How Coaching with Cards Transforms Sessions

July 24, 2019June 11, 2026spiritbearcoach

Angel I’ve always been interested in how cards can be used in coaching sessions, some directly and in-directly.

In my personal practice I normally work on a new client about 30 mins before they arrive not necessarily knowing what the problem is yet. One of the first things I do is draw an angel card and I see how this relates to the client’s issue that day, but without telling them about the cards during the session. I’ve been working like this for the last 23 years. I think of it as observational research and the cards always without fail relates to the clients situation in some way. Cards have been a great aid for asking insightful coaching questions that then lead to very creative and resourceful sessions.

Recently for a new client, I drew the angel card of Fun, next I pulled the Trickster from the Native American Path cards, which is also as it happens to be about laughing at the realisation of the crooked path one is on and not to be so serious. The next card I pulled from the Medicine Cards deck was Beaver, which is about working hard and working together. I then let it be to see what opened up during the coaching session.

During the session he mentioned social anxiety (not working together), he was retired and wanted to use his time more effectively but didn’t know what to do with his time, but wanted fun. He also mentioned that he got frustrated with others and gave the example of road rage that he gets. So anger became our first piece of change work that session, as the anger also affected his personal relationship with his partner.

When he left, guess what his personalised car number plate was? Ans: FUN

‘Walk in Peace;

Walk in Beauty’

— Spirit Bear Coaching

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Peace of Mind

February 28, 2019November 14, 2023spiritbearcoach

woman looking at sea while sitting on beach — Whatever disturbs your peace of mind, is not the truth

“Whatever disturbs our peace of mind, whether it appears as anger, fear, depression, frustration, guilt, or regret – all negativities, they all result from the original wounding that we feel has separated us from our essential Self – who we really are – and has left us feeling isolated and disempowered” (Brooks, 2019). Walk in Peace; Walk in Beauty until we meet again…

BIO: Johnathan Brooks MA, PG Dip, MAC is an expert Life/Career Executive Coach with 1,500+ hrs experience, who has trained in a wide range of personal development methods including the “Power Therapies” (CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (postgrad), EFT Emotional Freedom Technique, Master NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming), has a Postgraduate Diploma Degree in ‘Coaching and NLP’ which he passed with a ‘Commendation’, a Master of Arts in ‘Applied Coaching’ and certified Firework Career Coach. He is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Bio Trivia: Johnathan is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. He is a full member of the Association for Coaching (MAC), full member of the European and Mentoring Council (UK) and a professional member of the Association of NLP.

The Stage Before Goal Setting

December 31, 2018June 9, 2019spiritbearcoach

As we enter the period of resolutions and goal setting for 2019, I thought it would be worth mentioning that there is an important first stage before goal setting, which is ‘reflecting’ how 2018 went?

When reflecting we want ask what happened? What was good ie what worked? And what was bad ie what didn’t work? Then list them both. This way we learn from our mistakes. Then we can ask what did we learn from those mistakes? And how would I do it differently in 2019? These then become the basis of our goal setting for 2019.

If you want to go into reflecting more deeply for a full treatment, google Gibb’s Reflection Cycle (Learning by Doing by Graham Gibbs. Oxford Polytechnic, 1988) and also google Johns’ Model of Reflection (2006), which is a set of questions and even perhaps, if you want, combine the models.

I’m not going to go into goal setting as much has been written about the topic already. The only suggestion I would make, is to ask yourself ‘Who would I become if I achieved this goal?’

You can do a future visualisation where you have this goal and ask yourself, “Now that I have this fully and completely, what does it give me, or allow me to experience? What does this allow me to do or be?”

Who you would become unearths your motivation (the why). If your goal is to be rich, who would you become? What would being rich allow you to do? Someone who simply stock piles wealth? Or, would it allow you to start a foundation for some greater good that is meaningful to you. So who you would become is perhaps Generous, an expression of who you really are. Of course we are much more than that, as possibilities are infinite. Approaching goals this way, is what leads us to ultimate fulfilment.

Meanwhile, celebrate your 2018 achievements with a glass of fizz tonight, and start your reflections tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

’til we meet again,

Walk in Beauty;

Walk in Peace.

‘Causing the Miraculous by Spreading Beauty, Truth & Harmony’

BIO: Johnathan Brooks MA, PG Dip, MAC is an expert in Life/Career Executive Coach with 1,500+ hrs experience, who has trained in a wide range of personal development methods including the “Power Therapies” (CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (postgrad), EFT Emotional Freedom Technique, Master NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming), has a Postgraduate Diploma Degree in ‘Coaching and NLP’ which he passed with a ‘Commendation’, a Master of Arts in ‘Applied Coaching’ and certified Firework Career Coach. He is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

He is a full member of the Association for Coaching (MAC), full member of the European and Mentoring Council (UK) and a professional member of the Association of NLP.

A Nice Testimonial Recieved

November 23, 2018November 24, 2018spiritbearcoach

“Johnathan is a highly effective life coach who offers a flexible and tailor made approach to private coaching. He is trustworthy, credible, highly intuitive and totally non judgmental. I used his services recently and found him to be highly effective both as a mentor and peer. I cannot recommend him enough and can assure you that your life will benefit for the better by using his methods and creative ideas to better your life.” ~ Managing Director of a Talent Management company