the Coaching Studio – Season 1 | episode 11 – Guest Ben Koh, MCC

Lyssa deHart

Hi, Lyssa deHart here, thank you for being here on the Coaching Studio today. I am very excited to introduce my guest today. Ben Koh.

Ben is a MCC, Master Certified Coach, with the ICF and he is a person who believes very deeply that there is no greater reward than seeing people realize their potential and live fuller lives. He is firmly committed to advancing the art, science, and practice of professional coaching and helping many others become certified coaches.

There are several things that are, I think important to know about Ben. Ben has a coaching school, he’s the founder of the Coaching Masters Academy, he’s also incredibly cross-culturally competent, having worked in more than 18 different countries with multitudes of people. He has more than really 17 years of experience in the field of people development, and he is just really having fun out there on a global platform.

Ben thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate your willingness to play.

Ben Koh

Thank you Lyssa, thank you so very much to have me into your podcast.

Lyssa deHart

Well, you are very welcome to be here. So, you know a little bit about the fact that I’m going to start off with this question because I’m always so fascinated like what brings people into the coaching space and hooks them? So I’m really curious like how did you end up in coaching?

Ben Koh

Well, I, Lyssa to be very frank with you, I really started off in the wrong foot thing maybe because like many, some of the, you know, some, there will be some people out there were just crazy about getting a certification or credential. Let me be very honest, that’s basically my primary motive when I first started way back. I think around, you know, doing, I think during that time is between 2006.

Where even during those times they toss around it is, more certification into, you know what I mean? So that was that period of time where people are just so excited about just getting, you know, training and certifying the various forms. So that’s how I started. And mainly because, you know part of that, I always believed that I’m a quick. Because you know, coach as in overt form.

There’s something that you do to help people to do things better, to improve things better. That was what I’ve been doing uh you know at the leadership development level. And I thought, I thought that I was, I was just coaching people, but then it was then that ICF, I get to kind of hear that that is a cred um um a regulator body. That’s kind of like governs this whole business of coaching. And this was, well then maybe I’ll just get certified. And you know, be properly recognized as a professional coach.

And at that time, I was, I was living in Kazakhstan, and um you know technology like coaching and stuff like that wasn’t really available. And the only options for me to uh you know, to complete the learning, it’s via an online platform. And so happily, you know, I just get it done. I need to confess that at that point in time, my primary motive is just to get it done and just move on, right? But it was only, somewhere around 2010 that I started to become more serious about what professional coaching is. Not because I never believe that coaching can bring change. but I never see it personally within my own experience that it can impact such a multitude of people.

To give a good background around that, you know, I was, because was in Kazakhstan that period of time and then it was incidentally on one summer day, you know, as I was returning back from jogging. And passed by a school and usually, you know, a typical scene that you expect to see students hanging outside the school and kind of like, you know, talking and you know, cheering up and stuff like that. But on that particular day, as I was coming back, something struck me, you know, it’s like a lightning strikes me. And I felt so much fury and anger inside of me. That I feel like going to the boys and grab them by the neck and just pull them out and just wake up, wake up. Why do you need to behave like a loser?

You see. Now to understand that, you know, we, we need to have, I need to share a little bit about the background about how the educational contour looks like in Kazakhstan. Now, as we all know during the time, Kazakhstan is part of the former Soviet Union of USSR. And you know, they gain their independence way back during that time. And the country was on the verge of developing, you know what I mean? And yet we saw this group of students, kinda like, you know, was pretty hard, you know, filling laws that wasn’t really, you know, excited about the future.

And you need to also understand that I came from, I was born in Singapore and living in Kazakhstan. And when I saw that, it just reminds me of Singapore, as you can see, Singapore is just a little island, and we’re very thankful for our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kwan Yew, who who believe that, you know, yes, we have nothing, you know, literally, we don’t produce gas, we don’t produce oil, we don’t grow anything with just a little island, right? And then, and then, you know, we get, you know, like, you know, he, he wanted so much to join together with Malaysia but Malaysia and say, oh come on, out you go? But we were left with nothing. But yet he firmly believes that, you know, even though we may not have all the natural resources. But we have the most precious one in the planet and that’s human beings.

 And he says that if we can invest in educations, we can invest in our people, we can make it. And I think that’s the history of Singapore that we really make it to you know to the world stage. Because of you know of education and investing in people. And that, at that moment where I was standing there among the boys. That reminded me a lot, as in, hey you know you can do something about this. It’s up to you to believe it. Uh Incidentally what happens at that time, you need to find a little that was very interesting about the educational system in Kazakhstan now in the educational system.

The government is so generous to be able to employ one psychology in every school, every college, every university. Imagine that every school has one psychology. And you might be interesting to find out that what’s the JD (job description) of this psychology. Now, this is what they do every day. They run psychometric assessments, on the kids, so that they can tell them what is wrong with them.

Lyssa deHart

Nice. Um And and how does, wow, you know, so a couple of things that are really showing up as you say that, wow way to demotivate a kid. Yeah amazing.

Ben Koh

That was what strikes me, if that is what the government is prepared to invest, of having a psychology in a school, college, and university. So that they can run psychometrics and let them know this is what is not right with you. One thing that strikes me was wow, what an opportunity, what an opportunity, whereby you can have one live Coach in every school, every college, in every university. Telling the students what is right about them.

Lyssa deHart

You know, I was just gonna say Ben, you know, I really loved this. Well, A, the transparency. I mean I think a lot of people come into coaching and they’re like, I want this certification, you know, and it’s like, it’s all about getting this piece of paper. And I really love this evolution that you describe of really moving into the recognition of the power of human potential. And this story really illustrates it also just the passion for these kids. So that they discover what’s right about them, that they can then leverage what’s right about them so that they can create something meaningful. Wow. Yeah.

Ben Koh

Precisely.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah.

Ben Koh

It’s okay.

Lyssa deHart

Go ahead. I’m sorry, say that again.

Ben Koh

So that’s where what struck strikes me at that time. So you know, all we need to do is simply upgrade or retrain or at least at that point in time. That’s where I became more serious. And said in a sense that, hey, let me just confess that it started off with just a business opportunity to say, wow, that’s a business market for you to step in, right?

Lyssa deHart

It is and…

Ben Koh

You just have to search the way of thinking. And then I was thinking, wow, this is a very good opportunity for me to introduce positive psychology to this very new country. I mean who has heard about Kazakhstan and way back in 2010? You know, that was when they have not entered into the world stage with the Olympics and nobody actually knows about these countries in Central Asia. Right?

So I said, wow, there’s such a strategic time, in a strategic place, and I say, wow, okay, simple, what do we need? We just need to have an academy. That produce or train, or up skills or whatever you name that. You know, teachers or psychologists, into life coaches. You know, and after all it’s just skills that we’re imparting to them and not so much of getting them to be a life coach, but you know, using life coaching skills to go about working with their students.

And voila and that’s what happens where, you know, um you know, get me involved in starting a school, for that reason. And so we started a school by a town, called, I’m a Life Coach Academy with the purpose of the vision that change is possible. And coaching is a tool, a platform, a way in which we can achieve that, you see. So that was where it gets started with the whole idea of um you know, coaching, and when that’s where I get a little more into trying to inspire change. Rather than just doing what I thought I used to be doing to coach people as a verb form.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah.

Ben Koh

I began to see that as a coaching not just as something I do as a verb form, but coaching as a mission, something to achieve, you know, for people.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, No and I really appreciate that distinction also. You know, it isn’t you’re not “doing” coaching to people, you’re really being present as a coach in that space of curiosity and possibility with people.

Ben Koh

Yeah.

Lyssa deHart

A really big difference.

Ben Koh

So that’s where I began to really appreciate, you know, the whole concept of coaching as a mission and as a leader of change. And so what do I want to, you know, be in this space of seeing humans advancement. And I think during that time the changes were rather drastic. As in, I see people in terms of development, leadership development, to develop people. And then as I started to work, you know as we started the school of I’m a Life Coach Academy and then kind of started to produce cultures or to train teachers and educators.

I begin to see that it’s not about just people’s development, it’s about helping people to embrace a way of a new being. You know, more than just develop their skills and capacity. But helping another human being to fully step into what they can create for themselves. And I think that’s where the beginning part of this whole entire new journey, and of course, you know, and then, not of course, but then things turned around whereby way back in 2012, you know, my family decided to relocate back to Singapore. And that’s where I was kind of being catapulted out of this little nice, you know, you know, countries where but nobody knows about coaching and then put into, you know, back in Singapore where people knows about coaching, to a large extent. Because you know, it’s well connected to the global stage.

And then that’s where I get to, wow, what happens in that two-year period was, we incorporated, we managed to get into universities to work with the student leaders. Because I think during that stage of time I have identified that I think the young adults are much more ready to step into the space of um uh change because they are the transition between their universities and that they are working career life. So we were very actively involved in doing the people development program. Coupled that with group coaching, individual coaching as a program for the university. To enhance student leadership. It was in that two-year space that I see how, you know, hundreds of students, you know, kind of coming into the program, feeling unsure and doubting with a lot of issues and stuff like that. And walking out of the program, feeling excited about themselves. Being able to see a future for themselves.

And, and the change was so because I know the students as we, we taught them the personal development, life skills and then we coach them and work with them, you know, at that level. So it was after that I began to say, wow, there must be something about this whole thing that we’re doing that creates.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah.

Ben Koh

Because I know them personally, it’s not just one client at a time, like a class of people, 30, 40 batches of the batches that I decided that well maybe this is, uh maybe this is what I’m going to do. You know, more seriously?

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, and, and it really that evolution into that “the being” of the coach versus “the doing” of the coaching.

Ben Koh

Precisely.

Lyssa deHart

And I mean I’m really interested also, like in your, I really hear the passion around working with the students and really leveraging human potential that showed up for you and enthused your coaching, right? I really can hear that in your voice as you’re talking. What do you see as the thing that you had to really explore within yourself, so that, you could show up in such a way with people for their potential?

Ben Koh

I think to that whole entire journey, as I recall back, you know… As, as after I left, after we arrive back to Singapore, we started Coach Masters Academy and continue the good work and be able to expand right now today to seven different continents with thousands of residents every year. In the whole entire journey. I see myself growing as an individual because, number one, I do believe that, you know, the growth of your impact is proportionate to your growth of your individual. And over, the over those, over the 7-8 years of, you know, building up the academy, there’s a couple of things that I feel that is really key.

Number one, the approach that you embrace, well there’s a lot of things that you can do in terms of coaching. But I guess I come to a point to realize that if I truly want to bring about a change, as in, not as to replace something or to put something in place, but to be able to embody something new. Then the approach, that the approach that you use, it’s going to be a critical part of that process. And that’s where I felt that one of the key pillars here is constantly learning about the signs of change.

Well, I’m not talking about just the science of coaching, but because coaching is all about bringing that positive change. And you need tools, you need processes, you need, you know, unique concepts, you need some understanding of what the process is. If not otherwise, how can you call yourself an expert of the processes? Because you learn some techniques, I mean techniques are good, but in the scheme of impact, techniques is like our skin, the outer layer.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah.

Ben Koh

Right. It’s just a form of it and it’s so easy to learn techniques and tools.

Lyssa deHart

Without that under, underlying understanding of what motivates and how the technique is useful. It’s just a technique versus what you’re talking about.

Ben Koh

Precisely. You will be stuck. You will be stuck in just doing the form. And not understanding the essence, right? And so we need to understand like for example, the understanding of human nature is going to be a big bonus for you because ultimately you need to reckon that you’re working with people. You’re not working with machines. Right.

So if you can understand empirically or you continue to devote yourself to the learning of how humans think, how humans respond. What is inner, with those deep understanding, you know, I’m not saying that you need to be a psychology or psychology student or your own that thing. but I’m talking about giving yourself that, that opportunity to learn something outside coaching.

The understanding of human nature is complementary. You know, to how you’re going to be able to create a process of change. So be diligent to learn and deepen your conceptual understanding on the science of change. Becomes one of the hallmarks, I think of becoming a masterful coach eventually.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, I really, I really want to amplify that that that understanding of what it takes to change. The capacity for change is so elemental to being able to sit in curiosity with another person. You know, one of the things that there’s a couple of thoughts that are coming up as we’re talking. Um But one of them is really the sense of um it’s that self-reflective piece also because I don’t I do have a background in, you know, in psychology, psychology.

I was a Clinical Social worker for many years and I’ll tell you one of the ways that I learned many of the human developmental stages was, I was self-reflective. Like, oh look, this is what people do because look at what I’m doing right, like or uh that reminds me of my dad and that’s my mom and that’s my, you know, friend and whoever.

And I think that that there’s this self-reflective piece also like I think is you’re talking one of the things I really, I really see is if we aren’t authentic with ourselves. If we don’t start to understand what motivates us, what our biases are, what where we drive towards, whether we drive, you know, what we push away from. It’s gonna it’s going to limit our capacity to be curious with other people, about those things that show up for them. Those things may be different for them. But if we haven’t done our work, how do we show up with other people to do theirs?

Ben Koh

It’s basically, I absolutely agree back to you if we don’t work with ourselves. Yeah, because it’s from the spring of life that is from within you. That you’re able to offer that to your client, right? So, so we are that compliment, call it mirror effect. Do you know what I mean? Our message. Um, and human being is we’re working with a human being, not a machine and people can connect to you, people even though you know, they may not know coaching. To a large extent your client can, I can see you, as a human being too, right? And I think the greatest impact here is where the painter becomes the painting itself.

Lyssa deHart

I love that metaphor Ben. The painter becomes the painting itself.

Ben Koh

Yeah. When the two become one and that’s where the audience can say, wow I see the painter, you know the artist behind this painting and what he is thinking about. You know, people can read, you know what the painting is. And that’s where it becomes artwork. Not just another decoration that you put on the wall. Right?

Lyssa deHart

Not just a certificate.

Ben Koh

Yes, It’s not just the certificate. But it begins that for me like wow, you know, things just, you know, things “that color with you” and you find purpose in whatever that you do. And then that purpose actually propels you to be, to be that kind of person because you really want to give all the best for them. And they kind of like, you know, kind of reciprocate back to you. And then that’s where you know, it allows me to, you know, be a better coach.

And I think I need to give credit to all my students you know because we really want them to succeed. And I think they’ve taught us so much how to be a coach even though we’re training them to be a coach, just how our kids taught us, parents, to be better in that sense. And I think the students really helped me and challenged me each day. You know about, a. Walk your talk you know about learning to guide yourself and hence for things that you know are your daily reflections.

You’re taking time to, you know, sort out your thoughts as an individual and doing your disciplines and practice as a coach. It becomes easier. Because it’s not a chore anymore. But this is just, this is just the basic you know, basic stuff that you need to do. And then wake up brush your teeth. I mean you don’t have to be motivated to go and to remember to brush your teeth every morning right? You just do it.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, you form the habit of it, right, because it’s meaningful to you. You know and so the ICF has come out with the newest core competency coaching mindset. How does that, how does that impact? You know I’m not sure how that impacts that. I’m not sure that’s the question but how do you see that as asking coaches to do exactly the thing that you’re talking about? Which is to create that sense of their own, how they’re showing up in the coaching. How is that showing up for you? And what are you noticing with yourself and your Coaching Mindset?

Ben Koh

Yes, So I think one of the things that I responded to that is number one, whether it’s a new competence, a new model or a model, there are wisdoms in that document that has been created. And instead of seeing them as a marker that I need to meet and demonstrate. I often kind of encourage coaches to see that as I see that as a way of informing you of how you need to think as a professional. Not so much of you trying to demonstrate it but try to understand how is that informing me about a way of thinking as a coach.

And ultimately you need to understand this simple formula. How we think is how we will respond. Our behavior will be more impactful, deliberate, intentional when we are more mindful about how we think. And those new competencies, I mean the competency, the new model, those competencies are just truth and wisdoms. Right?

In terms of how you see, in terms of how our clients will react and respond to their situation, and how you can be that mirror to bring that up. So it’s a way of informing how you need to think, not something that you do to the client, but how is that allowing you to see your client from that documents. So that is an important part of any profession that you think, you know, like the industry, like teachers, think like teachers, and they speaks like teachers, and they do what teachers do. Engineers, think like engineers, and do what engineers do because that’s how the mind has been programmed.

Lyssa deHart

Right. It’s how the mind has been programmed. Yeah, and that’s it. I think that’s a really crucial element also. I mean these become habits of how we choose to think and how we choose to look at the world and the competencies give us a framework uh with the wisdoms, as you say, to expand how we look at the world.

And I mean one of the things that shows up for me in my own coaching, you know, the arc of development has been also letting go of the need to be the expert, right, so that I can show up with the client fully. And ask the question that’s going to be most useful. And so yeah, I think that is so important that the competencies really just provide a framework of how we show up with other people. That fits with what you’re talking about, how humans make changes, right? It fits with that.

Ben Koh

Precisely.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, it’s beautiful. What do you think is one of the things that you see, because you work with a lot of students, what is something that you see kind of across the board that you think is important for new coaches to understand about coaching?

Ben Koh

Wow.

Lyssa deHart

Or is that too big of a question?

Ben Koh

I think fundamentally, you know, coaches also have their own developmental stages. Which one thing that I began to appreciate, you know, as they come to the first level and then they move on to the second level and levels. That’s how ICF has beautifully crafted, prepared the different levels of credentials. And I would like to see that as different developmental stages of the ability to um appreciate coaching at different levels of impact. Right.

So at the first level, I think one of the things that I felt that is useful, is a shift of a mindset to a learning mindset, right? Yes, and that’s where the hallmark of that the curiosity to learn becomes a very important shift that coaches need to break through. Now, if from the management point of view, you know, we don’t want to change, I mean, you can change a lot of things, but then we like to find the tipping point, that the one that gives us the greatest leverage with the smallest effort. Right?

So, I guess if they can break through that mindset to a learning mindset. Then they will start to become, they will stop that linear approach of saying cause and effect. If they stop seeing cause and effect then they will stop trying to go for a solution. Or trying to help them to go to point B, there’s nothing wrong with going to point B. But that’s so much impact is in terms of what you can offer in terms of your change initiative. But by learning more techniques is only helping you to get to the point faster. But it doesn’t change the journey of how you help people to move from Point A to Point B.

Lyssa deHart

You know, and I see this to, like, I mean, in the work that I’ve done with people also, is you can tell people all sorts of things that they need to do, but until they embodied the awareness themselves, the change isn’t sustainable, right? And so from what I’m hearing, you, you know, there’s this developmental step, these stages that coaches go through, and that first stage often is that driving towards the solution, I’m going to help you fix your problem. Get this done. Um and then it’s really stepping out of that in order to be with somebody, right?

Ben Koh

And I do confess, yes, that was how I was coaching way back in the early days, that’s why when I look back and then I said, oh, I wish that someone would just be there to say, hey, you’re not curious. You’re not embodying and learning mindset. I thought I’m just helping them to learn about the situation. But learning about the situation is not about deepening the learning of how they’re seeing, so that’s different from gaining self-awareness.

Lyssa deHart

That is really important. Learning about the situation is not going to help them in learning how to move through.

Ben Koh

Yes.

Lyssa deHart

Towards what’s important to them. And I think, I mean that’s a beautiful, beautiful reminder for how we need to show up as coaches to be curious with people. It’s through that curiosity.

Ben Koh

Precisely. And so that’s the first stage that is to be able to have a learning mindset. And I think as they move on to the second stage which is basically where the PCC credential is, that’s where we challenge them to to to grow the curiosity piece.

Because fundamentally, I guess what makes the coaching impact is really the whole sense of curious curiosity coupled with a learning approach or learning mindset. And then the mastery is that’s how you can do these two things, you know, in a way that is seamless and natural. So in the second level where they are, we’re preparing them for their PCC credential.

This way I think they’re ready to be curious about the whole aspect of the clients. Which is a little bit much more challenging to pick it up. That’s where we give them a proper understanding of human nature. Now we all understand what is concerned. We all understand what is “going on” and” belief and assumption” and stuff like that. But they’re just words unless until you get to play with them. And began to see that this is how it shows up, you know, in that conversation.

Lyssa deHart

For that person.

Ben Koh

Yeah. And so usually tell this, look that’s the difference between going to the zoo and going to the safari. All these nice things that you’re supposed to look for doesn’t nicely, you know, organize properly and then you enter in, and this is where the elephant is, and this is where the giraffe is, and you can see here and stuff like that. You know, they’re not organized in that manner, they’re just in the safari. And you just need to use your knowledge about that creature to go and look for them.

Lyssa deHart

Human beings are definitely not in a zoo. They are, they’re on the Serengeti for sure.

Ben Koh

But you can see some of these, you know, the approach is just learning the technique and just you know memorizing the questions, and trying to get some procedure done. It’s just like going to the zoo and saying that your clients is like, you know, you know like organized.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, like if you do this, then you’ll get this, and then you’ll do that, and then this will happen. And this is sort of the thing, right? Yeah, absolutely. And you know, it is, it’s really funny too because we all know it doesn’t work for us if somebody tells us what to do. Unless you’re building something like, I don’t know, a chicken coop. You know, nobody really wants directions. We want to, we want to have a thought partner, right?

Ben Koh

Yes.

Lyssa deHart

We want a thought partner.

Ben Koh

Agree with you.

Lyssa deHart

I’m sort of curious too like you know, I hear this from, I hear this at times from coaches like, Do I need a coach if I’m a coach? And I’ll hear all kinds of interesting things like, well I’ve never found a coach good enough for me, which I always think it’s sort of a hilarious response. But, but I think. What are your thoughts on coaches having coaches? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this.

Ben Koh

Well, who doesn’t need a friend?

Lyssa deHart

Right?

Ben Koh

I need a friend. Okay, even, how good am I sometimes? I just need to call somebody and say, hey, you know, this person really, you know, really drives me nuts. And why “can’t he, can when you can” just come think and blah blah, blah, blah, blah. And then after that, my good friends will just say, well, so how do you feel now? I feel great now, calm down, I don’t feel frustrated, or sometimes we just, hey, hey, hey, hey hold there. Do you have any biases here? Okay, okay. You caught me there. We need friends, right?

Because I’m not immune, even if I’m a coach. I’m still a human being. I’m not immune to what my client is suffering from, because I also have my own mess to deal with, right? And, and, and if my clients need a coach because they can’t see their mess and I’m also the human being. I also need a friend, just show me the mess I’m in.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, to hold up the mirror.

Ben Koh

We just hold the mirrors. I mean you don’t have to say that I need a coach, just say I need a friend who is a coach that makes a world of difference.

Lyssa deHart

Yes, it does.

Ben Koh

I need to talk to a friend who is a coach. Just tell him that I’m seeing you as a friend who is a coach. Not a friend who is my friend.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, because I think there is that clarity of distance that comes in the coaching relationship also because our job is to be curious about what might be getting in the way. Like and to your point, like what biases got triggered by this annoyance with this client, right? And, we’re, it’s very difficult, what is there’s a saying, I don’t know who discovered water, but it was not a fish, right? You know, because the fish just lives in the water. They didn’t discover it they’re just there.

Ben Koh

Yes, yes the fish doesn’t talk about the water.

Lyssa deHart

No, they don’t, it’s just it’s the air they breathe. Um and I think it’s true with our biases and with our, the places where, you know, we have, I don’t know where our stuff gets, gets mixed in with our client’s stuff also. And so I think having that external partnership with a friend who’s a coach, can be incredibly useful.

Ben Koh

Incredible. And I think the second piece here is, that is one piece that you can have a friend who is a coach that you can talk to. And the second piece as a professional coach, you suddenly want to get feedback on how you are coaching. Not so much in the modem of the coaching skills, but how you show up as a coach in that conversation. And that’s where I truly, truly, truly respect some of my mentors and teachers who have taught to me and I’m sure there’s a lot of great people out there.

You know, like for example, you know, I, you know, from time to time, once every two years, I’ll go back to my mentor with Janet Harvey, you know, to just kind of get this pch, pch, pch. Wake up, that’s not how. Oh because she grows as an individual to everybody grows, right? So as she grows in her own wisdom of how she sees coaching, she’s able to use that perspective to help me to see how I’m doing coaching at this level, right? And it’s so useful to get another perspective from another coach that, you know, that is also growing and developing and has new insight and perspective. I’m not necessarily asking the person to coach me, but having a dialogue, ongoing dialogue is important.

Lyssa deHart

I’m really hearing coaching supervision as an element of this, right? This partnership to explore the coaching experience that we’re having, right. And I really admire that you bring this up to because I mean, over and over again, as I’m talking to coaches, MCC coaches, everyone is in a process of continuing self-growth. And so it becomes that irony for coaches when they say I don’t need it, I’m a coach, you should, you should buy my services because I’m a really good coach. But I don’t need coaching. I mean, it’s really sort of an ironic sort of statement to have said. I mean if you believe in coaching, then truly believe in coaching. And that self-discovery and that self-growth that comes and whether it’s through supervision or mentoring or self-reflection. But there we’re something to continue to grow ourselves. And I love what you say also about choosing somebody who’s growing so that you can grow also like you’re not alone in the growth process.

Ben Koh

Precisely, precisely. And that’s what makes this profession of coaching a very sacred vocation, just like, you know, teachers and educators, they did really, you know, got the advocation with all their hearts. And wanted to show up as the best teacher, right? You know, lawyers, they aspire to be the ones for justice and, you know, every, every vocation, you know, that they have that group of people who really, you know, are proud of what they’re doing. And if you are proud of what professional coaching is, and then what is calling us out is number one be the “true intended” human being, who can show the world the power of being able to align and self-reflect and believing in the greatness of people. You know, I think that’s why we have, that’s what we’re telling the world.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah. And starting with ourselves so that we have the capacity to be there for others. Ben, what are you up to that you’d like to share with folks today as we’re coming towards the end?

Ben Koh

I just want to encourage all coaches out there listening to this podcast is love the very work that is, that you have stepped into. And just allow it to evolve as you grow together with it and just be surprised, be surprised. You know, and just, care about, like some countries have four seasons, fabulous long, like in Singapore, we got only hot, hotter and hottest. Yeah, I remember, but be surprised that with each season, you know, brings in uh new experience. And that you’re coaching experience itself will become richer and colorful. In here, not in terms of what you learn in terms of techniques, but what you can become as an individual as you continue to serve other people through this profession. So that’s mine, that’s my encouragement to coaches.

Lyssa deHart

Yeah, you know, I think that’s beautiful and it is that, that connectedness, right? That connectedness of your passion. Yeah, I love that. Thank you.

Ben Koh

Thank you.

Lyssa deHart

Thank you so much. Thank you so much for being on the Coaching Studio. I really appreciate it and I absolutely enjoyed this conversation so much. Thank you so much for being here today.

Ben Koh

Thank you, Lyssa, for this privilege today to be able to share my voice through your podcast.