Coaches, Leaders and Coachness

Our  cohort of coaches & leaders on Coachness through Integrating Coaching Competencies with Indic Wisdom concluded recently.

I have been reflecting on something quietly and as that felt powerful, sharing the same here.Some careers peak at 40.

Some callings begin at 50.

Being an ardent student of Indic Wisdom since 1997, and continuing to learn from living tradition, the ages 35, 36, 41, 42, 45, 48… then the travel from 48 to 51 has been defining.

Now I realise… let’s look at a few parallels from ‘depth psychology’ where Carl Jung spoke about individuation.

That’s the idea that the first half of life is about building identity: career, reputation, family, and social standing.

The second half is about becoming whole.

In our Indic framework, the movement from Grihastha to Vanaprastha traditionally begins around 50.

But if we are aware, ready and open then the preparation could start as early at 41 years.

It’s not withdrawal but reorientation. From living active life for oneself to enabling others.

Yes, something shifts. You are less interested in proving, and more interested in perceiving.

Less driven by ambition, and more guided by alignment.

And I see this often in those who transition into coaching after long corporate careers.

Let us be clear - they are not “starting over but starting deeper.”

Corporate life, when consciously lived, tempers a person.

Judgement ripens due to years of handling pressure, navigating politics, leading / living through uncertainty, and last but not the least, experiencing both success and its limitations.

A ‘consciously lived’ life and ripened judgment helps to ask better questions.

Now - this is not an argument about age. There are great coaches under 40 with extraordinary clarity and rare intuitive intelligence. True, some are exceptionally endowed.

Wisdom is certainly not owned by chronology but integration often requires ‘lived contradiction.’

And remember, ‘lived contradiction’ takes time.

If you are moving into coaching after 20-25 years in corporate life, this may not be a pivot but may be a maturation.

The world doesn’t only need speed, it needs steadiness, and as we know, steadiness is forged, not downloaded 🪷

And Gita addresses the person of steady wisdom as ‘Stithaprajna.’

1) If you are at 41 or above, then what is that one step you would take now, or took to, harness your ‘lived contradictions’?

2) If you are at or below 40, what 3 steps could you take to cultivate steady wisdom?

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We are not expanding for scale as we are deepening for substance.

🗓️ Check https://www.coachness.org/coaching-with-indic-wisdom for upcoming program dates.