Coach FEATURE: Karen Lukanovich MBA, PPCC

We continue to meet our fellow coaches, get inspired and build coach community with our "Meet the Coach" features! This month we meet Karen Lukanovich MBA, PPCC, an Olympian athlete turned coach—who also happens to be one of our awesome guest authors.

About Karen

Lives In: Quebec, Canada

Company: Summit2Summit Coaching

Type of Coach: Leadership & Performance

Describe your coaching business in one sentence: I'm a leadership and performance coach that helps move professional women and athletes from uncertainty and overwhelm to confidence and balance—so they can throw fear to the wind and embrace their power!

Meet Karen

QUESTION 1. What one book should every coach read - and why?

Re-Thinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation by Gabrielle Oettingen.

Backed by large scale research studies, Dr. Oettingen introduces a new way to visualize the future, called mental contrasting. It combines focusing on our dreams with visualizing the obstacles that stand in our way. By experiencing our dreams in our minds and facing reality we can address our fears, make concrete plans, and gain energy to take action.

This approach takes our client’s focus off visual fantasizing and puts it to the actual actions needed to achieve their goals. Oettingen has developed a four-step process is called WOOP—Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan—a very helpful model for coaches as I have found in my practice.

QUESTION 2. Which website do you visit the most?

LinkedIn

QUESTION 3. Whom do you admire most and why?

I don't have one person I admire most but qualities I do admire most in people are courage, hopeful, inclusive, creative, resilient, persistent, compassionate, honest and open.

QUESTION 4. What's your vision for your life? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

At this stage of my life I've learned valuable lessons and have discovered the joy and vital importance of maintaining peak wellness so I can continue to do the things I love to do. My vision for my life in 5 years is to continue living an active and healthy lifestyle that permits me to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. Nature is my balm and my playground.

In so doing I'll bring my best self forward and fuel my purpose as a coach—to give back by coaching women to be the best leaders of themselves and others.

QUESTION 5. What is your "big project" at the moment? OR What are your Top 3 Goals at the moment?

I'm currently working on my first group coaching program The Pathway to Confidence. I'm very excited about this as it is new and challenging and I've developed this topic in response to a universal thread I found coaching professional women and athletes no matter their level of success.

Confidence is key to moving into action and many women are facing change right now that can undermine their confidence and hold them back.

QUESTION 6. What has been your favourite coaching moment so far?

Whether athletes or business professionals, no question the most rewarding and powerful moments for myself are when those I coach achieve positive outcomes they never expected or thought possible for themselves.

QUESTION 7. What are your Top 3 favourite coaching tools and/or resources?

• Values and Tolerations worksheets
• VIA Character Strengths Survey
• The Coaching Tools Company

Editors Note: Get a Free Tolerations Worksheet here >>

QUESTION 8. What do you love most about being a coach?

I starting my journey coaching youth in sport and came to realize I could combine my love of leadership and business development with what I've learned through coaching and mindsets developed in elite sport. I have been thrilled with this new direction my path has taken. Not only am I enjoying the ICF certification process and learning but also the deep personal development along the way.

I believe coaching is a "calling". I love seeing the difference my coaching process makes for those I coach. To see the bloom of self-awareness and self-agency grow, witness them reaching for their goals and their satisfaction with each little win along the way. It's all about the journey! That is most rewarding for me as a coach.

QUESTION 9. Tell us a secret about you...

I'm a secret YouTuber—where I get most of my news clips, opinion pieces (I love PBS) and enjoy the wonderful short films and documentaries found there.

QUESTION 10. If you could change one thing in our world, what would it be? And how would you go about it?

Climate change: spending so much time in nature keeps me connected to that which is so much larger than ourselves. Nature is also wellness and connects us to all living things. If I could change one thing it would be that all humans realize this vital connection, together.

And as in nature everything is a ripple effect. I wish with all my heart we come together to heal and nurture our ailing, beautiful planet. How? We all need to do our part and collectively through activism and compassionate education, change hearts and minds along with lobbying for good policy, regulation and legislation to match.

LEARN MORE about Karen here: Visit Karen's Website here >> Follow Karen on Facebook >> Follow Karen on LinkedIn >> Follow Karen on Instagram >>