Coffee, the ingredient that keeps many an entrepreneur going. Whether during a meeting, an acquisition conversation ("shall we discuss that over a cup of coffee.") or just to get through that last hour of typing on the laptop. Coffee is key. So is good coaching. For this interview, I spoke with Maaike, a business coach. Why her recipe or "Coffee and Coaching" are a top combo, you can read in this interview.
It all starts with a latte
'Coffee and Coaching,' a clearer message you could hardly send with your company name. So I don't have to ask what it means. I do, however, where the idea for the name came from. "The name came up during a walk with a friend who wanted to be coached and I invited her for a cup of coffee on the beach," Maaike explains. "I was immediately excited. Because it expresses that it is approachable, practical, down to earth, over a cup of coffee a good conversation. It can be that simple."
Getting over imposer syndrome with coaching
But who is Maaike? In 2009, she started as a self-employed person under the name "Coffee and Coaching. As easygoing as this name sounds, the start of her business was preceded by a lot. After years of procrastinating and pleading, Maaike completely changed course. She began to train herself. She set development goals that influenced her behavior. She also got rid of her 'imposter syndrome', also known as the feeling of constantly falling through the basket. A feeling you may recognize. And yes, it's the worst feeling. Fortunately, Maaike proves that it is curable, because look where she is now. "Those experiences combined with many trainings and personal development led me to start for myself. Scary at first, but it's the best decision I ever made!" And lo and behold, her business has been up and running for nearly a decade.
"I always took everything and everyone into account, but at the expense of myself."
Every coach often has a preference for a particular target group she likes to coach. Which "coffee" is Maaike's favorite? "I coach smart, sensitive people who get stuck in procrastination, underachievement and pleasing. Underneath is often perfectionism, self-criticism, insecurity, low self-esteem. I mainly focus on the patterns: how does the pattern run and where is there room to break the pattern." Sounds a bit like Maaike used to... "True, I always took everything and everyone into account, but at the expense of myself. For a long time I thought I was stupid."
When you create a target audience for your business, YOU are often the ideal customer yourself. So is Maaike. Why does precisely this group of people appeal to her so much? "Primarily because I think it's a shame that people can't value themselves. Not daring to value themselves. That they cannot or dare not show the potential in themselves. Sin that they stay in the same patterns for years, when those patterns really are breakable."
Coaching sessions for procrastinators and pleasers
We now know who Maaike is and how her business came to be. Still, I'm actually curious what her days look like. "I have an average of 3 to 5 sessions a day. 4 days a week, so I also have time and space to do my administration, blog, prepare trainings. And keep up my social life." An entrepreneur who understands 'work smarter, not harder'. "Without my friends and without inspiration and depth on a personal level, I would still be happy professionally but feel empty," Maaike continues. "So I make sure I give enough attention to my 'own stuff' as well."
Something I fully support. Taking time for yourself is súper important as an entrepreneur. It keeps your mindset on point. How does Maaike fill in her free time? "I can Netflix for hours, but I can also work quietly in between. I hike regularly, occasionally read an interesting book (often work-related), go cycling with my boyfriend or have drinks with family on Friday afternoons. I like sociability." Besides alternating relaxation with activity, Maaike also likes to try something new. For example, she took a theater course. "I make sure I do things I feel comfortable with. Trying something new again. I notice that I bring that flow into my work. I enjoy it."
And that flow is there! "I want to teach as many people as possible that they can really break patterns of thinking and doing. I want to encourage them to reach their 'true' potential." Maaike offers a variety of trainings to do this:
- From Procrastinating to DOING: Training to Procrastinators.
- From adapting to showing yourself: Setting boundaries with pleasers.
- Voice dialogue: Training to other coaches and facilitators.
Maaike's preference for the gifted
In her work as a coach, she focuses specifically on the gifted. What is the reason for this? "I love the speed, the pace, the sensitivity and the intensity. I get very happy with the energy they have, the rapid pace of thinking and the quarters that fall: those quarters actually arrive somewhere. It shifts gears very nicely; where you normally need a lot of words, with the gifted it's 'understood' in no time."
But then what I wonder, is there anything (coffee) wrong by any chance? "Haha, that they can be nice and stubborn? Stubborn, headstrong, but at the same time those are very nice traits (advantages) I think. If I didn't have those traits myself, I wouldn't achieve so much."
Can anyone be a coach?
Not saying it's true but I've been hearing bad stories about coaches lately. People think anyone can be one these days. What does Maaike think about this? "Oh well... So I'm not so concerned with that. I've come a long way to be where I am today. I'm glad I'm doing this work and being successful at it. Neither was there on Day 1."
"I want to really connect, really be involved."
Well, I like to throw some oil on the fire, because how does she stand out? "I happened to get that question this week. Would be nice if I had a ready-made answer, but there isn't really one. Above all, I think I stand firm in who I am and what I have to offer. I focus on breaking patterns, that's what I'm good at. I hear, see and feel and I take that into my conversations. Interaction and the click are very important to me. I want real contact, real involvement." Why: "I work with gifted people who have gotten used to 'getting away with something'. I was one of those myself. On a subconscious level, they just pick up on that. I involve the subconscious in everything anyway. Maybe that sets me apart the most. I know how to get subconscious processes into consciousness." And there's your ready-made answer!
Maaike is both an expert by experience and an expert in the topics she coaches on. She understands what someone comes in with. That is her strength. And her added value. "I think that's also what I get back the most: 'I don't have to explain everything to you in detail'. I start from the situation as it is now, and where someone wants to grow to. The past I respectfully leave the past." Wise words. I know who to call for a cup of coffee.
