I have been a Peer Financial Coach with the Ron Blue Institute for eight months. I remember being nervous and also excited about the new opportunities ahead when I started my training to become a coach. My fears were mainly because of my fear of not knowing what to expect. NEXUS Peer Coaching was a unique experience that pushed me to come out of my shy shell. During the forty-hour training week, I learned a lot more technical knowledge about finances. We discussed many topics that are related to finances with the goal of being knowledgeable enough to explain concepts to clients if needed. One exercise that helped me during the training week was the “How/What Exercise” that requires you to only ask questions starting with how and what. This exercise develops skills of asking good open-ended questions. Asking great questions is the best way to have great flow to a conversation.

After my training, I started to meet with students. The first couple of meetings I was extremely nervous, but I continued to get better after every meeting. My training with the “How/What Exercise” started to pay off. Many of the people that I met with were also nervous about meeting, they and were not going to open up right away unless I asked good questions and listened to what they were saying. Making my clients feel heard was the best way to get them engaged in a continuous, flowing conversation.

On top of sharpening my listening skills, I am also thankful for the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about financial issues from a biblical perspective. At first, I thought my job was to help others with their financial issues, but one unexpected result of being a coach was better knowledge of my financial situation. In order to assist clients, I needed to first help myself.

I would recommend to anyone to become a coach. Helping others with financial literacy is a very rewarding experience but also benefits you as a coach. Feel free to email me at [email protected] for any questions about my experience or to continue the conversation.