Testimonials about Cindy Barkanic's coaching

• “Cindy has a very welcoming aura that invited me in and made for honest dialogues about my career direction and decisions. It is extremely refreshing to openly share thoughts and have Cindy offer insights that I had not considered. She locked in on the career roadblock (and mind-blocks too) and had the best suggestions to work around them. She gently pushed me to work through some things to be more successful. I believe Cindy has an excellent grip on identifying what approach works best with an individual. We didn’t always just talk. She utilized other tools like meditation moments before/after the sessions, using picture cards, and writing out actionable items on an easel board. This kept the sessions interesting!”  –R.B.

• "Cindy is a tremendous coach. High emotional intelligence and deep capacity for empathy are just a few of the skills she brings to coaching. Cindy as the unique ability to truly appreciate what others are going through professionally and “walk a mile in their shoes.” She was also highly organized and systematic in all coaching sessions and tracked minute details of previous conversations, comments, attitudes. This was essential for tracking progress though the sessions.” –D.L.

• “We made an instant connection at a Speed Coaching event, and I decided from there to formalize my coaching experience. The biggest takeaway for me is to be open minded. At first I did not think that coaching could benefit me. Cindy did an excellent job listening to the issues I was bringing to the table and effectively asking questions to help me come to a conclusion to help me solve the issue at hand.” –M.B.

• “I’ve really appreciated and valued the coaching sessions (and I’ve encouraged/directed several officers to sign up for coaches, so you KNOW I’m a true believer). Cindy has a really approachable demeanor and a deft touch in terms of ensuring that the conversation keep moving in a constructive way. She also introduced some creative tricks (like cards and breathing exercise) to help my brain move in a different direction. I was also particularly thankful for how she somehow managed to project validation without giving her opinion on things.” –L.G.

• “Cindy is very strong in assessing a problem and guiding to solutions. She was able to sense any feelings or emotions tied to a situation and address those feelings or emotions through acknowledgment, which made me feel like she really understood me and my challenges. Coaching gave me a chance to air my challenges and get assistance with thinking through all options work related and personal. Cindy addresses the whole person.” –R.P.

• “Cindy exemplifies the skills of active listening. She knows how to push a conversation in a productive direction without directing it. She has a remarkable capacity to remember small details from earlier conversations and to connect disparate threads into an underlying theme I couldn’t have recognized on my own. She’s compassionate, generous with her time, and shares freely about her own journey in a way that builds rapport and—perhaps unintentionally—offers me with a role model for how to stay more centered, other-focused, and generous in my own life. Cindy also did a remarkable job of coaching me virtually, establishing rapport without face-to-face contact, and adapting exercises to the environment.” –A.S.

• “Cindy was prepared for the session and had sufficient experience and knowledge to pivot to other more relevant approaches as needed. A couple times, my attitude/anxiety/stress level caused a change in our coaching session on the fly, and I was able to relax and get a lot out of the session. Coaching helps you pull the veil back and honestly look at what you’re doing and decide the best path forward. It is nice to talk to someone without a vested or biased interest in what should be done. Thank you very much, and your future coachees are in good hands.” –D.G.

• “I truly loved the mindfulness. We would start out with the breathing and focusing, then we would end with the mindfulness. It set the beginning of our coaching and the end of our coaching time. It was helpful to start with a clear mind and to end with a clear mind. Cindy created a safe place for me to talk. That was so important to me because I don’t always know who to trust. Her trusting and calm demeanor made me comfortable to say what I needed to say. Coaching isn’t always easy. I was pushed (in a good way) to think of what my priorities are and how I build my decisions on those priorities. She had a way to see things in a different perspective. This one time, when I thought my boss’s particular behavior was bad, she helped me turn it around to see it another way that was clearer. That particular time was real eye opener for me. I now act differently toward my boss, and it has helped our professional relationship."  –R.K.