Frequently Asked Questions
How can you help me?
Suzanne can assist you in the process of creating ― creating: the business you want, the life you want to live, a work of art, a book or to bring that bright idea to life or there may be a nebulous sense that you want to express something but not sure what that is. She can help you move it from darkness and bring it into the light of day. It is a process that brings the creative and logical capacities of our mind together.
Facilitating an new way of thinking – it is through marrying our left and right modes with that of a higher vision that creation happens.
How does it work?
We make an initial appointment which is either via the telephone or in-person to discuss what it is that you’d like to achieve during our relationship. If you decide Suzanne is the right person to work with, you then nominate which package will suit you best. From there, we schedule regular appointments either weekly or fortnightly or monthly depending on your package. Together we decide what you want to work on in each session and you choose how much or how little work you do in between appointments.
Is it all just about goal setting?
No, while Suzanne works with you to set goals, it is only a part of the process. – an important part of the process, though it’s not the only thing we focus on. She is there to help you clarify your direction and your thinking, to know the steps and stages of how to go about creating what you want, to aid you to develop self awareness and self acceptance, and to build your confidence. These are also goals or objectives – they’re just not as tangible as some other goals.
What is your style?
Suzanne’s style is bold but low key. She is encouraging, enthusiastic and motivational in a solid and grounded way.
She works with you to find out what is important to you and helps you work out how you can achieve that. She knows that lasting change takes time and steers away from making promises and empty proclamations. She knows that she’s only ever going to be effective when you’re ready to make changes and is patient about the fact that for some people, that takes time. Having said that, she will challenge you, she will listen and empathise with you but she will also help you understand what gets in your way.
Will it be confronting?
Her aim is to create a space where you feel challenged to go beyond your perceived limitations but also a space where you are completely supported and understood, a space where you can imagine success and fulfilment, a space where your once imagined ideas can become your reality.
How do I choose a mentor or a coach or an advisor?
Until you have worked with a mentor, coach or advisor, you will not know whether you ‘fit’ each other. The most important part of the relationship is that you and your mentor, coach or advisor ‘connect’. The best way to find out if you are suited is to have an introductory session so you can find out whether your styles suit?
Is Suzanne a Mentor or a Coach or an Advisor?
Suzanne has many string to her bow. She is an highly experienced mentor/coach/advisor/facilitator. She has worked with many organisations and many individuals for more than 20 years in various capacities. She uses numerous techniques learned over the years in order to best facilitate your process. Suzanne uses her experiences, she lives what she teaches and you gain from her insights. So giving her one label would limit her to one thing.
I’m not sure if I need mentoring or coaching
Mentoring differs from coaching as much as it is less goal oriented and more the hand of an experienced guide. It is an ongoing relationship that develops and deepens over time. Coaching is very much about you leading the way, though mentoring and coaching can cross over each other at times. It is best to have an introductory session to determine your needs and how we may best work together.
Does Suzanne work just with Individuals or just with Businesses?
She is highly experienced with both. Suzanne is a qualified trainer and has facilitated numerous programs for multinational corporations, she also trained in psychotherapy and various other modalities enabling her to work highly effectively with many individuals. Simply, she works with both.
Does working with Suzanne mean I will be an Artist?
Being an Artist is not the objective of the Art of Creative Living, with the one exception – if your intention was to be an artist. She works to unlock creativity or creative thinking, aids you to live creatively your life or your business or some endeavour and then helps you take practical steps to see your intention come to fruition.
How soon can I see Suzanne?
Suzanne tends to keeps her practice small and specialised. She aims to keep an appointment free every week so that she can see you as soon as possible. Please let her know if it’s urgent and she will do her best to accommodate your need.
Do you work elsewhere other than Sydney?
Suzanne base is Sydney, though she works worldwide. She offer a telephone service for those not living in Sydney. She also offers program facilitation and delivery worldwide. Speak to her if you would like one of her programs delivered in your area.
I’m not sure about telephone session. Is it really as effective as face to face session?
It’s surprising how effective telephone sessions can be. In some cases, it can actually a better model. It’s time efficient – you don’t have to travel or park and it’s very personal and interestingly, because you are really focused on listening, the conversations generally cut to the core of issues pretty quickly. If you’re in doubt, give an introductory session a try.
Is it expensive?
Mentoring and coaching can be considered reasonably expensive. When you compare our costs to other top coaching organisations, you may be pleasantly surprised. When you take into account the impact of not achieving your goals, not having a plan for the future or staying in a career you are not suited to, or the impact of remaining unfulfilled coaching might become a necessity, not a luxury.
We provide exceptional service and aim to keep prices realistic. Talk to us about a package that will best suit your budget and we have payment plans in place so that you can pay in instalments.
How long do people generally continue working with Suzanne?
That varies greatly depending on what you are trying to achieve. It takes time for real change to occur, it is a process but generally between three to six months is a realistic timeframe, however for deeper transformation a longer term approach is usually opted for. Some clients continue indefinitely, making a regular monthly or six weekly appointment.
However, we respect that it is your individual choice and each client will differ. We work in with your personal requirements. It’s also worth remembering that even after completing a program, things continue to change, life goes on, new projects come to hand, new ideas, new obstacles new objectives. You are always welcome to come back at any time for top ups.
What can I expect of the process?
The coaching process is solution (rather than problem) focused which means we won’t spend lots of time trying to make sense of why things are the way they are, the focus will be on ‘what can we do about it’. You will not be advised to act in a certain way, the choice is always yours, but you will be asked questions that encourage you to think differently and to open up new opportunities. investigate with you when you are stuck and keep you accountable for doing the things you say you want to do.
Many coaching relationships span over a 3-6 month time frame, and could be one of or a combination of the following:
Phone Coaching – sessions over the telephone
Face to Face Coaching – sessions face to face with your coach
Email Coaching – an ongoing coaching conversation via email
One on One Coaching – individual coaching
Group Coaching – more than one person in a session
Session times can range from, 30 mins, 45 mins, 1 hour, 1.5 hrs, 2 hrs, 3 hrs, half day and full day. Frequencies of session can range between, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly. Coaching program is designed for the individual needs of each person or group and the agreed outcomes of the relationship.
The mentoring process on the other hand is learning based, and its aim is growth and expansion. Mentoring is in a way skills transfer, learning from someone’s experience, it is highly interactive for instance it will help you pull apart a challenge, look at it from different angles, extract learnings from it, and then to make strategies to move forward in a similar way to coaching.
In both mentoring and coaching situation Suzanne provide a supportive and non-judgemental space for you to discuss whatever is important to you. Both are positive, validating, supportive experiences. You’ll leave feeling confident of your ability to succeed in achieving your objectives and also believing in yourself.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions
