Life and Leadership
Coaching
What is Coaching?
“Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
- International Coach Federation
Life Coaching
I’m dedicated to helping individuals navigate challenging situations, embrace life transitions, get unstuck and reach their full potential. Whether we have something we want to resolve or something we want to accomplish, I believe that all the resources we need lie within us and can be accessed through a collaborative coaching partnership.
You might be wondering:
“If I already have all the resources I need, why haven’t I been able to do this on my own?”
There are many reasons each of us meets challenges, for example: being too close to a situation; holding underlying beliefs that conflict with what we really want; or thinking we know the barriers when they are, actually, something else. As whole, resourceful and busy people, we deserve to make our own wellbeing a priority and can benefit by having an advocate to listen, help us think things through, open up new perspectives and discover answers.
Leadership Coaching
I know what it's like to come face-to-face with your professional confidence, or to wonder if you've chosen the right path, or to know you need to grow but have no idea where to start. I wish I'd had a coach during my long health management career; I was often stressed and out of balance. And although I was very successful - including leading an award-winning, $1.5 billion new hospital construction project - I know now that there was a better, more personally powerful way I could have managed.
I invite you to explore your unique professional challenges and goals. Coaching can not only open your mind but can open doors. Coaching can remove roadblocks, reveal self-limiting beliefs and help you chart a course that's right for you.
Sometimes we need an objective sounding board, someone outside the workplace with whom we can sort things through. Only you have the answers you need to lead -- coaching can bring them to the forefront.
About Cindy
Assoc. Certified Coach (ACC), Internat'l Coach Federation;
Certified Professional Coach (CPC), Internat'l Coach Academy;
Co-Founder, AIM (Allies In Mental Health) Group Mental Wellness Coaching;
Pro Bono Coach: Women's Impact Alliance and The Humanitarian Coaching Network;
Member, International Coach Federation (ICF) & Institute of Coaching (IOC);
Former UCSF Health Executive; (SF Business Times);
Master of Arts - Business, Health Services Administration
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I've enjoyed a life rich in experiences as a daughter, proud parent, loyal friend, healthcare executive, photographer and road trekker. I've also faced challenges: divorced parents, living 'out' in a straight world, anxiety, succeeding in a high-stakes/high-profile job, surviving family crises, caring for my mother and losing her to ALS.
Coaching is a calling for me. I find people fascinating, creative and endlessly resourceful. I invite my clients to thrive in whatever ways they seek and I am deeply invested in their journey. I love the connection and discovery that happen through the coaching relationship. I have my own trusted coach. In the context of that unique relationship, the deep listening and provocative questions help me discover how I view the world, what I truly want, what holds me back and how I can achieve my goals. It's a rather magical process.
I became a certified coach so that I could partner with people - like you - to help them achieve what they really want. I've coached clients internationally, at all stages in life and on a wide range of personal and professional topics. It's all about deciding you're ready, exploring, discovering and getting there!
Questions and Answers
Q: How long are your coaching sessions and where do you coach?
A: I conduct 50-minute coaching sessions over the phone or Skype audio. Coaching over the phone is most common and surprisingly effective. It allows a coaching relationship from any location and a more ‘private’ space within which to listen and think deeply without visual distraction.
Q: Is there a required number of sessions?
A: The number of sessions depends on what you want to achieve and your progress. Some clients have something complex that they want to work on over an extended period of time. Others bring a new topic to each meeting, using coaching as a regular part of "staying fit" in life and/or work. And for some, a few sessions is all they want. I recommend starting with at least three sessions as that will give you the best sense of the coaching process and enough time for you to make progress.
Q: Which days and hours do you coach?
A: I have flexibility in my schedule and can accommodate many schedules. We can set a coaching frequency and time, or schedule on a session-by-session basis.
Q: How do I get started?
A: I offer a complimentary 45-minute exploratory call for those who are considering coaching, want to learn more and/or would like to test our chemistry. This could be one of the best investments in yourself that you've ever made.
Client Testimonials
Cindy Lima created the environment for deep trust, honest and candid feedback and mutual respect on our first discovery call together! She is the deepest listener I’ve ever met. Cindy’s personal life experiences bring a wealth of context to any conversation and enable her to empathize at a very deep level - the need to be heard and understood. And when she shares her observations, or asks questions, her voice resonates with a rich appreciation for the vulnerability that you have just shared. That is what I want and need in a coach, and Cindy Lima has exceeded all of my expectations. She is truly amazing!
Rita Johnson, HR/Talent Management Executive - Tucson, AZ
Cindy is a life-changing coach. Working with her has helped me change perspectives that had been holding me back for years. She is grounded in reality, listens without judgment, and cares deeply about her clients. Her honest, warm, and humorous approach immediately put me at ease during our first session. Cindy has an uncanny ability to listen carefully to what I am saying - and to notice what I'm not saying. Her wisdom comes through in the simple, yet powerful, questions she asks her clients. I'm forever grateful to Cindy for what her coaching has helped me achieve.
E.B. - Massachusetts
Curiosity is a critical skill for a good coach. Cindy’s curiosity is genuine and focused on her clients in a way that you feel cared for, listened to and that you’re in a safe space for exploration.
A.R. McLain, Organizational Transformation & Leadership Coach - San Diego, CA
Cindy for me is an amazing coach; we worked together for about a year. She gave me a lot of help on very difficult issues. She has a unique way of penetrating deep into your soul. I think the reason is the emotion she has - giving me time and space to see my own blind spots that had blocked me. While I was working with her I managed, with her support, to achieve my goals and make my life better. I feel lucky that I worked with such a good, professional coach and at the same time with such a sensitive person!
Ioannis "John" Asimakis, small business owner - Tesaloniki, Greece
Thanks for your help this week. It lifted my spirits and gave me momentum. I just want u to know that you work better than prozac - with no side effects.
Orlando Elizondo, San Francisco
Cindy guided me through a really challenging career development moment – becoming a manager for the first time. She deeply understood my anxieties, where they were coming from, and how to address them. Her approach to our conversations was thorough, methodical, and patient and I came away each time with valuable insights. Months after wrapping up our calls, I continue to ask myself: What would Cindy think about this? I’m unquestionably a better manager and coworker because of Cindy.
Max Dugan-Knight, Youth Truth / Center for Effective Philanthropy, San Francisco, CA
I met with Cindy for an hour on the phone. I have worked in healthcare for over 25 years and was really struggling with transitioning to working from home amid the COVID pandemic. She helped me organize my thoughts, validated my feelings and gave me a starting point. I started the conversation lost and all over the place, and finished with feeling like I can actually do this now. I cannot wait to talk with her again.
Erica via wiseHer, Southborough, MA
I already got a good feeling from Cindy Lima’s profile but speaking with her was above and beyond what I expected. She dug to the core and helped bring clarity about challenges I’m facing professionally as well as strategies in facing them. She’s professional, kind, and has deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by healthcare professionals. I am amazed by what we got out of just one hour conversation. Thank you so much Cindy!!
S.B. via wiseHER - Auckland, NZ
Cindy was just great to work with. From our very first interaction, she made me comfortable and at ease, and right away established a strong sense of trust and partnership. At every session I left with a sense of having accomplished something, and had many breakthroughs during our time together thanks to the thought-provoking questions she asked me.
A. L. via the Humanitarian Coaching Network - Bethesda, MD
