the workplace. It’s not talked about in our personal lives, but it’s actually central to, to thriving in life.

    Um, even the sense of accomplishment, like when you work at something for the sake of it and the sense of accomplishment afterwards, it’s super important to humans. So it’s a around that sort of all areas of it. I, I do feel as we age, we do see the importance of that. You know, we’re not, you know, we’ve got a few more aches and pains or life’s just a little, we’re a bit slower.

    And so I think it’s around that thing of getting to a point where like, I, I want to prioritize this, you know, I want to sort of see this as important and take steps to do this so that I can make the most out of my life. But yeah, there’s different. I think, I mean, we all have that. We know we should do and what we actually do.

    Yeah.

    [00:15:34] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah, yeah. Wisdom. It sounds like around. Okay. If I’m going to make a change here or do something differently or get the most out of this time that I’ve got, where do I go? What do I do? All those, yeah could get more sleep and, you know, drink less coffee and, you know, eat better food. Yeah. I’m I’m across all of that. I may not do it, but I’m across all of it.

    [00:15:58] Deanna Beaumont: I think there’s sort of that thing as well around, like, we can’t have optimal wellbeing all the time. Like life happens to us and sometimes we are pulled in different directions and elements of our wellbeing suffers, but in knowing about wellbeing, you can then take stock and say, okay, things are a little off right now. What areas of my life am I not giving enough attention to? So it sort of acts as a bit of a guide, a guideline or in a way of. Things are a bit bit iffy. What have I, not given my time to, how can I find that balance? Um, and it’s a lifelong thing, you know, it’s not like you can do something for a couple of weeks and you don’t, it’s a lifelong sort of what brings me meaning what, you know, are I strengths being deployed properly?

    Um, yeah, so it’s, it’s an ongoing thing, but I think having the awareness about it and having tools on how to sort of work with that, that, that does help.

    [00:16:53] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. Yeah. I think I heard, I think it was Simon Sinek talking about you can’t get stronger by going to the gym for 24 hours straight, like going for a day. You, you get stronger by going to the gym for an hour for 24 days in a row or, you know, with breaks or what have you. And I’m conscious of that always.

    It’s you can’t, it’s not just a tenacity to throw yourself at a thing. It’s gotta be a long-term practice thing for you to see the benefits. So.

    [00:17:21] Deanna Beaumont: You know? Yeah, it’s a, it’s a commitment, isn’t it commitment to? I, I think that idea of thriving in life, it, it requires work. You know, this stuff does require work and a willingness to commit to it, but also being kind to yourself when. When, you know, you, when you don’t, when things get in the way of that, you know, you can always get back on the horse.

    [00:17:40] Brendon Le Lievre: You said meaning and purposes is really important and something that you’ve gained more awareness of over, over time. What are you noticing with others with regards to meaning and purpose, uh, as you’ve been coaching them or working with them?

    [00:17:55] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah, I think in, in general, even outside of coaching, there’s this, we’ve all noticed this shift especially since the pandemic that there’s, what are we doing this for? You know, work, why am I working five days a week and you know, 60 hours a week or whatever. So there is this shift, but I, but definitely there’s more of a conversation around, I don’t know what I wanna do with my life.

    I don’t know, you know, at this stage in my life moving forward, I know I don’t want this capitalism, this sort of spend, spend, spend, I don’t want this, but I also don’t know how to step out of that as well. So that’s one of the things I’m noticing is there’s a desire for something different to have a life that isn’t just about work and money, that it’s about something else. But because there, there aren’t the conversations around about it. That it’s sort of this stuckness that people have with it. And so through coaching, you can start to explore what some of those things are. What are your values? What, what do you need more of in your life and what can you have the sort of the courage to let go of that’s not actually bringing meaning. So yeah, in gen, I mean, I, I’ve seen a lot of articles all over the world around this shift for. What is this for? Like, what am I doing this for? And, and wanting meaning. Um, and I think, and coaching is such a great way to help people through that. So, yeah, it’s definitely a shift we’re in.

    So I think that, you know, talking about purpose and meaning and, and coaching through that is just such a great space because there’s something around when somebody knows really what they want and they go for it, that’s great. But when somebody doesn’t know and they’re confused and they know that something’s just not right.

    And then sort of coaching them through that thing of what that, what really does matter. It’s, it’s such a beautiful thing because it means this individual human can then be the best version of themselves, you know, they can work towards that. So, yeah, but it is definitely it’s like, I mean, people are coming to coaching for it, but also it’s just a really big shift in the world at the moment.

    [00:19:49] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm. And I’ve seen people, you know, show up to coaching. I dunno what I want. I just don’t like my job. I just wanna talk to someone about it. You know, my friend or my colleague did some coaching and they said it was kind of alright, they got some stuff out of it. So I saw you on a list and, or saw your website and reached out whatever.

    And, and I’m always intrigued, like some people they get through a couple of sessions and they do all that like you said, that values realization and that purpose alignment, and this is what I wanna achieve. And they go, actually, I don’t hate my job as much as I thought I did I’m just gonna stay here. And I’m like, well, at least you’re clear on why you’re there now.

    I think a pause is fine as long as it’s a conscious pause and it’s not a, in five years time, you sort of look back and go, how did I get here? But also I’ve seen people completely shift their career just for, by working with coaches around actually I hate what I do and I’m gonna go and do that, cuz that looks like fun and it’s different as a result, you know, which is wonderful, but it’s, it, it takes, I think, yeah, as someone who’s navigated, leaving permanent employment to become a small business owner and to start coaching and what have you like it didn’t, it didn’t happen overnight.

    Um, and I didn’t start a small business cause I wanted to be a small business owner. Like that’s the bit that gets me all the time. I’m yet to meet a coach that goes, you know what I really wanna do. I wanna run a small business, but that’s where, you know, so often we end up, uh, a lot of people end up in, in order to be able to live out what their purpose is or to live out, you know, what they’re trying to change in the world and it doesn’t have to happen immediately.

    There are other ways to, you know, work towards that.

    [00:21:30] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. And I think so many of us, we fell into careers when we were young, because that was what was popular or that was what was encouraged in school or in family and so we do these careers, we have these careers and it’s not actually what we want and we go oh it’s good money or it’s stable or whatever it is.

    And, and then, you know, some of us get to a point where. I hate this and then there’s pressure all around us to, oh gee, it’d be really foolish to give up that job. It’s it’s secure or it’s good money. And so there’s this pull everywhere. But inside, you know, in your core, you’re sort of like this isn’t me, this isn’t, this isn’t what brings me joy.

    And again, that’s the thing about coaching is you can have that conversation and you can explore whether it means leaving your job, or it means going down to part-time and doing something else, or at least just being aware that this job, um, right now is okay for the other things going on, if it’s children or other kind of responsibilities.

    Um, but yeah, that thing of at least recognizing that I’m in this job because of these reasons, but my heart’s not there. And then that gives you the, the sort of space to be able to make choices.

    [00:22:41] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. Yeah, because effectively 16 year old me decided what career I was gonna have, right. And there’s not many decisions that I would let 16 year old me make in my current position. Uh, So why do I keep listening to that? Thankfully I landed in a pretty good space and I enjoyed a lot of what I did. Uh, but yeah, it’s, that’s the way it sort of, like you say, it’s, oh, you’re at school you’ve gotta pick your electives or you’ve gotta pick your university or you’ve gotta, you know, your family want you to do this or your, you know, whatever, oh, they get promotion or there’s a lot of prestige there, or that’s a really attractive organization. It’s like, do I really know?

    [00:23:23] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah, and I there’s this thing. Why should, you know, at 16 when you’ve had no experience? I remember when I was in high school, the thing at the time was psychology. So one kid would say I’m psychologist and then the next kid wouldb be like me too. There was no, we had no knowledge of what psychology was or to be a psychologist. Um, and so, yeah, there’s so many things and I think it goes back to a time when you had you picked profession and you had that job for the rest of your life, whereas that has changed so much now where people have many careers or can have many careers.

    So, but for me, when I meet a young person who’s in, you know, year 11 or 12, I just sort of say, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’ve got a long life ahead of you, you know, that you don’t have to make this decision now because if you invest in study and you know, your work, your way up into something, it gets harder to step out of it.

    So, yeah, I, I think it’s, we put a lot of pressure on young people to decide what they’re doing a nd they can’t even vote, you know?

    [00:24:21] Brendon Le Lievre: yeah. Yeah. And often, you know, like you said, we don’t talk about it. So in isolation, like they’re deciding or what that might be, there’s some challenges in there. And then, like you said, meaning where’s my meaning and purpose coming from, what is it that I’m trying to achieve here beyond. Hey, I get paid a lot to do this and that’s kind of fun.

    Cause it is to a point it is nice to get paid, but not the

    [00:24:47] Deanna Beaumont: There’s other stuff too.

    [00:24:49] Brendon Le Lievre: That’s right. What about the, the trauma informed? How do you, um, and you said you don’t need to know about the trauma. You just need to know about how they relate to it, which I think is a fascinating approach to coaching, but one that sounds like it could, you know, could be a very sharp implement, needs to be in very capable hands what’s trauma informed coaching. And how did you find that as an approach?

    [00:25:14] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. So trauma informed means that you are trained to be aware of the different types of trauma, how that shows up in a client. Um, Skills around client regulations. So if the, the client is really activated in some way, because of a trigger from their trauma it’s to be able to help the client regulate, to bring them back to sort of the prefrontal cortex, where they’re actually able to, to be able to have a sort of a conversation and not, not be really, you know, overwhelmed.

    So it’s again, like if someone, if I have a client and they say, you know, I need to, you know, like I wanna talk about my trauma. For me it’s very, you know, I’m clear about, I don’t need to know don’t feel that, that that’s what therapy’s for like therapy, you will talk about your childhood, you will talk about your trauma. but in coaching it’s to sort of see you as, as you are now, things have happened in your life, but as you are now and how you can move forward.

    So. A normal coaching process with a trauma informed lens. So even if I don’t know that you’ve experienced trauma in your life, I will still use that lens because you may have, so it’s sort of a way of taking deeper care and being able to sort of spot signs that there could have been trauma, but I with, I don’t need to know it because I can work with it if something comes up. And it can be around goals, you know, Someone has a session with you. They’re gonna go away with these action points. They’re gonna do these things and they don’t, and then repeatedly they don’t follow up with their, with their actions. That actually couldn’t be a result of a traumatic experience.

    So it’s, it’s a lens that you use to be able to support the client as best possible should they have had, um, an experience or experiences of trauma.

    [00:27:02] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm. And what made you choose that as an approach?

    [00:27:07] Deanna Beaumont: Um, I had, because of my own experience after the accident, I had sort of learned more about trauma. I had, you know, spent years reading and a bit of study, and I just sort of became more interested in the, the role of trauma informed. I did a trauma informed facilitation course, so it was more around being trauma informed in, in all that we do.

    Um, but then when I was coaching, I was just thinking sometimes some of the approaches and some of the ways aren’t trauma informed. Like if someone has had an experience of trauma, this could be doing harm. And so for me, I just got more interested and started reading about it, and I actually came across a school in Canada and thanks to, you know, the pandemic and us being able to do everything on zoom now, their evenings was my next day morning. So I was able to do this course and it’s a, it’s a very long trauma informed coaching course. Um, and for me, yeah, it was. My interest in trauma, in the human brain and how we, how we respond and react after trauma, but also from a ethical point of view, if I’m coaching, I want to know that I’m, I’ve got the right skills because we don’t know, we don’t know who’s had an experience of trauma and there is a lot more experience with trauma out there than we realize, you know?

    So it’s just, for me, it’s also a, a do no harm kind of approach.

    [00:28:24] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm. Yeah. Sounds interesting. I’m, uh, keen to read up and look a bit more as well. because like you say it, it, it could show up in any coaching session around. And I’m often surprised at what the question you know, is that people might force them to bump into it, or you never quite know. And, um, . You know, I’m, that’s one of the things I, I, you know, I agree with you about the benefit of online, you know, and being able to connect overseas I think that’s great. One of the challenges I have is when coaching and they, people do bump into strong emotions. It’s, it’s, he’s like, I can’t pass you with tissue. I’d really like to, how do I get you, um, a tissue, uh, or, you know, show comfort or care in a, through a virtual way. And I think, you know, it can be done and it, it’s okay. And then often, particularly if I’m coaching as part of a program, like there’s a facilitation component and then a coaching component, you know, people go, oh, I’m sorry. I got all emotional. I’m sorry. I’m upset. And it’s like, you don’t need to be sorry, like in it’s good that I think it’s good that it came out.

    Um, but yeah, that. Hmm, those emotions are just emotions and, and it’s just, I think of it. It’s just data. Like what do you do? It’s extra data. What do you do with it? I’m not trying to diminish your emotion. I’m just saying, you know, what does that tell you? That, that, that, that happened. And they’re like, I don’t know.

    It’s like, okay, good. I’m good with, I don’t know. Let’s let’s explore what it’ll be like to know.

    Uh

    [00:30:03] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that’s what the trauma informed lens has given me. I guess, that confidence that should somebody have an experience in a coaching session. I have the skills now to handle that. And I think that was, before the course, that was my fear. The what, if anything, can, can be a trigger for us.

    So what I, what if I’m not able to, to hold space for that and, you know, The client’s experience of trauma, but then there’s our experience and our reaction to that. So for me, it was about having those skills that I can, um, that I can hold space and I can be there for someone during a really difficult time and know that I can support them through that. Um, so yeah, it’s just sort of, and it’s fascinating, like learning more about, I could learn forever about the brain, you know, learning how we, you know, how trauma is stored and how it can come up at any point. And, you know, it’s, it’s, there, it’s an imprint. It’s a part of us when we’ve experienced it.

    And you know, there, there can be growth through our trauma post-traumatic growth. And so yeah, for me, I find it fascinating. I’m always thinking about how the brain works and how my brain works and what, how that impacts my reaction. So, yeah, it was, it was a really enjoyable course and it’s a really, um, a nice kind of addition to my coaching practice.

    [00:31:28] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm. Mm. What have you enjoyed about starting your coaching practice? You know, you heard my commentary earlier about becoming a small business owner and not that not being what I set out to do, but what have you enjoyed about establishing the practice?

    [00:31:46] Deanna Beaumont: I think for me, I have had small businesses before. So I kind of came into this one with some awareness of how tough and how lonely it can be. Um, and for me, like there’s, there’s the elements of setting things that, you know, I I’ve come from a background where designing systems and setting systems up and maintaining.

    So that kind of, that actual business side of things, I quite like I do also. I mean, you’ve gotta be careful cause that can take a lot of time away from, from other work. Um, I think for me, yeah, it’s an exploration like I’m I think when you set up your own business, like it’s hard and um, but it’s also rewarding as well.

    Like you’re setting it up your way. You know, one of the things I love the most is, I don’t have a terms of reference and I don’t have meetings. They were things I never liked. So there’s that freedom, um, of setting a business up your way. Um, and the, I think the challenges you overcome, like there’s always, you know, especially like starting a coaching business was different to the other, other businesses I’ve had before. So it was like, oh, I’ve gotta, I’ve gotta learn, oh, you need insurance and you need this. And so thinking of all the other things, um, but I absolutely love learning. So I sort of see, see a business is just another form of learning, but learning how I, you know, and, and doing it my way.

    I think that’s the thing that I’ve loved the most.

    [00:33:10] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah, no. And you’re right. About how much time it can take. I’ve sort of learned to set limits about things is okay. Spend two hours creating this and wherever it’s at in two hours, I’ll reassess, but I’m not gonna otherwise, you know, I found that there were, um, multiple nights where I’d look at the clock and go, is that the time I’ve gotta be up in a couple of hours to go, you know, to the day job at that point, um, you know, cause it was a side hustle type arrangement.

    So I was like, oh, I better to sleep. Or, um, the other thing that I have is, is a whiteboard. Um, Because I’d find, I’d wake up in the middle of the night and I’d have all these great ideas or I’d have things that were sort of ticking over, like gotta do that, gotta email that, gotta respond to that, gotta progress that.

    And so, um, having the whiteboard up somewhere prominent, it’s not as prominent as it used to be, but that’s okay. Is, uh, it just to scribble on, in the middle of the night

    [00:34:09] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah.

    [00:34:10] Brendon Le Lievre: that I can read it in the morning. Um, Has been quite useful. Cause otherwise I found I’d just sit there and I’d sort of stew on it and go, I mustn’t forget that, I mustn’t forget that. And of course I would. And then that was a different challenge.

    [00:34:25] Deanna Beaumont: I, the whiteboard sounds good because I have this thing where I wake up and Oh what a great idea. And so cause I don’t wanna have my phone in, in my room. I will lie there, either saying the idea over and over again, hoping that I’ll, you know, and then I wake up in the morning. I think that was a really good idea last night and I can’t remember it, so, yeah.

    And I’m at the point where I think, oh, well, if that, if that point was really good, it’ll come back to me some way. Yeah. Yeah. One of the things I am exploring more is sort of the role around. Solo business owners and, and sort of sharing, you know, getting groups of solo business owners together and sharing resources.

    You know, if you and I both have a coaching business and we’ve got different coach clients, how can we share resources that the two of us are not wasting time creating more or less the same thing? And I think there’s, there’s a lot of room for that. You know, they think there are people who are just trying to get by on their own and even if it’s something you come up with, say, you’re designing an online course and you share it with one of the people in your group. Can you just look through this to make sure this makes sense? You know, it it’s something like that. So I think we have that in the workplace, but when you’re a solo business owner, it can be lonely and isolating.

    And I think that way of bringing people together who have the same kind of interest in business. So, you know, the same approach, the ethics and whatnot, and then how we can support each other or just, you know, cheer each other on when we’re a little bit procrastinating about writing content or developing something, you know, the ideas are great. Putting them into action can be difficult sometimes.

    [00:35:58] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. That’s one part of the bureaucracy that, or you know, of the office that I sometimes miss, it was like, okay. You know, it’s nice to not have to go to all of the meetings, but occasionally that meant that the work got done cause we went the meetings. So yeah, I mean, and also having the, um, figurative hand brake, um, around, or, you know, this is my great idea and I’ve, you know, made something that looks reasonably pretty in Canva and I’m gonna shoot it out and you shoot it out and then you’re like, oh, there’s a spelling mistake in that. Oh, well and it turns out on LinkedIn. If you post a post as a picture, you, it won’t let you change or replace that picture once it’s out. It’s just out. It says

    [00:36:45] Deanna Beaumont: You can’t edit the post.

    [00:36:47] Brendon Le Lievre: You can edit the text, but you, well, I, I couldn’t edit the picture as someone who posted something with a spelling mistake in it, obviously recently, if you wanna check it out, go and find it on my LinkedIn profile.

    But, um, I think it’s still useful. It was about five things you might bring to a coaching conversation if you were looking, but there’s yeah, after I sent it out, I showed it to a few people, you know, that there’s a double up there and there’s a spelling mistake there and it. Maybe having some sort of publishing rules could be useful, Brendon.

    [00:37:17] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah. At least someone who, who isn’t so involved in the process who can check it out before you hit post. I think there’s

    [00:37:23] Brendon Le Lievre: Just so excited about getting it out. I was like, oh, this is done gone. But anyway,

    [00:37:29] Deanna Beaumont: makes you relatable? You know, nothing like a good old Typo.

    [00:37:33] Brendon Le Lievre: That’s exactly right. I won’t be the first. I won’t be the last, so that very good. What else have you learned about on your coaching journey?

    [00:37:45] Deanna Beaumont: What have I learned? Um, well, yeah, as we said before, a lot about myself, um, learned around a thing. If you’re coaching somebody, uh, they’re stuck. They’re unable to move forward. They’ve got some kind of edge. I think I’ve. I’ve learned really about the process of coaching myself. Like I, I do have peer coaching, but that thing of, Ooh, this was a client how would I, what questions would I ask myself? So I think one of the things is that that skill around sort of self coaching. And, but also then being kind to myself, when I do come up an edge up against an edge, when I do come up to something that I’m struggling to move past is to sort of not be hard on myself.

    Like I think coaching has given me that sort of awareness that it’s, this is a part of the human condition that we do come up against edges and that, yeah. Be kind in that process. I think that’s been on a personal level. It’s been one of the, one of the greater things for me. It’s just, um, I think we can all be kinder to ourselves.

    [00:38:55] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. Yeah. It’s one of the things I enjoy about working with coaches is often there’s a bit of pre-coaching that’s happened and often, you know, I know when I’m coached, I think I sort of think to myself, don’t use that technique on me. I know where you’re going with that line of questioning. I don’t want to go there. Can you just stop it now? Cause I’m gonna talk about stuff and then I’m gonna want, which is why I’m here. So of course take me there, but

    [00:39:21] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah.

    [00:39:22] Brendon Le Lievre: sort watching it at multiple levels. It’s always, that’s always good fun. I enjoy that.

    [00:39:26] Deanna Beaumont: Yeah.

    [00:39:29] Brendon Le Lievre: Why are you asking me that? Oh, that’s why you’re asking me

    [00:39:31] Deanna Beaumont: that.

    Oh, it’s that one. All right. OK. Oh, I’ve just given that away. Haven’t I yep.

    [00:39:39] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I am often when I’m coaching, I’m like, oh, there, that is again. And the coach is like, what? Cause sometimes it’s the first time they’ve worked with me. So don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it or I’ll make it go away until next time.

    [00:39:55] Deanna Beaumont: Okay.

    [00:39:56] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah. Yeah. Very good. What someone asked me the other day, uh, a question to the effect of. What was, what’s been the, what’s the highlight of my coaching career or, you know, something I reflect on fondly? What would, how would you answer that question? Cause I thought it was an interesting question. I might start asking it of people.

    [00:40:18] Deanna Beaumont: Right. A highlight of my coaching career. I would say a client who was, who had lost a loved one and was just really struggling to find meaning to move, you know, to yeah. To get through the day, essentially. Um, and then just this small shift in her, as of her seeing another way of of finding meaning in just some part of her everyday life. And it was, it was through gardening and just that sort of, and I think that’s what does around the, the trauma informed space, but even grief coaching is around that thing of, of just, yeah seeing that shift in someone, in such a profound way. So I think that was probably one of my highlights of just seeing physically seeing the shift that she had, that aha moment that she was able to move forward. Um, And she’d been sort of stuck in this place for many years, you know? So that’s, I think probably one of my highlights of just physically seeing that shift.

    Um, yeah.

    [00:41:32] Brendon Le Lievre: Hmm, lovely. I was asked and I didn’t quite know how to answer it. And I was like, well, there’s a moment. You know, when I was in training, there was a moment when I back to, you know, how we started when I first was able to say, Hey, I’m a coach. You know, there was achieving credentialing levels with ICF, like there was many, you know, different examples of where people got breakthrough or people made changes in their lives as a result of conversations, it’s kind of like, well, how do I answer that? What’s the highlight? Like what’s the, the video package that they’ll play at my retirement. ,

    [00:42:09] Deanna Beaumont: yeah,

    I. Yeah, I think that thing around highlight, like, it’s, it’s really hard to give in, you know, whether it’s coaching or any other career, other aspect of your life, it’s kind of really hard to point it down to one thing, isn’t it? Because different things can be a highlight. Like I think even for me, like creating my website, that was a highlight as well.

    Cause that was, uh, hard to do on many levels. Um, so you know, there there’s those sort of personal highlights, but then I. And why we keep going back to coaching is because of the impact it has on another person. You know, I think that’s the thing of seeing someone be stuck and unable to move forward and then to see them take those.

    And I think it is those first steps. It’s that first moment. And it doesn’t mean it gets easier from then on, in it’s just a door has opened to something new and I think that’s, um, Yeah, I think that’s the thing about coaching is that there’s always that chance to help someone open a door to new ways of being so, yeah.

    [00:43:16] Brendon Le Lievre: Yeah, websites. they’re both technically hard. You know, I find the first 95% of what you want to create is reasonably easy or to get close enough to, and then it’s just like, how do I make that button go green? When I hover over it instead of orange, like, that’s all I want. That can’t be that difficult. That’s at that point when I think to myself, it’s time to outsource this to someone who’s got more experience than me, but then there’s that, you know, I like to learn. I like to try new things. I want to be involved in this. I care about it. Drive that you spoke about earlier and then there’s the, oh God, what am I gonna write about myself? What would anyone want to read? That would be interesting.

    [00:44:01] Deanna Beaumont: Totally. Right. Like it’s. For me, it’s a, especially when it’s under your name, you know, if you, if you have a business that’s selling shoes, maybe it’s easier. I don’t know. But when you are writing about yourself, um, yeah, it’s, it’s a, it’s a big, a big dig. Um, and then there, you know, like for me at the end of it, it was like, wow, I did that.

    I, I could have procrastinated and walked away from this, but I did that. And so it’s, you learned so much about yourself in the process? For me, it was really, really made me get clear about what does matter. In this work I do. And there were other things I thought I could be doing, you know, but it’s just like, it helps you to really narrow it down to this is what it is.

    So, uh, it was a good process and the, our website evolves over time, but I’m glad I won’t have to do it from scratch again.

    [00:44:48] Brendon Le Lievre: There you go. How do we find the website? Where would we go to find that.

    [00:44:52] Deanna Beaumont: It would be my full name. Uh, so it’s Deanna Beaumont, www.deannabeaumont.com.

    nt.com.

    [00:45:01] Brendon Le Lievre: Wonderful. And I’ll put the link in the show notes, but go and check it out and send through all the feedback. See how wonderful it is when you get there. Yeah. Lovely. Well, I’ve got, I don’t know how many questions it is here. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 questions to close us out for today. D if you will, just first thing, that’s sort of front of mind, shout it out short answers, and we’ll see where we end up.

    So the first question is what fulfills you?

    [00:45:38] Deanna Beaumont: Uh, learning,

    [00:45:40] Brendon Le Lievre: and what frustrates you?

    [00:45:44] Deanna Beaumont: uh, being stuck, being stagnant, not, I guess not learning. Yeah.

    [00:45:50] Brendon Le Lievre: If you could recommend one book that everyone should read, what would it be?

    [00:45:56] Deanna Beaumont: Uh, by James Hollis and it’s living the examined life,

    [00:46:03] Brendon Le Lievre: What do you most admire in your counterparts?

    [00:46:09] Deanna Beaumont: uh, resilience.

    [00:46:13] Brendon Le Lievre: What’s your favorite coaching question?

    [00:46:19] Deanna Beaumont: Ooh, top of my head. What is my favorite coaching? I think it’s the, the, tell me more the one to just sort of like, and what else?

    [00:46:32] Brendon Le Lievre: Mm-hmm we share a favorite coaching question. Uh, if you weren’t a coach, what would you be?

    [00:46:40] Deanna Beaumont: Uh, Somewhere in the design space, graphic design illustration.

    [00:46:48] Brendon Le Lievre: And if you could tell your younger self anything, what would you tell yourself?

    [00:46:55] Deanna Beaumont: You’re doing well just the way you are.

    [00:46:58] Brendon Le Lievre: Wonderful. Well, thanks for hanging out with me for a coach conversation today. Uh, if people want to get in touch, I’ll put emails and websites and what have you in the notes, uh, and well worth reaching out. Um, it sounds like you’ve got lots of exciting things happening and lots of exciting things in front of you. So keep doing it.

    [00:47:16] Deanna Beaumont: Thanks, Brendon, always lovely to chat with you.

    [00:47:18] Brendon Le Lievre: Cheers.