Coaching helps individuals see inner strength

Megan Walls coaches busy professionals and executives who are feeling stuc, by helping them tap into their values, passions and strengths

Updated: February 5, 2013 12:38PM

NORTHFIELD — Ask Megan Walls what she does for a living and she’ll tell you she’s is in the business of helping people achieve happiness, success, fulfillment and inner peace.

Walls is a certified professional coach and founder of her Northfield-based company, Conscious Connection.

“I coach busy professionals and executives who are feeling stuck by helping them tap into their values, passions and strengths, so they can achieve their goals and operate at their best,” said Walls, “Coaching is an objective arena for people to speak their truths which is where the answers come from.”

Walls knows firsthand the value of coaching, as she herself went to a coach eight years ago, after retiring from a lucrative career as a partner and executive vice-president of sales for a municipal bond firm.

“The final straw was, I remember having the best career day ever, and asking myself, ‘Is this all there is?’” said Walls, who is certified by iPEC, the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching. “And then it dawned on me that I had been operating for so many years with the mind set that the value of my worth was dependent on how many bonds I sold that day, versus valuing my talents, my abilities, my family and my relationships.”

Walls, who at the time was raising two children with her husband said she was experiencing a work life imbalance, and that going to a coach helped her smooth out the transition, create balance and reconnect with her true self.

Conscious Connection uses a six step process to help individuals consciously connect with what they truly want, and come up with a plan of action to achieve it.

“The six steps help them tap into their inner resources so they can overcome obstacles, achieve goals and lead more authentic lives,” said Walls, who believes in accountability, and who always asks her clients what actions they’ve taken since the last meeting.

Katherine Puffer is a Chicago-based business appraiser who reached out to Walls three years ago when she wanted to take her business to the next level and didn’t quite know how to do that.

“Going to a coach is kind of a second set of eyes, and it’s someone who asks the right questions,” said Puffer, “Megan’s process is wonderful. The first step she takes is working with you so you know what your values are, which helps you make better decisions.”

Walls, who is also a PCC, which means she’s coached more than 750 hours isn’t a counselor, and said there’s a huge difference between a counselor and a coach.

“Counseling deals with past pain or hurt or addiction,” she said, “Sessions are about healing, emotions and behaviors and resolution. Coaching takes you where you are today to an optimal level of where you want to be.”

Walls charges $200 for a 50-minute session, and requires a commitment of a minimum of nine sessions. In addition to one-one-one coaching, Walls also does group coaching, and is available to give presentations on personal and professional development.

“Megan is someone who moves you forward, but she does it in a way that feels very supportive and very constructive,” said Puffer, “She has a lot of experience in business and so she understands what people are facing. She has helped greatly in my ability to make decisions that have worked in the long run.”

“What’s most humbling is helping individuals realize their uniqueness,” said Walls, “Life is so focused on weakness that we don’t even think about our greatness. We should focus on our talents and strengths and passions and what comes naturally, and cultivate that.”

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