A Fireside Chat with Dr. Patrick Williams

Take an 'Inventure'

In March 2007, I took an eighteen-day personal odyssey with nine men into the deep bush of Tanzania. This journey was an opportunity to be “unplugged” from my normal routine of work and personal life, as well as a learning experience about two tribal societies who represent ancient ways of living with the Earth. Our tour, called Back to the Rhythm: Claiming Your Place at the Fire, was led by Richard Leider, with assistance in Africa from David (Daudi) Peterson of Dorobo Tours. Leider and Peterson have worked together for the past two decades taking men and women on inventures, a safari experience during which they encourage purposeful reflection on the changes and experiences within the inner being of each person on the journey.

Need a Life Purpose Check-Up?

I was a life coach disguised as a therapist.

What I mean is, when I was a practicing therapist, my methods and style of working with clients, were very coach-like…even before I understood what life coaching was all about.

As soon as appropriate, my method was to move the client toward thinking about their future goals and their life purpose.  I was eager to hear clients articulate, what ‘floated their boat’.

In the moments when a client would describe their design for a wonderful life, I could see them resonating with idea of possibility and desire for change.  I could feel the positive shift we made together.

My ‘method’ of therapy aligned perfectly with my personal values. As I developed my style of coaching, I joyfully closed my doors as a therapist and became a full time professional life coach.

My good friend, Richard Leider has said many times, “No matter what age you are or which stage of life you are in, when your life purpose is aligned with your passion and your values, you have found your calling.”

I like to add to Richards’s formula to say, “no matter where you are in your life, it is a good idea to make sure your life and life purpose are aligned properly.”

Like the tires on your car or scheduling an annual physical, make time for a Life Purpose Check-Up. One way to stay ‘in-check’ is to work with a coach.

ILCT, offers a Free Coach Referral Service. This service assists individuals in identifying and selecting coaches best suited for your particular situation. The coaches in our system have completed a minimum of 60 hours of coach training, offer expertise in a variety of areas, and are able to take on new clients immediately.

Today, as I consider myself an ‘Elder’ for the Life Coaching Community, I know my life purpose is Life Coaching. Life Coaching ‘floats my boat’.  It gets me out of bed everyday (at 4am!) and it is my passion to find innovative ways to share my gift as a coach, with as many people in my lifetime.

Live Enthusiastically And Purposefully

Happy LEAP Year!

With our extra day...

How did you spend your additional 24 hours?

Better yet, how can you use this year to make a LEAP for yourself?

What would you really like to accomplish, improve, or change if you LEAP?

I love that the field of coaching has become a profession available to assist people in leaping forward into optimal living. In business and in life, the coach is there to applaud and support the client as they jump into their desired future. Nevertheless, coaching is also a profession that calls coaches to continually be learning and evolving in their own personal and professional development.

What big goal or intention could you LEAP ahead with?
What support do you need?
Are you working with a coach?

One LEAP that ILCT is making this year is to shift and expand some of our training into the corporate and leadership niche.  At ILCT, we are assisting our developing leaders how to use coaching and how to create a coaching culture in the workplace. This is an exciting move for the Institute.

Leaders are already "leapers" and risk takers; but with coaching, they will improve the quality of each "leap," and make sure it is done with forethought, planning, and support.

Thomas J. Leonard Coached Me To Go With The Obvious

I came to the coaching phenomenon after being a psychologist and executive coach since 1990. I had a private clinical practice since 1980 and added coaching to the mix for a training firm in Ft. Collins, Colorado in 1990 called, The People Business. I coached top-level executives from Hewlett Packard, Kodak, IBM and others about 10 hours a week. In 1996, I saw Thomas Leonard on TV and read an article in Newsweek. I was burned out as a private psychologist, in the throes of medical management chaos and knew right then, a shift to a career as a coach, was for me!

Within a month,

• I signed up for Coach U, bought my first computer,
• hired my 2nd coach ( My first coach lived on her boat in the Virgin Islands in 1995)
• and I was looking for a new way to use my talents.

By March of 1997…

• I was a full time coach and trainer with Coach U.
• Moved into my new house in Palm Coast, Florida.
• Closed my psychology practice and was going full time into coaching.

Sandy Vilas, President and Owner of Coach U was at my house the day I moved in. We were going to a coach seminar in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida together.

Thomas Leonard was making some audio tapes to sell, called Laser Coaching and I was selected for a coaching session with him. I distinctly remember doing the interview in my empty house and the acoustics were very surreal….like being in a studio.

I told Thomas