Coaches Conference 2023
Thursday, November 9 - Friday, November 10, 2023
Berkeley Faculty Club
“This is my third time attending the conference and each time I’ve gotten a lot out of it in terms of connecting with others in the BECI community and learning things that support my coaching.”
Creativity & Community
Our annual Coaches Conference is an opportunity for our amazing family of ECI Alumni to reconnect with the heart and meaning at the core of our practice as coaches. The conference is a “booster shot” of the connection you felt with each other during your program, and an opportunity to meet new future collaborators and friends.
“Participating in my cohort and certification process was a transformational event. I didn’t realize until I came to the Coaches Conference how much I needed the recharge. There is something so powerful about the knowledge an experience of the faculty and participating coaches that helps my own coaching get better. I’m so grateful for the faculty and all of their hard work.”
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“The conference was an infusion of hope, inspiration, and fun. I absolutely loved meeting everyone and hearing so many inspiring stories and perspectives.”
- 2022 Conference participant
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“The whole conference was so energizing. It was great to come full circle on all of the development I had through the cohort and certification process. I felt like this conference brought all of that together.”
- 2022 Conference participant
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“Inspiring and energizing. Seeing my fellow BECI grads step up and lead sessions gave me the sense of being in a community that demonstrates an abundance mindset. I’m in love.”
- 2022 Conference participant
Thursday, November 9
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Friday, November 10
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Session Descriptions
Thursday, November 9
Set the stage to get what you need from the Conference with a deep dive into how you are feeling, showing up, and want to be seen. You'll have an opportunity to pause and reflect and then expand your point of view within a small group. You will leave with new insights and a take away for the coming week.
Are you interested in expanding your executive coaching practice to include group coaching? Join this session to learn group coaching best practices and ideas on how to conduct your initial sessions. There will also be a Q&A to answer questions from those aspiring to enter into the world of executive group coaching.
“So, what do you do?” a prospective client asks. “Well…” commence jargon-filled psychobabble that simultaneously tells them WAY too much and yet nothing at all. In this engaging session, we will dive deep into the critical challenges that often hold all coaches back from reaching their full potential. We'll call out the most common roadblock: saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Discover the power of strategic differentiation as we unravel the importance of aligning your branding pieces to effectively communicate the right messages at the right time. You'll gain a fresh perspective on how to craft a cohesive and impactful narrative that sparks opportunities with your target audience. This is your chance to invest in mastering your self-presentation using the Clarity & Connection Matrix for executive coaches.
Adults with ADHD can be highly energetic, creative, fun, courageous, and occupy a large variety of roles in the corporate world from C-Suite offices to frontline sales. At the same time, more than 85% of these lively humans share that their ADHD has negatively impacted their workplace performance, collegial & family relationships, and career paths. As a result, more and more professionals with ADHD are seeking executive coaching for help. In this fun, insightful, and high-energy session, participants will learn about the ADHD-wired brain, how to stay in the "coach zone", and how to more effectively partner with clients for their success. Presenter Aaron Tabacco is an international clinical expert in ADHD (PhD, RN), Certified Executive Coach, and BECI Coaching Faculty who will lead this session from a neurodiversity perspective. Approximately 40% of Aaron's coaching clients self-identify as persons with ADHD.
In this highly interactive session, explore how you can use your CliftonStrengths in your role as a coach. ECI Faculty Director Jennie Caleshu recently became a Certified Strengths Coach and will lead the group in an interactive discussion on ways their Strengths show up in their coaching. The focus of this session will be how you can invest in your own Strengths to develop as a coach (not necessarily in coaching others on their Strengths). While you do not need to have completed the StrengthsFinder assessment to attend, if you'd like to know your CliftonStrengths you can purchase the assessment here and use code 6VF887JYO to save $10.
Working in an international and multicultural environment either as coach, advisor or leader: How to build trust, and does trust building differ within different cultures and/or in an international context? Is trust perceived the same way when you look at trust creating across different cultures? Reflect on recent practical experiences and research on this interesting and challenging topic.
Struggling to get the "G"? This session will focus on ways to construct supportive, sustainable and engaging goals with coachees, both within sessions and across an engagement. The session is relevant for all coaches but it will have a particular focus on working within organizations, either as a third party or as an internal leader. This will be an interactive workshop, with coaches sharing their favorite goal modalities as well as play-time with my goals setting philosophy: Zone 2 Goals. We will discuss some of the most common goal modalities, as well as share new research that may upend what you think you know about goals.
How does our work as coaches uniquely position us to make a difference in the world? How do we make sure that our coaching is part of a larger vision, which represents our values and our hope for humanity? Can coaching be a calling? Join Benjamin Mertz for a session of storytelling, visioning, and inspiration! Through large group and small group dialogue, let's challenge one another to be the best version of ourselves in a world desperately in need of healing. This session will also feature an interview with Dr. Mark Rittenberg about his experiences in South Africa and the Middle East as part of human rights and peace movements.
Friday, November 10
Who were you before you became a coach? A teacher? An athlete? Maybe you built an entire career - or several! Yet when we leave that 9-5 job, we feel as if we’re starting over from zero. It’s not true. Knowing who you are and what propels you can help clarify your purpose, identify your ideal client, and even niche down your offering. In this session, you’ll mine your previous live(s) for the moments that made you the unique coach you are today. Using a tried and true formula for storytelling, get ready to articulate those key moments into your very own ignition story.
This workshop will give you a framework for selling, onboarding and keeping coaching clients while being authentically yourself. Today, you’ll get some of the tools you need to put your biz process together. You’ll also have time to share and learn from one another.
Many, if not most, companies profess a desire to have more diversity and inclusion in their ranks but struggle to accomplish meaningful gains in this area, a problem that has been compounded by the massive layoffs post-pandemic. How can coaching help? We will examine how coaches can leverage EQ habit building to facilitate change at the individual, program and organizational level. Our emphasis is on the importance of emotional intelligence to generate a safe, inclusive and growth-oriented environment / workplace. We approach DEI work as a critical success metric for tech evolution and seek to generate and share best practices to amplify voices, opportunities and allyship.
Ever worry about what to do if mental heath issues or deeper psychotherapeutic content start to arise in the course of your coaching sessions? How do we understand the difference between coaching and therapy? Where is the line between the two and how do we navigate it?
We will discuss how to have a working framework for ourselves, tools to engage with our clients around psychological material, and how to discuss when a therapeutic referral may be useful.
Develop your capacity as a coach through a more nuanced understanding of therapy. Learn to maintain a coaching focus while being comfortable with deeper content if it arises as well as how to respond when issues feel beyond your scope.
Are you inspired by the idea of designing a meaningful and sustainable lifestyle around your business as a coach? Let’s share stories and gather insights on what gives us the stimulus, structure and support to organically integrate coaching into our lives.
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs as they're commonly referred -- by champions and dissenters alike) are what John Doerr writes about in his how-to titled: Measure What Matters. Objectives are the wildly audacious, bold goals that people want to accomplish; Key Results are the specific, measurable, and time-bound metrics that calculate success. Whether you're an OKR-veteran and already have practice working with this framework, or you're brand new to it (and perhaps still back-checking what is what and which is which), this session will help you translate a powerful goal-setting framework to your coaching practice, to help your coachees de-abstract, and build a roadmap to, their loftiest goals.
One of the common challenges clients bring to us coaches is how to make changes in how they approach their work, managing work rather than work managing them. Of course that starts with being visionary - what do they want from work? what would it look like for their work lives to be successful? And then, we help them think through: how do they get there? I find much of these next steps include helping my clients become more intentional - about setting priorities, managing time, supporting their direct reports, managing up, setting limits. In this session I will share some concepts and modalities (in action, with you!) that have helped my clients shift their way of thinking and operating. To whet your appetite, examples of tools I share are: 1) physical activities and objects that can serve as reminders to interact differently at work; 2) wordplays that help us focus; 3) a creative visualization technique; and 4) a time capsule!
Speaker Bios
Bryce is the Founder of Great Team Partners, a Talent Advisory for early-stage startups. Her nonlinear career path spans Decision Sciences, Sales, and a variety of People / Talent roles, building and leading teams for venture-backed and publicly-traded tech companies.
Bryce encountered BECI while transitioning out of what she thought was her “dream job” as Head of Talent at a venture capital firm. The two adjacent experiences informed the hypothesis that sparked Great Team Partners: at growing companies, People challenges often precede People executives. She saw an opportunity to make an impact across a broader portfolio by partnering with a range of leaders in helping them build great teams. The Talent Advisory spans: People + hiring strategy, goal-setting, talent development, and executive coaching.
Bryce is based in Bernal Heights, SF, with her husband Chris, daughter Jacqueline (6), son Barrett (4), and their cat Milo (7).
I’m a coach, consultant, leader, mom/nana, and lover of learning, nature, art, and working with others to leave the world a bit better. After several years as a leader focused on organizational growth and effectiveness, I pursued a second masters in organization development then founded Blue Heron Associates in 2001. My focus has been partnering with leaders on the sometimes-overlooked levers for organizational health-the human side of change; organizational culture and design; leadership and team development; and having conversations that matter. I’ve been coaching for several years. I remain passionate about partnering with leaders as they explore and develop, and I am seeking to continually improve as a coach.
I look forward to being with you in November in our rich learning community. For my session, I’ll bring what I’ve learned and continue to be curious about regarding assessments in coaching and I look forward to learning with you.
Hale Yaman is an Executive Coach and founder of Minerva Coaching, as well as Senior Director of Engineering at an EdTech company in the Bay Area. She is known for her supportive, insightful, genuine and results-oriented approach to coaching and leadership. She combines her analytical mind and engineering foundation, 27 years of industry experience and her coaching training to serve as a knowledgeable thought partner intent on maximizing people’s performance by unlocking their potential.
Hale is passionate about diversifying the tech space, and is a public speaker and an advocate for Women in Technology. She has spoken at several national and international conferences, and led numerous workshops, seminars, and training programs throughout her career.
Hale holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and received her executive coaching certification from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. She lives in the Bay Area with her family.
Kathleen Holiday received a Points of You facilitator certification in 2018. Kathleen and Katie Valdivia have been using the Points of You method in CalSTRS for the past five years in a variety of ways: As an icebreaker in leadership forums with over 100 in attendance. In one-on-one coaching sessions with employees, and strategy sessions with directors and senior leaders to name a few. The modality encourages rich and authentic dialogue and allows people to gain new insights with actionable items to move forward.
Kedar is building PebbleCompass, an executive communications coaching business focused on enabling teams and leaders to share authentic stories and craft compelling narratives. After nearly two decades on the corporate treadmill, he traded the speed and intensity for the flexibility and perspective of the entrepreneurial hike.
Kedar has lived and worked in India, France, Germany, Singapore, and the United States. He built his corporate career at Apple leading L&D teams and crafting executive communications for senior leaders on topics focused on Inclusion & Diversity, Team Culture, and Employee Experience. Before Apple, Kedar worked in engineering and co-founded an immersive learning startup.
Kedar holds an MS from Stanford University, an MBA from INSEAD, and is a BECI alumnus from the cohort of Oct-Nov 2022. He is a LEGO Technic fan, a photographer, and a musician. He recently relocated to Seattle from the Bay Area with his wife and two young kids.
Kelsey Kerr approaches coaching as an integrated practice recognizing that humans flourish when we are aligned personally and professional. She is interested in the evolution of foundational skills -- critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, learning and creativity -- and emotional intelligence: understanding the impact that self- and social- awareness and management has on our lives and careers. Prior to coaching, she led high performing agile product teams developing learner-oriented 0-1s across subject areas and levels of study that annually impact millions of learners and educators globally. She has experience at both start-ups and organizationally mature companies, managed and supported globally distributed teams and navigated multiple company restructurings. She currently lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children.
Lara’s career in communications started before she even realized it - her first job was as a storytelling fairy, spreading magic through sharing stories with children. Fast forward two decades and Lara is still a storytelling fairy, only instead of wings and a wand, she’s now equipped with 15 years of international experience in corporate and executive communications. With a background spanning manufacturing, travel, pharma, and biotech, Lara partners with senior executives, leaders and teams to tap into the transformative power of communication to drive connection and - excuse her language - cut the crap. Her journey has taken her from Australasia to Asia to Europe, where she is currently based in Switzerland, leading portfolio and strategy communications for Roche’s global research and early development function. She is a graduate of BECI’s 2022 Berkeley cohort and dedicates her coaching and mentoring practice to helping individuals navigate the complexities of international corporate environments, and empowering young women to discover their executive presence and self-belief.
For three decades Laurie held management and leadership roles in public and government settings, including overseeing HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, introducing urban-based teens of color to the transformative power of the ocean and islands, and serving as senior advisor for 17 years to Boston’s mayor. Through ON BALANCE, Laurie provides executive coaching and strategic planning, along with teaching communications at Boston University’s business school. A city gal her whole life, she is thrilled now to live in Exeter, NH, an hour north of Boston.
The first time Patti realized the power of connection was at age 14, when people from the other side of the globe responded to her very first Geocities website. She’s had a thirst for impact ever since. She spent nearly two decades working in technology, from co-founder to consulting for Fortune 50 companies, to multiple leadership roles in venture-backed startups like Imperfect Foods. In 2021, Patti answered the calling to coach more formally, founding a private practice dedicated to product leaders. Working especially with historically marginalized founders and executives, she marries modalities from product leadership coaching with transformational executive coaching to help women and BIPOC thrive in the high-impact roles they want while de-stressing enough to enjoy the ride. When not coaching, Patti can be found sampling her way through Oakland farmers markets and attempting to recreate all of her Cantonese grandma’s best dishes from memory.
I lead presentations and group meetings at my current firm, Vector Consulting, a team of executive coaches all with clinical psychotherapy backgrounds and all practicing psychologically infused coaching. I support ongoing conversations about the intersection of coaching and psychotherapy and present on this topic. I also facilitate experiential group activities and lead mindfulness exercises at work retreats. I have been a therapy group facilitator, supervisor and teacher in both graduate school and work settings.
Sam Heninger, a native of Virginia near Washington D.C., is an experienced professional with a background in psychology (B.S.) and business (MBA) from Utah State University.
Currently residing near Walmart HQ in Arkansas, he serves leaders and teams in the private equity space, with an interest in coaching opportunities for multinational M&A activities. Sam loves multicultural topics such as food and language; with a particular fascination for Southeast Asia. His varied interests span from the psychology of Carl Jung to cooking Malaysian rendang curry and even barbershop singing.
The host of ‘The Courage Coach for Executives Podcast,’ Sam discusses topics close to the hearts and minds of leaders and their coaches. Sam works with his wife and co-founder, Miranda, to encourage others to create a career that builds their home life rather than competes with it.
Sam is excited to offer his expertise as a presenter and collaborator to you.
Registration
Look Who's Coming
“The coaching conference gave me the opportunity to connect with fellow coaches in a supportive environment. No matter your coaching level, everyone was welcome and I felt as a new coach had valuable insights and a voice to share. The sessions left me feeling inspired and renewed to keep moving forward as well as thought provoking insights to share.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can present or attend?
The coaches conference is primarily designed for those that have gone through our 10-day program. You do not need to have attended or be certified to submit a proposal to present, however the lead speaker on each proposal should be an ECI alum (final certification not required). Friends and colleagues are welcome to purchase tickets to attend the event as well.
Will there be an online option?
We will not be offering a hybrid event or recordings of the sessions this year. We will have a free Alumni Roundtable after the conference that will include opportunity to discuss the event and share learnings.
What is your COVID policy?
We will be following the UC Berkeley mask requirements.
Do you have any recommendations for lodging for the conference?
We highly recommend the Residence Inn by Marriott - just at the edge of the campus, a 15 minute walk to the Faculty Club - brand new all-suite hotel. The Berkeley Faculty Club also has a limited number of rustic rooms.