There’s a hole in the middle.
Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by it, maybe because it's true, but coaching seems to have become much more mainstream in the past years. Still, I'm often asked why people sign up for coaching. Is it therapy? (No.) Is it mentoring? (No.) Is it business consulting? (No).
Is it all about donuts? Obviously, yes.
You see, most people who seek out coaching are motivated, high-achieving, thoughtful individuals. They might feel that way, they might not, but my experience has proved this to be true. In addition, they often fall into two donut categories: traditional ring or filled.
The traditional ring-type has a shiny exterior, a glossy glaze, or is coated in rich goodness as shown above (FYI: that's a peanut butter pretzel vegan donut). They come in all flavors imaginable and in general, look pretty good to the outside eye. They have it together. But beyond the fancy facade, there's a hole. Is something missing? These traditional donuts come to coaching to explore why they have a hole in the middle.
Filled donuts are another story. On a good day, there's some powdered sugar or maybe a frosty glaze on the outside, but overall, the general appearance is nothing to write home about (in my opinion). The filled donut type of folks might be struggling with something on the exterior: to gain traction at work, to embrace a new identity, to maintain strong relationships. Filled donuts are often hiding all the gooey goodness that they have inside. Coaching helps to take stock of the external factors and dig deep inside for the answers.
In the end, the magic of donuts (and crullers, donut holes, and all their distant relatives) is that they are already perfect. (Again, personal opinion. I've never met a donut I didn't like.) That hole in the middle is not really a missing piece, it's a perfectly placed space that gives the donut its identity. That being said, it's still common to experience the hole as something missing. That's where coaching comes in: to expand perspective, discover biases, and examine your identity as a whole (not a hole.)
As for the filled donut, all the cream or jam or chocolate filling is just exactly what the plain-jane exterior needs to make it delicious. Even when things don't seem to be looking great on the outside, there's everything inside that transforms dull to decadent. It can be easy to dismiss ourselves when we compare how we stack up to others on the outside. Coaching is a space to dive deep, get messy, and sort through the gooey, yummy filling that makes a filled donut so tasty.
So yes, coaching is all about donuts. It's about reimagining a perfect product so it can do what it does best: give joy!
That's the story of what coaching has to do with donuts. I have yet to meet a non-lover of donuts, but I encourage you to challenge me. And I am ok with any and all donut variations. I also accept the more antiquated doughnut spelling if that's something you prefer. If you're interested in setting up a coaching session, you know where to find me!
In the meantime, read more about donuts/doughnuts or if you're in Berlin please check out Brammibal's for their vegan donuts. If you're elsewhere, send me a list of donuts to discover in the future!
Sending snowflakes,
Henna
PS: As for the chipped nail-polish: the moral of the story is, that donut is so good I don't really care about my nail polish.