Whitney Capps - Do You Need An Executive Coach Or A Therapist?
“Leaders, managers and entire cultures have to have their eyes on people's growth over time. Nobody can grow unless they can make mistakes.” - Whitney Capps
Today’s guest is one of my favorite people in the whole world- my very dear friend Whitney Capps. Whitney is smart, she is kind and she enjoys bad movies just as much as I do- but that’s not what we’re talking about today. Instead we’re talking about our respective jobs; where they intersect and where they diverge.
Whitney is an executive and team coach. I brought her on because I know she does incedible things, AND because I wante to explore my bias against people who call themselves coaches. You’ll hear Sarah and I discuss this, and you’ll hear Whitney shed some new light that challenges my prejudices and reinforces some of my concern around an unregulated industry.
“I’m not a life coach,” says Whitney. “The coaching I do is very specific to work and leadership.” The way we look at it, a good therapist is trained to assist clients with the “life” stuff, the challenges that stem from complex PTSD, interpersonal relationship struggles, or mental health issues. A good coach, conversely, offers task and accountability strategies to optimize already existing talents and skills. “I don't create something that's not already there, I help you find something that might be there; a big distinction in terms of what coaching work is as opposed to some of the other modalities of healers.”
Whitney curates plans that help clients identify and achieve their own goals. “Someone new to coaching might not understand the amount of work that's required. This isn’t a passive thing,” she says. There is some overlap around the strategies used, but “I have to be able to see the person I'm coaching as whole, complete, and resourceful; we aren’t fixing, diagnosing, or treating.”
One of my biases against coaches is that many haven’t adequately investigated their own shit, and their relationships to power. Now to be fair, I also say this about many therapists as well. Fortunately, Whitney recognizes her power in the coach/client relationship and the responsibility she holds for doing her own work. “There's a massive onus on the coach to continue their professional development,” she says. “I find myself broadening the toolkit of ways that I can respond to other people.” That’s another thing our professions have in common.
In my opinion, both the coaching and psychotherapy fields could use more of Whitney’s self-awareness and conscientiousness!
Please enjoy this episode with the delightful Whitney Capps!
Mentioned in this Episode
GUEST CONTACT AND BIO
Whitney Capps (she/her) is on a mission for transformation! Learning is best when it's experiential, community-based, personal and fun. She has been facilitating, training, coaching, hosting development programming for humans for over ten years. Currently, Whitney is sharing her gifts and sharpening her practice with emerging leaders and teams via her own LLC Rootworks and with a number of other coaching/development organizations.
Let’s be friends! You can find me in the following places…
