Posts by Jessica
The Missing Link in Coaching Success
We partner with a wide range of organizations to provide coaching to leaders at all levels. One of the greatest challenges in this work is ensuring that both the individual and the organization see meaningful impact from coaching. For coaching to be effective, the client must know and feel that their conversations with their coach…
Read MoreWhat Motherhood Taught Me About Letting Go
Motherhood has taught me many things: how to feed a screaming baby with one hand while flipping plantains with the other, how to live in 3-hour increments, and how to function on crumbs of sleep. But the most unexpected lesson? Delegation. Before my son, I equated asking for help with falling short. As a first-generation…
Read MoreWhat Our Coaches Are Reading This Summer (Spoiler: It’s Good)
Whether you’re reading from a hammock, a gate-side seat at the airport, or between Zoom calls, this is the season for slowing down—and maybe, digging in. We asked our coaches & consultants to share the books they’re recommending and returning to this season—and they delivered. A wonderfully wide-ranging collection of insightful, uplifting, quirky, and quietly…
Read MoreThe Power of Being Alone (On Purpose)
I recently returned from my fourth annual solo trip. Four years ago, I began this tradition and now it’s something I really look forward to every year. Inevitably, in talking about this trip with friends and colleagues, I’m asked what it’s like to travel by myself and why I would choose to take a trip…
Read MoreThe Enneagram: A path to better results
This month, I’ve invited Anna Sparks, our Chief Operating Officer (and no relation!), to share some of her wisdom on the Enneagram. We use the Enneagram in combination with stage of adult development to help our clients get powerful results including enhanced self-awareness, an expanded view of complex situations, and more choice in how they…
Read MoreThe Art of Disorientation: Reflections from My Thai Adventure
Early June: Hey Jessica, remember you’re on deck for a newsletter about Thailand after your trip, ok? Me: Yep yep, on it. Travel ensues…time passes…. I need to write that newsletter. What about? I’ve written about past travels, how important I think it is, how it stretches us and invites us to grow. I even…
Read MoreWhen to Stop Digging: Embracing Change and Letting Go
Hello and happy summer! I hope the summer is treating you well. This summer is busy for The Sparks Group with a trip to Thailand for me (more on that next month!), Anna moving back to the US, and Emily leaving The Sparks Group after six years with us. It has me reflecting on how…
Read MoreReflecting on 10 Years of Impact: The Sparks Group Journey
June marks the 10-year anniversary of The Sparks Group. Wow! I am regularly asked how my entrepreneurial journey has been, and I often talk about my mindset at various points along the way to describe it. When I first started, I hoped someone would pay me to coach them so I could do the…
Read MoreCrafting Communication is a Strategic Choice
Dear readers, One thing I love about our coaches, facilitators, and consultants is the variety of backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives they bring and share with their clients and with our team. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Julie Guirado, a wonderful leadership coach who often focuses on cross-cultural challenges. I asked her to…
Read MoreRethinking Training as More Than Just a Magical Fix
Dear readers, Today I’m delighted to share some words of wisdom from an amazing Instructional Designer who works with The Sparks Group, Jennifer Eichenberg! Jennifer designs and develops training and leadership development curriculums, reviews training materials and makes recommendations about the most cost-effective way to move forward and is a wonderful all-around partner in our…
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