Coach Spotlight: ICF Master Certified Coach Cris

This week we are excited to host Spain's first ICF Master Certified Coach, Coach Cris on the BOLDLY Coach Spotlight! Cris thank you for taking time out to join us and letting us learn a little about you as a coach, and a person.

1) To begin with, can you please tell us where you call home and your favourite thing about that place?

I live in Barcelona, Spain, a city where art, technology, sea and mountains come together in a friendly and accessible space. I live and work (Essential Institute) in a house on the edge of the city, in the middle of the forest, with views of the city and the sea, a place of peace and connection.

2) What does your typical weekend look like?

That can depend on whether I am facilitating training, conferences or coaching. If I'm not working, then we love to go out in the motorhome. I also enjoy reading, painting and writing.

3) Is there a quote that you try to live by?

I don't have a special quote, however I love creating aphorisms. What I do is live aligned with my polar star: The Wisdom.

4) What initially sparked your interest in coaching, and how did you start out?

As a teenager they already called me Socrates (an ancient Greek philosopher). Questioning, deepening and awakening awareness is something that has accompanied me my whole life. When coaching emerged as a profession it was a natural progression for me, and now I am a Master Certified Coach.

5) You've been coaching for a long time now. How have you seen coaching culture evolve over this time?

The changes have been remarkable in many aspects and areas. Both coaching institutions and clients, or society in general, have been changing their perception and positioning. Now the market is more mature, often almost saturated, simultaneously with good coaches and unfortunately also a lot of very low-quality coaching that has a negative impact on the market. The coaching industry has grown and is also being increasingly engulfed by capitalism. I think it is time to raise the quality bar, while putting a stop to excessive profit that takes advantage of the coaching "fashion" and generates a pseudo-coaching that harms more than benefits.

6) Can you please describe your coaching style for us?

My entire professional and personal career has been focused on discovering and working with the soul of the human being. From this perspective, I focus on the transformation processes towards consciousness and wisdom. I am the author of Essential Coaching (2004), it is a transpersonal line, with a philosophical-psycho-spiritual approach with meta-focus on wisdom. It is an application of Essentiality, a theoretical framework which emphasizes the evolutionary transformation of the ego to the essential being and is based on five great sources: Psychology, Philosophy, Spirituality, Organizational Development, and Art.

7) Congratulations on being the first Spanish MCC ICF Master Coach! What words of advice would you give other coaches thinking of pursuing a MCC?

As a colleague, trainer, supervisor, and mentor to coaches, I often see coaches in a rush to become an MCC. I always say that it is best not to run - more than something technical/competitive, coaching is an art. It is not possible to accompany further than where oneself has arrived. Being a Master Certified Coach should be the result of an organic process of deep personal growth, passion, contribution and dedication to the profession and to the clients we accompany.

8) You are also an accomplished author of Essential Coaching and Meta- Vision. What can you  tell us about these?

 Meta-Vision, it also an application of Essentiality, in this case to coaching supervision, I define it as "A collaborative space, with a transpersonal-systemic perspective, of loving critical reflection and analysis on the task and being of the leader-coach, also addressing their meta-competences for learning and development of the leader-coach, their client and the neo-client.” Understanding the center of the service as neo-client; Fruit of a systemic, interdependent, ethical vision, more in correspondence with what is real and wise, the neo-client, in addition to including those who receive our service and the stakeholders, goes further, taking into consideration all beings (not only humans) that they co-inhabit our planet, our environment. It implies Ecological Wisdom.

Understanding by meta-competence, states of being, beyond the ego and competencies is also part of Meta-Vision. They represent a higher order from which to do (skills), think (cognitive) or feel (emotional). They are another part of the theoretical framework of Essentiality.

9) What is the favourite coaching moment of your career?

When you see how the new level of awareness of the client effectively impacts generating evolutionary transformation for everyone involved.

10) What would you say to a company, or individual, who is considering getting a coach?

In general, I would say recognize good-seasoned professionals, don't buy messages that sell smoke, short-term benefits and tips that promise to solve problems. Look for prestigious professionals, recognized by the professional group and not because they have more “likes” on the social media.

That it not do more of the same, that it is not a change in order not to change, that it hires it to be a wiser, more conscious, fuller organization or person, that generates not only wealth but also well-being. If it is an organization, and again from our theoretical framework of Essentiality, it would be oriented to be an OMSA (Wisely Agile Butterfly Organization), in line with the higher levels of consciousness of Spiral Dynamics and Ken Wilber's model or organizations Teal of Laloux.

Thank you so much for joining us Coach Cris! It was great meet you, and to learn more about your outlook on life and coaching!

To book a complimentary 30 minute chemistry session with Coach Cris, or to learn more about the services BOLDLY offers, email connect@boldly.app