Happy New Year to all my clients, colleagues, and friends! I hope you are all well, safe, growing, and learning. For my coaching work, 2023 was a year of fascinating and rich learning, exploring, and community.

My main focus in 2023 was on Enneagram certification, which I will complete in May 2024. It has been a nearly two-year process through The Narrative Enneagram (https://www.narrativeenneagram.org/), an outstanding organization that teaches coaches, therapists, spiritual directors, and others how to use the Enneagram with clients. Their approach is wise and compassionate and aimed at helping us all live with more kindness and understanding.

As part of the certification process, I did a six-month practicum in 2023 to learn how to do typing interviews (helping people identify their Enneagram type). That was great fun. The many people who volunteered to let me practice on them were very open, friendly, helpful, and appreciative of the insights that the Enneagram offers.

In the next few weeks I will be offering a special rate for additional clients to help me with the final practicum, so be on the lookout for that if you are interested!

Throughout the year, I also continued to coach clients in various life situations and struggles. In the fall I provided two days of volunteer coaching at the Mindful Leader Summit, where New Ventures West offered free 30-minute sessions to attendees. That was a lot of fun as well.

I’m always looking for ways to help groups and communities, so one of the projects I launched this year was an adult class in my faith community that is aimed at teaching life skills that help us cope with the very stressful, complicated state of our world today. These include the fundamentals of emotional intelligence: recognizing, feeling, and managing our emotions; recognizing and loosening our narratives; somatic awareness; playfulness; curiosity; releasing our feelings of victimhood; and taking full responsibility for our responses and actions.

I continue to offer some pro bono coaching and sliding scale coaching, as a service to the community. And continuing education is one of the fun things about being a coach: I get to keep learning constantly through courses, conferences, and books. Favorite book this year: A Liberated Mind; How to Pivot Toward What Matters, by Steven C. Hayes. It’s a summary of his extensive research on the best evidence-based methods of therapy and coaching, culminating in a very accessible outline of how to develop psychological flexibility, embrace our vulnerability, and live more meaningful lives.

There are many difficult and alarming things happening in the world these days. Kindness, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, courage, and a sense of community will help us all pull together and do what needs to be done. Coaching can help. Please feel free to contact me if you or someone you know would like help with understanding and navigating any challenges you are facing!

Just for fun: a picture from my latest aikido test last spring (2^nd kyu, equivalent to brown belt). Aikido continues to challenge my mind and body and willingness to be baffled!

Best wishes to all for a safe, healthy, kind, brave, and resourceful year!

Susan

Riggs Integral Coaching

susan@riggsintegralcoaching.org

https://riggsintegralcoaching.org

703-472-0670