Who’s Cath? « Mine Your Resources

Who’s Cath?

cathdlowres

Glad you asked! Having worked with a few coaches, counselors and personal development “gurus” in my own learning, I’ve found that, whenever I’ve gotten my best results and learned the most, it’s been because I’ve found the tools and ideas useful AND I’ve gelled with the person sharing those tools and ideas with me. So when you’re deciding who you want to co-create your changes with, try to find out a bit about the person behind the program/s, get a feel for their style, and see if their life experiences and personality resonate with you, so that you can get the most value out of the experience. Here’s a bit about me, so you can decide for yourself if you can see us having a “meeting of minds” and enjoying working together.

As much as I hate the idea of “putting people in boxes”, I have to admit that there are a few personality tests, like Myers-Briggs, that are always on the mark. I’m an INTJ on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and this is what we’re all about:

“Independent, innovative, logical and driven by the inner world of ideas and possibilities, the INTJ often appears to others as a quietly self-confident (and sometimes stubborn) critic of the status quo, convinced that reality can be altered, the future reshaped.

Wherever there is a need for change in systems, programs, concepts or theories, INTJs will be working behind the scenes to reorganize and revise. This type’s focused attention to the personal mission may be inspiring or frankly obsessive, depending on the observer’s viewpoint or the success of the enterprise.

Introspective and somewhat shy, INTJs place their trust in logical analysis and intuition to guide their thoughts and decisions. More feeling types may find them chilly, and more practical types accuse them of being unrealistic, but INTJs take their cues mostly from those they recognize as intelligent.

Often attracted to theoretical, analytical and methodological areas of inquiry, INTJs succeed in a wide variety of fields, from ones heavily dependent on mathematics and science to more philosophical, literary or applied disciplines.”

If you’re curious, you can find out your own Myers-Briggs profile here, and then go here and click on your type for a full explanation of your personality style.

While my guiding work and life assumptions include the idea that, “no matter who you think you are, you are always MORE than that,” here are a few ideas that really resonate for me, when I think of who I am:

I’m a Practical Idealist:

My over-arching life purpose is to have a positive impact in all my interactions and ventures and to be involved in improving quality of life for myself and others. I have an imagination for dreaming up exciting visions of what’s possible, but I’m really more of a “do-er” than a “dreamer.” Results are important and I’m not satisfied with just analyzing the problem or dreaming up possibilities. I’m driven to convert possibilities into realities. And yes, being both a dreamer and a do-er keeps me very busy, hence the “frankly obsessive” reference!

Because I’m a Practical Idealist, you’ll find that:

At the outset of any program, I place alot of emphasis on understanding what RESULTS you want to get.
I encourage you to consider more liberating possibilities.
I ensure that every conversation, exercise or bit of information I share with you is purposeful and designed to help you get the results you want.
I emphasize application. We’ll co-design tasks for you to complete in your own time, to ensure that you affirm your new insights and make real-life changes.

I’m a Contrarian

I must have been born a contrarian because my first word as a baby was “no”. Later in life, I think I converted it to something a little bit more polite, along the lines of, “Yes, I see your point, but…” I’ve always had an enquiring mind and been passionate about asking the un-asked questions, challenging the status quo and uncovering new perspectives. And in recent years, my studies and work in Social Work, NLP and Life Coaching have helped me to become skilled in channeling this passion so that I’ve been able to put it to better use than just tormenting my friends and family with “Yes, buts”.

Alot of people think that the role of a life coach is to dispense advice about what to do with your life. Some life coaches might offer that service, but I certainly don’t (here’s why). A lot of what I do is ask questions - questions that help people to figure out what they want, to uncover what basic assumptions have been in the way, to discredit assumptions that aren’t accurate or useful, and to create multiple new perspectives and options for moving forward.

Because of my Contrarian qualities, you’ll find that:

I don’t just sit and listen - I ask a lot of questions.
I’m very considered, detailed and thorough.
I don’t do hype or cheerleader coaching. I teach you to develop self-motivation, offer you useful tools and ideas, and meet you at both the exciting times and the downright horrible or frustrating times.
I encourage you to question your experiences - including questioning the ideas and tools I share with you. You experience them for yourself and decide for yourself what you want to use.

I’m a Multipreneur

“Multipreneur, Renaissance Professional, Scanner, Slashes, Freestylers, Freelancers, Polymaths” - there are many different names for us, but they all refer to people who are meant to do many things in life. Multipreneurs are usually involved in multiple projects or roles, love learning, tend to straddle creative and analytical roles, are highly productive, and their work is central to their lives - they view their work as a form of self-expression. I’ve enjoyed almost every work role I’ve been engaged in, from mural painting to selling educational toys, to working in child protection. To date, I’ve been a full-time, permanent employee for only about a year of my life, and I’ve rarely been engaged in less than 3 different roles at a time.

Because I’m a Multipreneur, you’ll find that:

I understand the need to custom-design your own workstyle, and how to go about that, since I’ve done it myself.
I work from a broad and diverse knowledge base, and I make up my own mix. Originally trained in traditional psycho-dynamic therapy as a Social Worker, before moving into NLP and Coaching, I can meet you where you’re at and offer the tools that will be most useful to you.
I’m up to date with the latest thinking in personal development, always considering whether there’s a better way, questioning my own assumptions and continuously evolving my practice and programs.
I believe that the ability to learn is the greatest human resource of all (a resource that we all have in abundance) and that exercising this ability is our ultimate purpose for existence. I believe the reason you have this resource is because you’re meant to have, do and be more.

So that’s a bit about me: Cath Duncan, the Practical, Idealistic Contrarian Multipreneur. If you’ve continued reading this far, we may just get on like a house on fire.

If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me at these social media sites:

Twitter
Facebook Personal Profile
Facebook Business Page
LinkedIn

Keen to work together?

Then go here to choose the way of working together that suits you best or email me (cath at mineyourresources dot com) to set up a 30min consultation where I’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you decide. Of course there’s no fee for that consultation and there’s no obligations either - I’d just like you to choose the thing that’s going to help you best.

“If you have high goals for your life, and want someone who can help you achieve them with joy and grace, hire Cath.”

Cath Duncan is as original, insightful, and powerful a coach as you’ll find anywhere in the world. Her specialty is teaching people to navigate high-pressure, rapidly changing situations while feeling calm and performing at high levels of competence–something Cath has mastered personally, and can teach exceptionally well. If you have high goals for your life, and want someone who can help you achieve them with joy and grace, hire Cath. She’s a perfect coach for the twenty-first century.

Dr Martha Beck, Ph D - Life Coach to the Oprah Show, Speaker, & Author