There is a scene in the movie Pretty Woman when Richard Gere’s character is seen in a park in his suit and tie along with Julia Roberts. During the scene, Gere is on the phone conducting business and Roberts proceeds to remove his shoes and socks.  That simple act of having him feel the grass beneath his feet liberates him.   He has officially broken the rules and freed himself from the buttoned up corporate world.  That image has stuck with me for years.

I love pushing people outside their normal comfort zones.  As an executive coach it is my job to help my clients to thinking and act differently. A change of venue is one of the easiest ways to help free people from their traditional ways of thinking and being. 

My grandfather, Dr. Allan Fromme was a prominent New York City based psychologist who worked with several CEOs.   Dr. Fromme recognized the challenge of pulling his patients away from their work, even for a therapy session.  Many wanted to have him meet them in their offices making the session seem more like a business meeting.  While Dr. Fromme generally saw patients in his own office, from time to time, sessions were conducted while walking in Central Park, over lunch in an interesting restaurant or on the beach in the Hamptons requiring the patient to drive two hours each way for a session walking on the beach. The purpose was to stir change in one’s routine and daily behavior. In so doing, the businesslike atmosphere to which the patient was addicted was removed and a more personal backdrop was established.

I have incorporated this thinking into my executive coaching practice.  COVID-19 has pushed much of my coaching online.  The majority of my coaching sessions are now conducted via Zoom.  I believe strongly in the importance of face to face communication when coaching.  While in person is most desirable, video calls are the next best thing.  Video calls are engaging, allow for observing body language and free both participants of other distractions.  In my quest to get creative and to further engage my local clients I have taken to coaching in some unique locations.  Below are some of the cool and interesting places I have met clients during the pandemic.

• Under a gazebo at a county park’s baseball fields

• On a waterfront walking trail where we spent an hour walking along the lake

• On paddle boards.  We paddled along Mountain Island Lake during our coaching session

• At the US National Whitewater where we sat in the shaded beer garden

• At CAMP North end, an urban reuse and redevelopment venue

• At a supermarket’s outdoor patio

Each of these venues were chosen because they allowed for social distancing and challenged the coachee to view their world through a different lens. The world in which we live is evolving quickly as a result of COVID-19.  This requires that we all adapt and make changes to the way we work and live our lives.  Shifting venues and getting my coaching clients to engage in coaching in new unconventional locations, is just one way that I can help model the changes required for continued success in our new world.

If you feel stuck and need a change, take off your shoes and go for a walk in a grassy field, or consider hiring a coach to help you rethink how you are approaching life and work.