Hi Tracy!

Welcome to our ICF Austin October 2022 newsletter! We are thrilled to share with you special updates and exciting programs we have coming up, and to highlight our BRAND NEW DEIJ Committee in the committee spotlight below. 

If you weren’t able to join us for our chapter meeting and presentation, we enjoyed a thought-provoking presentation from Sonya Ware on “Coaching the Human Soul,” including how we, as coaches, may bring intention to each of our coaching sessions in order to create the spaces that will foster openness and safety throughout the coaching sessions. Ideas included adding time before each session to connect with how we want to show up as coaches and blocking time after our sessions to reflect and process the sessions.

Don't miss the DEIJ Spotlight: Culturally Relevant Coaching as a Racial Equity Practice: A Latina Coach Coaching Latina Clients event rescheduled for October 21st. We look forward to seeing you there and at our October Chapter Meeting at the end of the month!

See below for our many fabulous upcoming events:

Hello, and Happy Pumpkin Time!

I know it’s not Halloween yet, but I’m ready with my ghost gear already. October is for pumpkin tastes, hay rides, and stocking up on fun-size candy bars for the year. I know as coaches we try for balance and wellness, but there are some days that are powered by sugar, at least for me.

As we slow down into autumn, I would encourage you to reach out to each other and get to know a new coach this month. Maybe it’s someone you enjoyed from Virtual Coaching Conversations or from our Coaches’ Chat before the monthly meeting. We now have over 100 members(!) in our chapter, so there are plenty of new and interesting people to talk to. Our chapter is known for its welcoming and collaborative culture, and I’m sure your fellow coaches will be glad to connect.

We kicked off our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) initiative last month with a presentation from Dr. Alejandra Mielke. Alejandra is creating a committee to help our chapter become more diverse and inclusive and to share information about DEIJ and coaching. Get to know her in the Committee Spotlight below, then email to join her committee. I can’t wait to see this work take shape!

Make sure to save the date for upcoming in-person events! On Tuesday, November 15, 8:30 AM - 1 PM, Kelley Russell-DuVarney and Paul Baffes will be facilitating a workshop with design thinking techniques and how they align with coaching. It’s going to be a deep dive with practical applications and interactive learning. What more could we ask for in a workshop? 

Finally, the All-Texas Retreat and Conference will be March 23-26, 2023. I went last year for the first time and found a co-created learning space where coaches could be coaches together. In addition to terrific programming, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience coaches from around the state. Early bird registration ends October 31!

Thank you to each of you for creating the warm, welcoming, inclusive space that is ICF Austin. You make our chapter a place for coaches to feel comfortable being themselves, connecting with others, and learning from each other. From the entire Board, we appreciate you.

Sincerely,

Tracy Winter

President

ICF Greater Austin Charter Chapter

Secretary, ICF Austin

Are you ready to take your chapter engagement to the next level? With the addition of our new DEIJ committee, we are looking for a brand-new BOARD MEMBER for ICF Austin! Please email leadership@icfaustin.org if you would like to be considered for this exciting opportunity to join our leadership team as the Secretary for the chapter.

ICF Austin Committee Members, Communications, DEIJ, Membership, Programming, Outreach, and More!

There are so many wonderful opportunities to be a part of our chapter in a meaningful way. While each month we spotlight a committee, all of our committees are looking for new members. Email communications@icfaustin.org to be directed to learn more about the committee of your choosing.

Interview with DEIJ Committee Director, Dr. Alejandra Mielke

to deepen their knowledge of DEI and work together to identify where we are in terms of DEI and identify areas of opportunity to create a more inclusive chapter.

What makes the DEIJ committee special?

We will be learning together about these important issues and we will be finding out more about specific actions that we can take to improve our chapter. It will be full of learning, discovery, and important social action that it’s essential to keep in mind in any human organization.

Share a day in the life of a DEIJ director:

I have an early wake-up call at 6:00 am. I send my child to school at 7 and then I take a glorious walk with my little Chihuahua named Spotify, yes, like the app. (Long story). After that, I ready myself for a day full ofwith trainings, workshops, and coaching sessions. As I work from home, I also try to engage in as much networking as possible and I am always open for lunch or another type of networking event.

For you, why coaching? 

Coaching for me has been the key that unleashed my potential. I couldn’t be where I am at this moment professionally speaking if it wasn’t for Coaching. I believe that the growth that we experience through coaching and when we invest in ourselves is something that can’t be taken away from us and that at the same time reverberates in our communities. 

The good that I can do in this world and that impacts others comes from coaching and I want to create more of this.

What are your favorite things about Austin? 

I have been in Austin for 22 years and I have seen the city change tremendously. Fortunately, my favorite things about Austin haven’t changed a lot. I love that it is close to Mexico, that I can find decent Mexican food and its winters. I love winters in Austin!

What is your favorite place to visit in and around Austin?  

I love the restaurant scene in Austin. You will definitely find me in one of the many amazing restaurants here. I also love the Zach Theatre - we’ve had season tickets for many years and their productions are always carefully selected, well run, and always leave you with some thinking to do.

Share something about you that might surprise others. 

I’m an old soul - always nostalgic. I love 70’s TV shows and estate sales. My child will need to have an estate sale to sell all the things that I bought in estate sales.

Thank you Alejandra! Each month, we’ll spotlight a committee so you can learn more about what’s going on with the chapter, our board members, and our current volunteers. And, we’d love for you to join a committee to further your connection with your fellow coaches in meaningful ways.

If you want to join the DEIJ committee, Alejandra would love to hear from you at alejandra@alejandramielke.com.

NEW Member Benefit - ICF Member Websites

We are excited to announce a new benefit to your ICF Membership. ICF Members in good standing will be able to create a free website through a platform hosted by ICF Global. The ICF Member Websites Platform will enable you to create an easy-to-build, customizable website to promote your coaching services.

We hope this will be a cost-saving benefit for members. There is no fee to design, host or maintain a website on our platform. It is also a great way to show your affiliation with ICF to potential clients and to capitalize on ICF’s global presence. Look for more information in the next Member Update.

If you have questions about the member websites, please send an email to: memberwebsites@coachingfederation.org.

Join ICF Austin

Ready to see what membership with ICF can do for your coaching business? Join ICF Austin today!

One last thing before you go! Please take a moment to join our private Facebook group, ICF Austin Members & Affiliates, to get connected with the local coaching community on Facebook: