It is International Coaching Week, a time when coaches around the globe offer complimentary sessions to help people experience the value of coaching; and coaches and their clients pause for a moment to reflect on and appreciate the transformative power of the coaching relationship.

At CCVT, we like to celebrate big. We don't want to be limited to a skimpy week-long celebration. So...

Think about your relationships. How often do you take the time to have a positive interaction with your loved ones? How easy is it to fall into negative patterns?

On Valentine's Day we take the time to cherish our partners/loved ones and show our love and appreciation by sending/giving them cards. The marking of the day helps us to focus on the preciousness of our relationships. What would happen if we showed gratitude to those we love like this every day?

How can we choose relationships that help us evolve intentionally? One of my favorite parables on friendship that I use with the young people I coach is Frogs and Crabs. Imagine two buckets: one has frogs in it the other is filled with crabs. You have the choice as to which bucket you would like to be in. As a crab in a bucket of crabs, every time one crab starts to get to the top of the bucket - to success - another crab will grab its leg and pull it back down. Frogs, on the other hand, will jump on one another's backs and help each other jump out of the bucket! Which kind of friend are you? What kind of friends do you want to have? Choose your friends well!

The month of February is very much about relationships, romance, love and commitment. So let's stir things up a little bit this February 2009 -- with change still fresh in the air. Let's talk about a different type of relationship -- your relationship with yourself.

There is no better time than now to take stock of who you are, who you think you are vs. how you are really living your days. Where are you going and why? What's important to you? Are you centered on who you want to be? It is a good idea to stop and contemplate the state of your union with yourself...

Coach Lea Belair has been musing about Social Networking, and the lasting impact Gen Y will have on the nature of relationships in the workplace.

We are thrilled to announce that Sarah Gillen, MA, PCC of Vermont Business Coaching, has joined the Coaching Center of Vermont.

Sarah focuses on coaching leaders and gifted people to achieve more, communicate more effectively, innovate more quickly, and build wealth by blending sound business savvy with a commitment to authenticity, values, Spirit, and the development of internal, energetic skills.

Sarah has 30 years experience and training in systems theory, interpersonal relations, and as a Professional Meeting Lead. She works with executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals as well as with groups and teams. Please join us in welcoming her to the CCVT community.

Evolutionary Coach Lisa Buell has been traveling in India and sends this greeting:

"Hello from India,

Today we'll be heading out to visit our first temples. Asha told us ladies last night that we should dress today as if we were going on a date. The deities are going to get my best."

Later that day... "We did the most awesome thing. As we visited the temples on inauguration day we had the priests invoke the deities for the well being, strength and protection of PRESIDENT Barak Obama, his family and the people of the United States. You cannot imagine the experience of hearing the word Obama over and over in the middle of a Sanskrit mantra chanted by a Brahmen priest in the middle of a 2000 year old Hindu temple.Needless to say, I am bowled over."

Coach Marty Garrett has graduated from a six month training program at the Center for Right Relationship. "The Center for Right Relationship is a thought leader in relationship systems thinking, and the premier training organization for coaches and allied professionals in the theory and practice of Relationship Systems Work." Marty works with individuals, couples, and parents to help them create extraordinary relationships with self, others, and the world.

Considered the capstone of the 10 Steppingstones of a Personal Foundation, "A life fully oriented around your true values" is the topic of this Coachville Caffeine panel discussion, featuring our own Lea Belair. Coaching Caffeine recording from Lea: Below is the link to the CoachVille Caffeine show on Value where I participated as a panel member.

Kim DuBrul is offering a Values Coaching Program. The program includes six one-on-one sessions to clarify your greatest values, find out where you have been focused and use power coaching to define the direction you want to go. This is a two month program, $595 per month and can segue into the full Year of Transformation Program. Contact Kim to explore the possibilities: phone 802-985-2482, or email.

News of the economic, environmental, and political challenges is unrelenting. It seems every time we turn around there is another report of a layoff, of a family losing its home, of people struggling, of wall street greed and malfeasance; of bombings in one corner of the world, and deadly weather in another.

It's enough to put us in a state of endless high alert, and we can feel the impact in every relationship we have: with ourselves, our children, our life partners, our friends, our co-workers, our community, our Higher Power or sense of faith.