As I reflect back on ICC’s year in 2022, the word that comes immediately to mind is “change.” A word that as coaches, and as a community overall, we are all intimately familiar with. Some of these changes within ICC have been exciting, while some have been heartbreaking. In 2022, we lost our beloved Co-Founder Laura Divine, we’ve navigated shifting roles and responsibilities within our team, serious illnesses/death within members of our families, evolving frameworks and accreditation requirements by the International Coach Federation (ICF), the transition of a long-time team member out of ICC, and the welcoming of a precious new team member. That’s a lot of change for this small team. 

However we relate to and hold these changes, we are given a powerful choice when change comes our way in how we navigate the disruptions of these changes, in how we honour the change and in how we trust what then comes budding forth.

One quality that can sooth some of the ragged edges of change and disruption, and help us to work with it more clearly, is compassion. Compassion was our choice. 

...Compassion for our students as they so earnestly apply themselves in our training; with our incredible faculty and ICC team holding, flexing, and adjusting to meet our students in the midst of everything going on in their lives. 

...Compassion for our graduate community for all that they hold as they take this work out into the world in very challenging times; as members of our ICC and Faculty teams offered up one-to-one calls, a supportive ear, and provided skilful feedback on meaningful projects our grads were undertaking.

...Self-Compassion - for each member of this precious ICC team who continue to hold grief, sadness, awe, and joy while skillfully moving forward on behalf of Joanne and Laura’s legacy, and on behalf of alleviating suffering in the world. One essential way we did this was through weekly ICC team “healing & Intention” sessions. Just being on these calls was an act of love, allowing each of us moments to both give and receive, to be held by one another, to breathe, to exhale. 

For those of you wanting to know more directly how self-compassion helps: Self-compassion has been directly linked to fostering resilience in the face of adversity, to increased motivation, and to boosting happiness. Psychology Professor Dr. Kristin Neff says of self-compassion: 

The power of self-compassion is not just an idea – it’s very real and actually manifests in our bodies. When we soothe our own pain we are tapping into the mammalian care-giving system. And one important way the care-giving system works is by triggering the release of oxytocin. Research indicates that increased levels of oxytocin strongly increase feelings of trust, calm, safety, generosity, and connectedness, and facilitates the ability to feel warmth and compassion for ourselves. Oxytocin is released in a variety of social situations, including when a mother breastfeeds her child, when parents interact with their young children, or when someone gives or receives a soft, tender caress. Because thoughts and emotions have the same effect on our bodies whether they’re directed to ourselves or to others, this research suggests that self-compassion may be a powerful trigger for the release of oxytocin.

With that said, as we head into the holiday season, I invite each of you to choose self-compassion, to make space for yourself to feel supported and held by compassion in whatever form that takes for you. I encourage you to take time to explore what brings you comfort. Maybe it’s attending to your body’s well-being is some way. You may feel compelled to write a ‘gratitude letter’ to yourself. Or perhaps it is simply being here, in this moment - “Here now” as was so beautiful said by our dearest Laura Divine.

Curious to learn more about some of the changes we’ve been navigating? Some you may be hearing about for the first time. Read on...

As some of you already know, we lost our dear ICC Co-Founder Laura Divine to cancer on August 12^th, two and a half years after her diagnosis of Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I want to take a moment to express my deep gratitude to the ICC Faculty team and our ICC Community for your outpouring of love and support since Laura’s passing. The skillful care and compassion you showed to Joanne and to the ICC team is simply astounding. Your love and compassion helped us all navigate this devastating change and as Joanne shared with me, was a “balm to her soul”. 

After almost 10 years with ICC, our warm-hearted and dedicated Student Support & Technology wizard Diana Thibodeau has moved on from her role with ICC. Now that she is over 60, Diana is listening to the whispers of her future and what she most needs in the final years of her professional life. Diana has realized that she is longing now for more in-person interaction with people, and with more physical activity in her day. She wants to be ‘out and about’ with people, helping them, and is hoping it will be related to music in some way. We will be saddened to see Diana move on, and will miss her energy, her deep desire to be of service, her willingness to learn new things, and her warmth. We wish Diana all the best as she takes these next steps and HeartFULLY thank her for great care and generosity in supporting our students, faculty, and team. Diana has a few words to share with you as she completed this meaningful chapter in her professional life:

“As I move into this new chapter of my life, I will be forever grateful to an Integral Master Coach™ for letting me know that ICC was looking for someone to help support their growing business. My dear friend said I’d be ‘perfect for the job’… I might not go that far… but I would say that the job was perfect for me! I stepped into a company that works diligently to reduce suffering in the world and does so with such grace and love. The staff and faculty I have worked with amazed me every day with their clear intention to SEE and support each other and students. This team is made up of beautiful souls and I love each one of them! I am so grateful that I have had all these years with ICC and ICC will forever be in my heart. I will treasure my time with ICC. I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime. Thanks to an Irish musician, Hozier, for penning my slogan for all the beautiful souls (staff, faculty, students, and coaches) that I’ve met during my time with ICC, whether virtually or in person… “I fall in love just a little ‘ole little bit, every day with someone new.” Every time I hear this song, I will be thinking of you all.”

To help us navigate these changes, we are also excited to announce that in January 2023, Integral Master Coach™, Adamantia Klonaris, will be joining the ICC team in the role of Student & Technology Support. Those of you who have taken classes with us in the last few years may have already experienced Adamantia’s heart and skill as Zoom Host of one of our offerings. Adamantia will provide student support for PCM and MCM, will continue to Zoom Host as well as manage Zoom for ICC, and will also be involved in supporting various technology with ICC. We are thrilled to welcome Adamantia into this expanded role within the ICC team. Here are a few words from Adamantia as she gets ready to move into this new role:

“I am honoured to be joining the ICC team! My own journey of becoming an Integral Master Coach™ was a deeply transformational adventure, a journey in which my perception of the world has forever changed, along with great impact on myself, my clients, and the beings around me. I particularly love how the Integral Coaching® Method supports unity of body, heart, mind, and spirit, and bridges theory and practice - leading to embodiment. These elements, my direct experience with the dedicated and loving ICC team and my deep desire to support realizing the potential of humankind are a few of the many reasons that drew me to working with ICC. I am passionately looking forward to joining this team, and am very excited to personally welcome, support and witness prospective students going through their journeys of transformation, as they arrive in the warm-hearted and solid learning container of ICC!” 

In looking ahead at 2023, a few sneak peeks!

Our winter and spring 2023 offerings are already starting to fill up as we look forward to another year of sharing our developmental, transformative Integral Coaching® method with the world. 

As an existing ACTP-ICF accredited school, we worked closely with the ICF these past few months to submit our transfer application towards becoming a Level 2 ICF-Accredited Coaching Education. We look forward to finalizing this process in early 2023 and to officially sharing this news with you. Stay tuned!

We’re honoured to share that 2023 will kick off with a poem that is deeply meaningful to ICC Co-Founder Joanne Hunt, following soon after by a powerful blog early in the new year, written by Joanne, with more insights around how to be with, and work with, disruption.

Thank you for your attention, care, and engagement with ICC in 2022. If you have enjoyed an article or video of ours or liked a photo of one of our classes on social media, you are a part of this community, and we would love to hear from you. 

For those of you that celebrate the holiday season, may this festive time of year be spent with those you love the most. Whether you celebrate the holiday season, or not, I wish you a joyous ending to 2022. May these next few weeks be full of love, laughter and compassion. I look forward to seeing you in 2023!

Val Rosettani

Managing Director

Integral Coaching Canada