By: Najwa Yasmeen
She sits in her comfy chair, book in hand with tea beside her. She ponders the question posed during her previous coaching session and takes a deep breath. She sips her tea and savors it. Visions of success cross her mind, and she smiles as she cracks open her book. She is prepared to take Sheryl Sandberg’s advice to lean in. She smiles and whispers Tiffany Haddish’s phrase, “She ready!”
Biblio-coaching is when a coach partners with you to read books that encourage you to reflect, determine the learnings you want to engage with, and apply those learnings to your life; so you may achieve self-actualization and life transformation.
Biblio-coaching is life coaching with a book. As a coach, I am here to partner with you as you make moves to propel yourself through life. As a biblio-coach, I support you in doing this with a book.
Yes, you can think of all those self-help books, yet I encourage you to expand your thinking. Each book may enable you to grow, from fantasy to memoirs to science fiction and religious/spiritual texts. A memoir may show you someone who’s done what you want to do and give you ideas on how to move forward. Meanwhile, fantasy or science fiction books may encourage you to look beyond your normal parameters and step into spaces you’ve never dreamed of.
The books you read will encourage greater self-reflection, increase understanding of those around you, and encourage you to take action (Chiaet, 2013; Kidd & Castano, 2013; Kourkouta & Frantzana, 2018).
You can do all these things yourself, yet we are social beings. It has been noted that humans excel in a community with others.
- If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. – African Proverb
- Teamwork makes the dream work. – Colloquial Phrase in the United States
- “Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaption. Civilization, like intelligence, may serve well, serve adequately, or fail to serve its adaptive function. When civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by unifying internal or external forces.” – Parable of The Sower, Octavia E. Butler
Allow a coach to be a part of the community that lifts you up and encourages you to move forward on your life journey. Through confidential conversations, you and your coach may discuss the challenges blocking your success and how to overcome them. [Please note: conversations are confidential until you share intentions to harm yourself or others, at which point the coach will take action to ensure everyone is safe.]
When you work with a biblio-coach, this support looks like this:
- Sourcing books. Your coach will ask you key questions to support you in finding a book that is suited to your learning style, needs, and interests.
- Engaging with the text. You and your coach will read/listen to the text.
- Reflecting on the text. You will share reflections on the text, and your coach will help you dive deeper by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions.
- Noting key learnings you want to apply to your life. You will determine what new understandings, ideas, and strategies are related to your life and the success you want.
- Taking action. You will list how you will enact these learnings and reflect on your progress with the coach.
In this whole person-centered partnership, the coach is listening to your knowledge and how it relates to books. We are simply using books as a vehicle for reflection that encourages mindset shifts, question creation, and action-taking. Biblio-coaching, and life coaching in general, only work when you put forth an effort, as the product and outcomes are based on you. You have the knowledge you need to transform, change, and enhance your life. I, or your coach, will be beside you on this journey toward self-actualization and transformation.
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Chiaet, Julianne. “Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy.” Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2013.
Kidd, David Comer, and Emanuele Castano. “Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind.” Science, vol. 342, no. 6156, 2013, pp. 377–380., https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239918.
L, Kourkouta, et al. “Reading and Health Benefits.” Journal of Healthcare Communications, vol. 03, no. 04, 2018, https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-1654.100149.
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About the Author
Najwa Yasmeen is a learner, educator, and coach. During her time as a teacher and full-time non-profit professional, she found herself excited to support the professional development of her peers and fellow employees. With this realization, Najwa encountered her love of coaching and course building, which she incorporated with her insatiable desire for the written word. Najwa is the founder and Chief Wordsmith and Action Taker at Words & Action, LLC, where she partners with women to create the lives they want through coaching and book-based learning opportunities.
Journey Coaching 
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