Everyone Needs Someone In Their Corner
An experienced mentor, who can provide support, structure, and strategies toward personal, academic and professional fulfillment.
Our training, experience and ability to connect allows us to truly hear and relate to young people, empathize with them and accept them, wherever they are in their lives, and to understand what’s going on from their unique perspective.
Often, there are critical things they simply don’t see. Those blind spots impact how young people are perceived and certain habits can thwart success and progress. Since we can’t change or measure what we don’t see, identifying those blind spots provides the opportunity for students to make measured progress while becoming more confident and effective communicators.
Students not only learn the tools, tips and methods that have made our coaching successful, but they also act on them and incorporate what they have learned into their daily habits and lives.
Coaching can also be an alternative to our workshops for kids whose learning style may be more conducive to working one-to-one or whose schedules are too full to accommodate weekly programs. It is also beneficial as a supplement to our workshops for kids who are ready to advance, require some extra personal attention or preparing for an audition, interview or presentation, etc.
We help our clients:
Cultivate the tools, capacity and attitude to achieve success
Build self–awareness around one’s relationship to their emotions, thought processes, behaviors, and how this influences communication in relationships
Find their own unique authentic voice and gain the confidence to use it
Increase personal accountability and ownership for one’s own development
Overcome procrastination, fear, lack of confidence and self-belief
Change thought and behavior patterns
Common Reasons Individuals Seek Coaching:
Recognizing Changes: Your son or daughter isn’t doing as well as you would like and you have concerns about their behavior and coping skills.
Coping with Transitions: Your child is entering middle school, ninth grade, the eleventh-grade grind, the “college process,” college, the “real world.”
Trying a Different Approach: Conventional Therapy is not working or isn’t an appealing option
A New and Independent voice: Kids tend to be overly critical of themselves and struggle to cope with disappointment or what they perceive as failure
Communication Difficulties: Your kids don’t feel comfortable advocating for themselves, speaking in public, interviewing or interacting with coaches and teachers
Mark Promises Students Will Benefit From:
Social and emotional support
A trusting environment for making self-discoveries
Identification of strengths and areas of improvement
Being responsible for the tasks necessary for success
Decreased tension and anxiety when approaching tasks
Improved attitude and increased motivation
Increased awareness of decisions that hinder goals
Staying positive and focused amidst challenges and setbacks
Executing behaviors that promote achievement
Career Development Coaching:
MindsetGo trainers are passionate about empowering the next wave of programmers, entrepreneurs, marketers, designers and leaders to maximize their ability, ramp up their academic and social efforts, and get more done in less time.
We help kids figure out what they are truly passionate about and how to best utilize their talents and strengths. Are their dreams athletic, artistic, scientific? Do they include getting into a great college, getting better grades, becoming more organized, developing better friends, or becoming an amazing “fill in the blank?”
A student’s personal story and unique qualities become more impactful and marketable when they are equipped with the ability to clearly and powerfully convey what sets them apart.
Students thrive in this program as they practice and apply the skills to:
Develop Relationships – Leverage people from your network to help land a dream job or internship
Network Effectively – Read people better, quickly build rapport in social situations and at business functions
Differentiate Themselves – Identify your most valuable selling points to create lasting impressions
Make Conversation Engaging – Initiate, maintain and make conversations purposeful
Master Virtual Communication – Excel at follow-up skills and moving things forward through various modes of communication
Success Coaching:
Success coaching is for students that are bold and brave, who are ready to learn and grow so they thrive personally and professionally. Our coaches create a trusting and open relationship where students willingly embrace a support system to become more self-aware of their strengths, values, interests, purpose, and passion.
While working with our supportive and empathic staff, students talk freely about school, life balance, aspirations, challenges, and decision-making to build confidence, improve awareness, develop new skills and increase independence.
Students learn to trust their power to change and embrace a growth mindset. They feel supported to step out of their comfort zones, take risks and embrace challenges formerly believed to be out of reach.
In Success Coaching, students can focus on developing any of the following interpersonal skills:
Social Intelligence
Growth Mindset: Resilience/Grit/Perseverance
Conflict Resolution
Critical Thinking (Problem-Solving)
Self-Awareness
Empathy & Perspective Taking
Public Speaking – Storytelling, Influence
Adaptability/Flexibility
Self-Advocacy: Decision-Making – Initiative/Risk-Taking
Teamwork – collaboration, contributing, cooperating
Confidence Coaching:
Recent surveys have indicated that the average high school guidance counselor in America serves an incredible 471 high-school students. With budgets being cut, guidance counselors feeling overwhelmed despite their best efforts, most kids typically only meet with a counselor reactively or when they become an upper-classmen to discuss college planning.
As students start to put pressure on themselves and feel pressure from parents, teachers, and peers, problems can surface that can impact the actions and decisions they make starting as a freshman.
Instead of solely focusing on SAT scores and the college application process, we help high school students transition from WHAT do I want to be when I grow up to WHO do I want to be when I grow up.
Engaging and Motivating Students – With the pressure created by grades, so many students get stuck identifying their self-worth with their report card. The result is often a constant nagging battle over homework, missing assignments, frustrated parents wanting their child to do well, students wanting to do well, and habits that are hard to change.
Creating Meaningful and Impactful Relationships – Emotional intelligence is more valuable than ever as building strong relationships are a big part of a positive educational experience and provide the necessary foundation for a successful future.
Clarity on the Future – What is the best path and how can parents can best support their children so that they can learn the necessary life skills for success. To find a fulfilling path for young people to pursue can be difficult, but after working with MindsetGo coaches, will develop a deep understanding of their values, skills and interests, which will help them find clarity about their futures.
Public Speaking/Presentation Coaching:
The fear of speaking is rated as only second to fear of snakes and before the fear of dying. The reason most people get anxious when presenting to a group is that they are afraid of being embarrassed in front of many of their peers or important people.
Being a strong presenter can enhance your reputation, boost your self-confidence, and open countless opportunities. While good skills can open doors, poor ones can close them, stall your career progression, and destroy your confidence. An inability to connect with or fail to engage an audience negatively impacts how people perceive your credibility, knowledge, and competence.
Mark develops your natural strengths – voice, energy, wit, mental agility, intensity, and warmth. He then orchestrates those strengths so you experience a dramatic improvement. You will notice see noticeable enhancements in your ability to project leadership skills, interview effectively, sell your ideas as an entrepreneur, influence others, and build your referral network successfully.
Develop Your Personal Style
Create action through persuasion and influence
Add passion and emotion to your presentation
Transition from inform to influence
Increase your overall effectiveness for all types of speaking
Read the room
Discovery: Identify fears around conference group presentations, public speaking, on camera
Storytelling: Organize thoughts by confirming the message, determining anecdotes, questions, and efficient messaging
Connect with your audience through – eye contact, first impression, voice projection, speaking clearly, rhythm and pattern of delivery
Interview Coaching:
Excel at verbal, active listening and visual communication techniques to differentiate yourself from other candidates. We specialize in helping current students/new grads, and first-time interview and job-seekers who need to improve existing skills or develop new ones. Our coaching consultation includes a simulated role-play of an actual situation/scenario you have struggled with.
After completing the coaching, you will know how to:
Differentiate yourself from other applicants
Proactively utilize your skills, characteristics and traits through anecdotal evidence
How to project confidence, communicate effectively, & eliminate nervousness
How to answer behavioral, situational, and technical questions
Manage, Recognize, Interpret and Respond to Non-Verbal Behaviors
Mark will train you to be successful in the following situations:
Phone Interviews
Online/Skype Interviews
In-Person Interviews
Group Interviews
Successive Same-Day Interviews
Effective de-briefing and follow-up
How to get HIRED!
Mindset Ace
What happens when your child sits down to take a test Do lack of motivation and preparation interfere with your child’s test taking success? Does your child put in the work and know the material cold, but just can’t seem to bring it all together on test day?
Coaching Options:
A thorough introductory meeting precedes any agreement to enter into any 1:1 private mentoring – and there is no charge for this – This includes meeting in person (or remotely if circumstances warrant for an introductory session). We will only work with a client if we feel confident we can be effective with him or her.
The cost of our coaching programs can vary based on each coach’s geographic location, experience, and availability. As a guideline, most of our coaches do not want the cost of these programs to prohibit students from experiencing personal growth and developing skills. If finances are the determining factor for you and/or your family, we will make every effort to try and work with you.
Option #1 – Monthly Coaching Package:
A guaranteed availability for three personal appointments per month (in person or via skype or phone)
Plus: UNLIMITED text, email, IM and phone support as things come up and input is needed.
Plus: Consultation and Support for parents, as well as family meetings when necessary.
Plus: They receive unsolicited emails and texts that reinforce the work we are doing… These messages offer encouragement and support and help clients stay on course.
Monthly Investment: $1400/month
$1000 –$1300/month ongoing with longer term commitment.
Option #2 – Monthly Mentoring Package:
A guaranteed availability for one personal appointment per month (in person or via skype or phone)
Plus: SEMI-LIMITED text, email, IM and phone support as things come up and input is needed.
Due to student’s busy lives and limited time to speak, we will set up a monthly skype or phone call, and stay focused on helping to address whatever has built up over the past month, or is timely in that moment. We might also use this time to continue to reinforce a longer-term goal of the work we began at an earlier time.
Semi-Limited means issues that can be discussed and addressed in 10 to 15 minutes on the phone, periodically. While I do not define limit of how many times this can happen, occasionally a client on this plan will move up to the Comprehensive Plan for a period of time (a month or two) because they really need that volume of input and guidance.
Monthly Investment: $750/month
FAQs:
Usually, it works best if you discuss the coaching with your child immediately after the initial interview, while everything is still fresh. Most kids are expecting to be bombarded on the way home with questions from their parents so give them a few hours to process and ask when would be a preferred time to discuss their feelings and perceptions about moving forward. If students are not interested in the coaching after the initial interview, the program will likely not be successful, and you may want to consider an alternative option for your student.
If you and your student decide to proceed with the coaching program after the initial interview, you and your coach can discuss the desired method of coaching (in person or over the phone), frequency and schedule of coaching sessions, and payment schedule.
All coaches organize sessions and recommend various schedules, based on what they think is best for the student. Most coaches will meet with the student 1-3 times per month for the duration of the coaching program with check-ins and availability throughout.
The initial session has no financial risk. This meeting is an opportunity for the coach and your student to get to know one another, build rapport, try out a few coaching exercises, and determine if they are a good fit for each other.
We suggest that parents attend the first 10 minutes of the initial interview with their student so they can get an overview and ask any specific questions. Your coach will describe her or his background and ask both the parent and student what they are hoping to get out of the next three months of coaching. This initial question produces some useful starting points for discussion. For the remainder of the initial interview, it is best if the coach and student meet one-on-one, without the parent, to give the student a chance to experience what coaching is like. The introductory meeting can last 60-90 minutes.
Parents often ask the question, “How do I approach my child about using a coach?” Some students are hesitant and skeptical to meet with a coach and immediately feel stigmatized. Our coaches frequently meet with students in public places, like libraries and coffee shops, which sets the tone for meaningful conversation in a comfortable setting. The advice that we give is to be direct, supportive and be curious as to what would be important to your child relative to this support and less focused on your personal agenda. A simple explanation is that you are trying to provide a resource and support system that maximizes their ability to (what they think they need) or…learn best, as well as developing habits and skills that will help them succeed.
A successful partnership between a coach, parents and the student is vital to achieving successful outcomes. Designing this alliance consists of creating an environment for each coaching session that allows the student to feel comfortable with taking risks and being courageous. This is the opportunity for the coach, parents and student to outline the ways that the coach can best serve and communicate with the whole family. A successful partnership includes the following elements:
- Communication – Being on the same page does not mean that the coach is the boss or knows more than the student or parents. Being on the same page means that the coach, student and family understand 1) that the coaching relationship includes both the coach and the student, 2) what the student wants to achieve, and 3) what the family wants the student to achieve
- Trust – Confidentiality between the coach and the student creates trust. Coaches keep the details of the coaching sessions confidential unless there is danger to the student or to others. Parents will be kept involved in the coaching process with progress reports and conversations with the coach. Coaches will share detailed information with the parents at the consent of the teen.
- Safe space for ideas and emotions – Over time, a client learns to trust the coach not just in matters of confidentiality, but also within the coaching relationship. The teen learns to understand that they can push themselves because the coach’s role is not to judge their ideas or actions, but help them accomplish their goals.
As part of our introductory session, a coach, student, and family will determine the measurements of success. Each family has a unique answer, but the answer usually follows the same pattern. It’s usually comprised of these three elements: doing well academically as measured by grades, being more confident as measured by poise in social situations and attitudes about abilities, and exercising leadership as measured by being proactive in pursuing a project or passion outside of the classroom. We are focused on preparing students regardless of what career or education path they pursue.
Most of our coaches are not professional therapists/clinicians although we do have some on our staff? Clients often come to us when conventional therapy isn’t working or because their children are uncomfortable with the stigma of therapy. However, we are certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid by the National Council of Behavioral Health allowing us to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness or addiction disorder and can connect youth to resources for professional treatment. We will refer a client to one of our clinicians or a therapist if the client is experiencing significant psychological stress or we feel unqualified to continue coaching based on a case-by-case basis.
Counseling typically hinges on making a diagnosis of what is wrong and proscribing a method or series of steps that have been proven to work for other patients. Additionally, counselors tend to focus on the past, trying to help client uncover the root cause of why something is happening or why someone is feeling a certain way.
The idea behind coaching in general is that there is not a fundamental problem to solve. Instead, the idea is that people can make changes or simply improve on what they are doing with the support of a coach, whose aim is to take what is working and make it even better. Coaching also focuses more on the present and what the client can do here and now to better her/his life.
Students thrive when working one-on-one with our coaches because we tailor the concepts of our programs to the student and the immediate circumstances the student is facing. As a result, students see immediate improvements as well as learn valuable concepts to apply to the present and future.