Episode 26-How Coaching Can Advance Your Career Success and Happiness

In this episode, I speak with Beth Masterman of Masterman Executive Coaching.  Beth is a talented professional with degrees in law, psychology and certifications in coaching.  I met Beth many years ago but reconnected with her more recently through Provisors, a terrific business networking group that she has been active in since 2012 (I just joined in June).   I talk with Beth about what coaching is, how it can help lawyers, how she approaches coaching and how she transitioned from a successful career in PR and government relations. My Own Journey into Coaching Back in 1996 when I was thinking about leaving my non-profit job at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, I wanted to launch a recruiting business.  At the same time, I discovered that a new discipline was growing in popularity, coaching.  As it was explained to me, coaching was a way to achieve higher levels of performance, get past roadblocks that were impeding my success and happiness.  It was also a way to have a sounding board. I decided to work with a coach and eventually hired a more business-oriented coach.  The work I did with these coaches was invaluable as I was becoming an entrepreneur.  I was hooked. It then became clear to me that lawyers could really benefit from this service.  In my effort to try to be a different kind of recruiter, I decided that I would offer both recruiting and coaching services and so I launched Seckler Legal Consulting (which I later renamed Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching). Since that time, I’ve met a very nice community of professionals who like myself, are committed to the success of others.  Beth Masterman is one of those individuals. Beth Masterman Was Recently Named Number One Executive Coach in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Readers Rankings Awards Beth is a certified and credentialed by the International Coach Federation. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from William James College in 2011.  She is also certified to administer and interpret the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and a number of other assessment tools. Beth currently serves as the Vice President of Logistics and Event Management on the Board of the International Coach Federation of New England. She earned a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, a Masters in Psychology from Boston University School of Psychology, and a B.A. from Wesleyan University.  After law school, she  worked as an assistant district attorney and as General Counsel to a state senator. She then transitioned into public relations and government relations advising business owners, senior executives, and board committees. In this role, she also assisted elected officials and candidates for office with various aspects of their campaigns. She worked with her clients on a broad range of leadership areas including: goal setting, project management and implementation. As an executive coach, Beth has an ability to consider possibilities and interpret the big picture.  Her comfort with uncertainty and possibility is a grounding force and the hallmark of her approach during coaching sessions.  And she was recently named the Number One Executive Coach in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Readers Rankings awards. Additional Resources Can Hiring a Coach Enhance Your Practice and Your Life (my article published in the ABA’s GPSolo Magazine).  You can also read the article in the full issue of GPSolo.