Randy Barber

How did you find out about Frame of Mind Coaching™?
I listened to an interview that Christina Boyd-Smith did with Kim Ades, President and Founder of Frame of Mind Coaching™. At the end of the interview, Kim offered to give personal coaching advice to anyone who emailed her their answers to three journaling prompts. I had been looking for a coach anyway, so I reached out and had a great, long conversation with Kim. She really made me think about a lot of different things. She put me in touch with FOM coach Chari Schwartz, and she asked some incredibly insightful questions that I hadn’t even thought of before. I chose her as my coach and I never looked back.

What was the best part of having Chari as a coach?
She always knew when to dig deeper and when to just let things ride out. Other coaches tend to inundate you with questions, but Chari only asked questions that really made me think a lot about myself, the things that were going on inside my head and what was holding me back from what I wanted to achieve.

What were you struggling with prior to coaching?
I didn’t know it yet, but before coaching, I always wanted people to like me and had a fear of being judged. I had no idea that was the case going into this. Chari identified that issue in an extremely short amount of time and said, “Let’s explore this, because you’re spending an awful lot of time worrying about things that are outside of your control.” I honestly don’t believe I would have discovered that had I selected a different coaching method.

How did FOM Coaching impact your fear of judgement?
I approach things way differently now than I did before. I don’t get so consumed by how people see me, and I show up much more authentically today than I did a year ago. I know for a fact that I am much more aware of how my thoughts affect my behaviors, expectations and therefore my results. I am much better equipped today to catch things early and change them before they spiral out of control. Without FOM Coaching, that never would have happened.

What was it like journaling everyday and receiving feedback from your coach?
The FOM way of looking back at your influencers and defining moments and writing things down that haven’t been front and center in your mind is so effective and important. I had never journaled before, but I am now such a convert to the philosophy behind it. Things that you would otherwise miss come out in your writing.

We started with my past, and Chari would ask me things like, “Why did you think about yourself this way? Is there any evidence that what you thought about yourself was actually true?” Then there were times when I would write something down, and Chari would point out instances in which I had said something exactly like that before, but about another situation in my life.

As a coach yourself, how has FOM Coaching changed how you coach?
My own coaching philosophy has changed. The only coaching model I had seen before was the accountability model, and so many people use that. But the questions they ask only cover a few concepts that they specifically want to get at, and it all comes back to what action you're going to take. Unlike FOM Coaching, they don’t get at the root cause of why we think and act the way that we do. So in just a few weeks after accountability coaching, you end up back where you were beforehand.

Why did you decide to attend FOM Methods?
In the middle of coaching, I asked Chari how to become certified in the FOM methodology because it resonated with me so much. I had already decided that I wanted to incorporate it into my own business.

What was your biggest takeaway from FOM Methods?
It was an incredible, enlightening and emotional experience for me. The people that I met in Toronto were fantastic, and it was the first time I got to meet my coach face-to-face. To have that opportunity to give them thanks in person for all the things that they’ve helped me with was very cool. And to meet Kim was a lot of fun; she’s such a great spirit and so willing to give of herself.

Would you recommend FOM Coaching to others?
Definitely. I would absolutely and positively recommend it to others, and I have. Check out the website, and if it’s something that resonates with you, at least reach out to see if it’s a fit for you.