How Coaching Can Help You to Follow the Yellow Brick Road!

Are you still missing home? 

Is it because you have just changed jobs, moved countries, feel isolated, or need to make difficult decisions? You might have a feeling that you want to go ‘home‘, whatever that means to you. You are seeking a safe, familiar place and a journey to find that place is calling out to you.

I always describe coaching as a journey where I partner with you on a creative, thought-provoking personal trip and a story that sums this up for me is the Wizard Of Oz. So grab your ruby slippers, and I’ll show you how Dorothy and Toto can help you follow the Yellow Brick Road to where you want to be. 

Why the Wizard of Oz?

It’s a firm favourite of mine. I often watched it at Christmas, and since then, Christmas and the Wizard of Oz have become connected. After long trips away from home, I usually find myself relaxing on the sofa and think, “there’s no place like home.“

When a tornado sweeps through Kansas, Dorothy (Judy Garland ) and her dog Toto are swept away and carried away to the magical land of Oz. Totally confused and desperate to get home, Dorothy encounters several characters along the way.

She meets two essential companions, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, searching for the Wonderful Wizard, and then they bump into a cowardly lion. Lions are supposed to be The King of the Beasts, but Lion believes that his fear makes him inadequate. He has yet to realise that courage means acting in the face of fear. 

The lion is, in fact, courageous, but he doubts himself and doesn’t believe in himself. In many scenes, he shows bravery in the face of danger. 

I have on many occasions not recognised my acts of bravery or permitted myself to feel great about them all too often. It could be said these are universal traits that most of us have had at one time or another. Questioning ourselves with “will I be brave in the face of adversity?”

Does that sound familiar to you? 

All the characters question their abilities.

A similar thing happens to the scarecrow who thinks he wants a brain when he is the most intelligent character. He questioned himself, “will I be smart enough to last the course?”

Then there is the tin man who wants a heart BUT cries when he does something mean or not nice. He questioned himself, asking, “will my actions have heart and meaning?”

At the start of their journey Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the cowardly Lion didn’t believe they had enough of what they thought they needed in life. 

Then at the end of their adventures, after they were forced to use the resources they already had, the great wizard rewarded them with everything they had been searching for. 

I am not sure if they eventually understood that they had what they wanted all along. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t believe they already had these qualities.

This is the journey we will go on through coaching. It is showing you how you have what you need and helping you to use your resources.

Dorothy and her friends meet a coach.

Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion don’t go through this journey of self-discovery on their own. They meet Glinda, a good witch. I believe Glinda was my first encounter with a coach. 

She is always there when needed the most, but more importantly, she doesn’t offer advice. She neither uses magic very often nor physically does much for Dorothy, even though she had a magic wand.

In one of Dorothy’s most significant moments of despair, Glinda magically appears. She then lets her know that “she has always had the power to go home.”

The scarecrow is quite astonished and then asks, “Why didn’t you tell her that before?”

Glinda answers,

“Because she wouldn’t have believed me, she had to learn it for herself.”

At the end of the film, Glinda eventually tells Dorothy that by tapping her ruby slippers and repeating “There is no place like home”, she can return to Kansas and wake up from a dream that has taught her so many lifelong lessons.

She only helps Dorothy after she had learnt for herself most of what she needed to know.

This is an essential element in most coaching sessions. Asking you what have you learnt about yourself within the sessions is a crucial element.

I certainly needed a good witch several times in my life, significantly whilst raising three children in a foreign country and going through a break up of a 25-year relationship.

What we can learn from Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion?

I believe in the power of authentically expressing yourself even if you don’t think you can. That comes from the heart and has everything to do with your personality, intelligence, compassion and courage. No one else can tell your stories like you or your challenges. 

Bringing clarity to the creativity of others is a skill that I acquired after struggling with myself-expression. I had kept quiet when I knew I was right, and ended up doubting myself or when I sensed I deserved more. 

But it was through this nature of silence that I learned to listen. A skill that all great coaches need to have. Understanding what you say and how you say it allows me to extract the essence and make you aware of any existing dilemmas or what might be holding you back. 

Watching women tap into their inner voice and showcase their superpowers lights me up inside. The world needs more unapologetic female leaders who show up, speak out, and stand out to make a difference with their skills and services.

Just as the characters in The Wizard Of Oz are encouraged to “follow the yellow brick road”, coaching is a journey to get to know yourself, believe in your potential, know what you desire and how you can reach a destination. Come on a coaching journey and explore your life, your choices and develop personally.

I especially help quiet women like you speak up, uncover and own their voices and find their unique and powerful messages with coaching. I know how well you can communicate — and I can’t wait to show you how to unlock that