Sophie

IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE

The truth is, I just was not being honest with myself about how lost I was. I thought I had a plan, but even if there were some elements of a plan there was no structure… it was just a general direction. From our first conversations, Derrick carried himself with integrity, honesty and a sense of humor that is rare. I felt supported and that I could trust him from the get-go. I believe that Derrick has many callings, and I can’t tell you what all of them are, but I can tell you that it’s easy to see that coaching is one of the things he is meant to do. You celebrate together and deal with the struggles together. Through it all, he has a structure and a system and a great attitude that keeps you moving forward. I truly enjoyed our conversations every time. His ability to distill my ideas and thoughts into concrete and coherent messages and themes - without presuming to speak for me or tell me what I’m trying to say - is truly a gift. The best thing that I got out of this experience would have to be my improved self-confidence. Defining what success means to me in different contexts, and then reflecting on when I’ve excelled helped me to see that strengths I thought had no value in the workplace can be applied to my career. I feel more confident about applying who I am more wholly to my work. Early on Derrick asked me what would make him the best coach for me, and he purposefully took steps to be that coach throughout the program.

— Sophie | San Francisco, CA | Nonprofit Mastermind