What’s coaching? 

I like this 2 min video from the International Coach Federation (ICF) that sums up well what coaching is. 

I am trained in Co-Active Coaching, an approach created by the Coaches Training Institute. “Co” refers to our curiosity and deep listening - the space we hold for each other, our intuition and nurturance. “Active” refers to our courage in taking action and commitment to achieving our goals.

Co-Active Coaching means co-creating the coaching journey with clients. Together, we determine the challenges they face, identify their goals, and implement the solutions they didn’t know they already had.  

How’s coaching different from therapy or consulting?

To help distinguish between the three, I often use this analogy: learning how to ride a bike.  

Imagine you tried to learn to ride a bike by yourself and you’ve been unsuccessful.

You decide to see a therapist. You think you’re too afraid to ride the bike and you’re paralyzed by the idea. Therapists will explore traumas, events in your childhood, fears, mental blocks...etc. They’ll help get you to a level where you can actually learn how to ride a bike. 

You decide to see a consultant. The consultant will ride the bike for you and give you instructions on how to do it - in theory. 

You decide to see a coach. The coach is next to you as you learn how to ride a bike. They won’t do it for you - they are there to champion you. They believe in you and encourage you to keep going when you fall. 

None of these three types of professionals is better than the other. It’s important you know what professional you need for where you are right now. 

Notes:

 - A coach often has a broad range of expertise and can wear the coach hat, the consultant hat, or even the therapist hat (if the coach is also a therapist). I always tell my clients which hat I’m wearing when I’m coaching. 

- Coaching is not therapy, but can be therapeutic. We do deal with emotions.
 

I’m unsure if coaching is for me. What if I don’t have the money/time/energy?

I’m glad you asked. Receiving coaching is a time-consuming financial commitment. It is an investment in yourself, not a sacrifice. It requires effort and a strong willingness to play outside of your comfort zone. It is important you ask yourself why you want coaching. What are your intentions? What changes do you want to see? 

The process is only as successful as the amount of energy you decide to put into it. 

I can help you clarify your intentions with a quick, no-strings-attached call. Contact me.

What can I expect from a coach?

I value collaboration, so clients can expect a strong partnership from me where we both put our weights in the working relationship. The most engaged and committed we both are in coaching, the best results you can get out of it. You need to be ready to be challenged about how you think about things, to think hard and deep while also having fun and being supported with kindness and compassion.

Also, choosing the right coach for you is important. I encourage you to interview a few different coaches to sense their energy and feel if it’s a right fit for you. Check the hiring tips from the ICF.

A certified ICF coach (ACC, PCC, MCC) is also expected to follow the standards of the profession and pledge to follow the coaching ethics.  

Are you certified?

Yes.  I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) with the Coaches Training Institute. I also have my Professional Certified Coach credential (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF). I have over 2000 hours of coaching (as of March 2026) and close to 3000 sessions completed. 

How does the payment work? 

You can pay monthly or in full. You can pay by transfer or credit card. 

Can you guarantee results?

What I can guarantee is that I’ll do my utmost best to be your champion and guide during your journey. As it’s a partnership, a collaboration, you also need to pull your weight. Coaching is one way to grow, learn, and transform yourself. Which means it’s inherently challenging because it’s about change. 

Your own commitment to yourself will be the biggest factor in seeing results. I often tell my client that the “magic” of coaching actually happens outside of the session. It’s one thing to talk about what challenges, having light bulb or ah ha moments, it feels wonderful but it’s as important to do the leg work as well and practice and implement the new ideas that came out of our conversations.  

What does “Talpa & Co.” mean? 

The name of my business is an intimate story of acceptance and reframing something seen as “bad” to something to embrace and celebrate. 

Lulu, my oldest and dearest friend from France, calls me “La Taupe”. It means mole in French. I hated that name so much, so so so much for the longest time.

One rainy afternoon, our little girl neighborhood gang was hanging out, as usual, in Lulu’s parents garage. We had cleaned out a nice little corner there, added some second hand coaches (more like fifth hand coaches if you ask me) , a wobbly coffee table and posters of our favorite boy bands. It was stuffy, dusty and always cold but we loved it, it was our private-ish heaven. 

That afternoon, we were all in quite a good mood, bantering happily with each other. I got up to turn on the light (I always wanted to have more light in that room) and true to my clumsiness, I knocked my shin on the coffee table and stumbled away awkwardly, half swearing half laughing to the light switch. We all laughed and Lulu started to joke about how I always wanted to have the lights on (this room was often so dark!!) and how my glasses were so huge and massive. The joke led into the mole nickame, only she knows what the connections are and why. I hated it right away. Moles are ugly, dirty, nobody wants them in their garden and I’m pretty sure there are associations dedicated to kill and destroy them all. I don’t want to be destroyed and unwanted. I was already a teenager struggling with feeling enough, inadequate and ugly, so no, the mole nickname had to go. Of course, it didn’t. Lulu’s superpower is to find nicknames for her loved ones. Her closest friends have them, her family (the ones she likes eh), even her kids. So I got used to it. I tolerated it and made unconvincing protests many times to my friend, who rejoiced even more about it. My little win at the time was that my friend was the only one using it. My family never knew about my “secret” nickname, and I was happy to keep it that way.

Decades later, living in Canada, I was enjoying a lovely evening with my husband and my in-laws in their beautiful comfy little house surrounded by trees, snow and quiet. The walls smell like pine and the small fireplace had logs gently crackling under the high heat of the flames. We were engaged in a game of attributing me an animal. It turned out, in their family, they all give each an animal that represents you, I guess… My mother-in-law, knowing a little bit about my background and the few big changes I made in life, was talking about the constant renewal and transformation I seem to do. We talked about the butterfly and explored this for a while. I love the idea of flying.. If I were a bender (go see the anime Avatar: the Last Airbender), I’d like to be an airbender or even a firebender. 

I said, I wanted to be a phoenix, because phoenixes are cool, beautiful, powerful, colorful, they fly and they are made of fire, and they are immortal (but that I don’t care) ! Perfect fit, I thought. Or was it ? Something kept nagging at me -like a gentle tap tap tap, at the back door of a big 3 storey house, and I’m in a room at the top level, barely hearing the sound but too absorbed looking at the window and dreaming of phoenixes.  

Months later, as I was developing my brand for my business, I knew I didn’t want to just use my name, I needed some distance and wanted to use a representation of who I was and what I wanted to convey. “Phoenix Coaching” somehow didn’t feel powerful, beautiful nor cool. To my grief, it just didn’t resonate. 

Then one day, I had my usual call with my Lulu, who was in France and I was in Toronto, for our bi-weekly catch up. She opened the call and said “Coucou ma Taupe”.  I heard the tap of the door this time. Loud and clear, to my old annoyance and by habit, I tried really hard to deny it, ignore it and bury it but you know what happens when you try to ignore and bury a mole ??? It finds a way to come out of your garden and nag at you to let you know, “I’m here and you’ve gotta learn to live with it !  I am not in YOUR garden, you are in MINE.”   

I looked up “mole” in Latin (I like the etymology of words). It’s “Talpa” in Latin and in Italian too, apparently. I liked it right away, my body felt relaxed and this resonated with me instantly. This helped me to make peace with the affectionate nickname I resisted for so long. Not only make peace, but fully embrace it and genuinely be proud of it. I liked the digging symbolism, the resilience, the idea of slow and steady progress, and moving the dirt. I like to dig deep with people, real deep, even if it’s uncomfortable, dark and scary (especially so).

So, I called my business Talpa & Co. - the Co. because I tend to need people around me to recharge, and love the company. :-)