Will exchange my coaching for...

I like the concept of sharing. Swapping. Goods, services.

We are all familiar with "sharing economy". What we know today as sharing economy though is closer to the concept of access economy, as some claim. There are intermediaries between the ones that want to share, intermediaries who profit from the exchange. I believe the idea behind sharing economy is more naive or utopian than what is has actually become. We wanted to do better, be there for one another, use and waste less. It was less about the profit.

But what does it have to do with coaching?

I coach because I want to empower people and make them feel lighter. At the beginning of Covid lockdown I offered a few free session since I believe everyone could or should have access to coaching or therapy no matter what their financial situation is. Many people struggle now more than usually. Some coachees though struggled with the fact that they were not being able to give back. The reciprocity piece was there, as gratitude is more than enough, but it was not obvious. That is why I want to give the strangers the chance to give back and maybe more agency?

I remember years ago I met a woman, who worked in fashion, if I remember correctly, but next to her job she was baking bread. Yes. Bread. Her name is Malin Elmlid. She was (still is?) baking sourdough bread to exchange it for something else. Whatever a stranger could offer: art, other delicacies, cooking courses.

I found the concept so beautiful.

Recently I was scanning a Dutch magazine Jan and I came across a sentence there that brought me back to the "baking-bread-lady" from 10 years ago. The sentence from an interview with Annemieke van Beek read: "I decided not to sell my paintings, but to swap them" (translated from Dutch). And then I thought: this is brilliant and I want to be a part of it. SO. Get your homemade jams, pickles, kombuchas ready. Maybe you have art skills that I lack or a book that you think I would like. If you have a smile to give, that is already more than enough. In any case, if you need a listening friend or a coaching ear, I am here for you.