Katherine Porter
Life Coach

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I started Changeable Coaching in 2016. This after 15 years of studying human behaviour. Including how we learn, unlearn and this remarkable capacity to relearn.

There is a stigma or perception that coaching means you are struggling and that something isn’t working or is broken. Life Coaching in the truest sense is about integration. In other words finding where the pieces fit into the puzzle, instead of shoving them in and hoping they fit.

It’s not about trying to change who you are and become someone else. It’s about identifying patterns of behaviour, and determining whether these patterns are serving or supporting you now.

As a professionally trained and ethical coach it is my job to facilitate a process that is centred around you, your intentions and your objectives. I ask a lot of my clients. I ask you to show up, to be engaged and to do the work. Together it can be an enormously freeing and rewarding process.

Approach

The love of learning flows strongly through my veins. I am intrigued by how we learn, when we learn, what the catalysts are and what the obstacles look like.

I have studied the philosophies and methods of education and training across school, university and adult learning spaces and have found that the successful processes are the same: we learn when we are stimulated and supported, feel seen, heard and have the space to explore.

This is the environment that I try to create with the people I work with.

Embarking on sustainable behaviour change takes time, patience, resilience and a great deal of care.

It is not easy to do this kind of personal growth work alone. My work is to walk beside you as you venture into the unknown, or revisit the known.

I’m not a coach for everyone. There may be times when you feel vulnerable, challenged or uncomfortable. And other times where you feel open, free and clear. Every day is different. We will grapple with old ways and create new ones, often with both laughter and tears.

I don’t know the answers, but I’m always willing to ask the questions.

Offerings

I have worked with individuals in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, each with their own unique possibilities and challenges. I have coached athletes at the pinnacle of their careers, and those making the transition out of the arena. I also work with people who find themselves stuck in a rut and are looking for a change in life, but who aren’t quite sure how to start.

The possibilities are endless. What is important is that coach and client connect in a way that allows a collaborative, authentic and trusting relationship to develop.

I have chosen to specialise in certain areas. This has allowed me to create a framework for particular needs. However, this does not preclude any other areas you may wish to work on.

I am currently based in Madrid, Spain. We can work face to face, in a place that is comfortable for you. We can also work online, which allows for flexibility and accessibility.

The world we live in favours physical achievement over just about everything else. As a young child and teenager I had lofty dreams about professional sports. One goal was to go to the Olympics; another was to climb Mount Everest. Over a decade ago my world came crashing down when I had surgery that went very badly wrong. The ensuing 5 or 6 years are a blur of rehab, surgeries, specialists, piles of forms –and pain. Chronic pain doesn’t play by the same rules as normal pain. Living with chronic pain is highly unpredictable and frustrating, and is often framed by a feeling of hopelessness and despair. A person living with chronic pain needs kindness, gentleness, love, compassion and rest to deal with the trauma of the loss of hopes and dreams, and the attendant loss of identity. As a result of my own experience with pain, I choose to work with people who live in pain. I don’t have it all figured out, and I definitely don’t have a one-size-fits-all model for making pain go away. My role as coach is to create a safe space to navigate past trauma, present feelings and future fears, and to create a bridge between all three, to enable you to be more clear about the realities, and open to the possibilities, of your life. The work we do together will allow you to find a way to acknowledge the pain, to allow it into your world, and to find a way to co-exist with it.

“My journey with Katherine began at a time when my whole world as I knew it was changing. I was seeking clarity of thought at a time where my financial, physical and mental health had taken a huge knock due to injury and surgery. I needed to learn how to face and manage both physical and emotional pain. To say there were tears is an understatement. From the minute we started Katherine helped me discover and face both conscious and unconscious patterns that were preventing me moving forward and living a full life. My time with Katherine is never long enough and I am always left with new discoveries and tools to face, befriend, accept and love ME. Our journey is an ongoing one and not easy. But it is absolutely invaluable.”

Gemma, Massage therapist/ Supermom/ Dreamer

If you have a small business or are considering starting one, having a coach to challenge your thinking allows ideas to develop in a very different way. The world is a complicated place and it takes some complex thinking for businesses to evolve and survive. Luckily, the world is also full of teachers who can assist us in navigating the complexities, if we can open ourselves to learning from them.There is a variety of tools and techniques that can assist in this process. Together we would critique your current strategy and collaboratively challenge your thinking.

“My experience of Katherine and our meetings have been overwhelmingly positive. We have shared a natural connection, and I find her easy to talk to. Katherine is a fantastic listener, and has an amazing ability to see the bigger picture and identify patterns within my behaviour. She has often challenged my thinking and has helped me to stay focused on achieving my goals. She is always prepared for our sessions, and is great at staying in touch with regular check-ins, emails and messages.”

Pam, Consultant/ Creative / Life-changer

“Kath asked me the critical questions and created a contained space for me to express myself freely in structured positive conversation. She invited me to reframe my thoughts to express my emotions. This allowed me the opportunity to express myself more freely.”

Bulelani, Connector/ Mentor / Explorer

Coming from an education background, and having spent many years both in the school classroom and in youth development projects, I am always interested in and curious about the ways in which people learn and what they need in order to develop new skills, or change their behaviour.
I work with children and teenagers who experience anxiety at school, struggle with the examination process or experience concentration concerns, in order to help them to develop their own tools and techniques to support themselves through these struggles.

Being a student in the current South African context has become increasingly challenging. The student environment has become highly politicized. Student protests, fee structures and student debt, examination postponements, accommodation availability as well as an incredibly volatile job market are creating increased levels of anxiety for both students and those in their supportive networks. Coaching offers the opportunity to work through some of the anxiety and find ways to create additional supportive structures to make the experience more manageable. The coaching space is a safe, stimulating and challenging environment for students to really think about the kind of support they need, what they are trying to achieve and what the next step in their plan is.

"After graduating from university with a degree in English I knew that I wanted to do a gap year in the “real world” before possibly going back to school. This time naturally lacked a bit of the structure I was used to at uni. Life coaching seemed like a great way to gain a little direction and clarity for what I wanted my life to be. That’s when I reached out to Kath. Our sessions happened weekly over Skype. To the ease of my mind, our sessions focused on smaller things I could actually implement rather than the question of “what I wanted to be” that would daunt me. When I started working with Kath I had been living in Vienna for 5 months without a job, being supported by my parents. Although I was on this big adventure, I was also quite stuck. Kath helped me to start with small things that I could do in my week to move in the direction of where and who I wanted to be. Ultimately, Kath helped me follow my instincts and put the things that I wanted to do into action."

Hogan, Millenial / Aspiring Musician / Minimalist

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