Lois Raats MEd CCC BCC
Q. Who are you and why are you writing this blog?
A. Well, that’s easy.
1. Because I love helping people move forward in business and in life.
2. Because Entrepreneurism matters. It is critical to the future and the health of the planet. I figure I’m helping talented and creative people to offer their gifts to the world so that everyone benefits. If people get rich and find the life of their dreams in the process—that’s great. In my view, money is just one by-product of entrepreneurism.
3. Besides, it’s just plain fun. I get to interact with the most passionate, interesting, self-directed, creative, and enjoyable people on the planet. What’s not to like?
Q. How did you get into coaching?
A. I’m one of those creative sorts of people who follows intuition and opportunity, then figures out what happened later.
After receiving a Masters’ degree, I worked as a career counselor for a few years. I studied couple and family counseling in order to be even more helpful to my clients. Then I counseled for many years in two community-based agencies, three employee assistance programs, and my own private practice. Through this work, I encountered every conceivable problem situation you could imagine. I worked with people at all income levels, ages, and backgrounds. I worked with people in every industry, including manufacturing, retail, high-tech, government, non-profit, banking, finance, and insurance.
About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to influence decision-makers at a higher level, to create better workplaces for everyone. So I studied business coaching and organization development and started to help employees, managers, and business owners improve their work environments. For a couple years I did this with a business partner. Most recently, I took the part of the business that I loved the best – working with entrepreneurs – and launched Ready2Grow Associates.
Q. What do the letters after your name mean?
A. These letters tell the story of my training. First I got my Master of Education degree (MEd), specializing in Adult Education and Counseling, from the University of Toronto.
Over time, I obtained the Canadian Counselor Certification (CCC) designation through the Canadian Counseling Association. In order to maintain these credentials, I constantly update my counseling skills. To understand more about what this accreditation means, visit http://www.ccacc.ca/Accreditation.html.
As I was transitioning from counseling to coaching, I obtained my Business Coach Certificate (BCC) through the Therapist Coach Institute. This institute is no longer in existence, but the original program that informed it is going strong at http://www.b-coach.com.
I have taken hundreds of seminars, workshops and courses over the year in a wide variety of disciplines. I am always learning new things in order to be able to help my clients in the way that best suits them and their situation.
Q. How do I know I can trust you?
A. I’ve tried to make it easy for people to get to know me in a variety of ways. You can become part of the Ready2Grow community at your own pace. Here are some ideas to get started:
• Download some of our Free Resources http://www.ready2grow.com
• Subscribe to our regular e-newsletter.
• Drop Lois an email and arrange a free initial consultation by phone or over coffee.
• Participate in one of our regular teleseminars.
Ready2Grow 