Play Life Coaching Method Class

Become a  Transformation Coach With the Spirit of Play

Hi there! Coach Dave here with you.

I am pumped up to share with you about the Play Life Method Program for Coaches and Players!

In this 12-week program you will learn how to guide the path of transformation that is our Human Birthright!

In this program we explore, express and amplify the Human Nature Superpower:
The Urge to BECOME!

• With the Urge to BECOME we can choose our playful practice.
• We can live a life of Self-Expression
• We can enjoy the beauty and the freedom of the Spirit of Play!

This Coach Education Program is for you if you are a Transformation Coach or Coach Approach Leader; Somewhere between just starting out and coaching for many years. In other words, this Coaching Method is engaging for coaches at all levels.

The Play Life Coaching Method can be used for a broad spectrum of pursuits including personal growth, business, leadership, health… any aspect of life where people want to make a positive change through practice, self-expression and the Spirit of Play.

Play Better for their Dream

Just like a basketball coach guides a player to play basketball better
or a violin coach guides the player to play violin better.

As a Transformation Coach with the Play Life Method we guide our players to Play Life Better!

And just like in basketball or violin there is always a player with a dream, a vision, a desire.

The player sees themselves…

• doing the activity a lot better than they can do it now,
• having amazing peak experiences
• making a bigger impact
• feeling more capable, more energized, more alive
• co-creating with their clients, colleagues or friends
• inspiring anyone who watches them play.

They may or may not be aware of how much personal transformation will be required to fulfill their dream; either way is OK. (sometimes it’s better not to know!)

As a Transformation Coach,

you want to be the catalyst, the change agent of the inner transformation that leads to their dreamed of peak experiences out in the world.

You want to share from your life experiences of both the inner world and doing stuff out in the social world; you aim to contribute massively to the player living their dream!

You want to be the in-demand, go to transformation coach
for the amazing Humans in your community
who desire to play BIGGER in their world.

AWWWW yeah! So fun.

Let’s talk about Transformation

Transform Your Life as a Player

From: Work

To: Play

The long version:

From: Obsessing over completing tasks perfectly and fixing problems

To: Playing for a Dream with self-expression and the spirit of play

Transform Your Life as a Coach / Leader

From: Hierarchical – Make sure the people you are in charge of do things the right way.

To: Egalitarian ~ Encourage and enjoy the unique contribution of everyone around you. 

Team Play for Transformation!

We provide you with amazing resources to share with your players so that they can become equal co-creators of the coaching experience WITH you. This enables you to provide a comprehensive program for your players from Day 1.

Player Resources

Player Playbook – Guides through the concepts and techniques used in each coaching session from the player perspective

Player Prep Audio – walks through the concepts used in each coaching session in an auditory way

Playsheets – A visually attractive way to take a few notes from each session and track progress through the program.

Additional Coach Resources

Coach Playbook – Walks through concepts and techniques for each step of the Method from the coaches perspective

Coaching Guides – Step by step, word-for-word, path to Play Life coaching while you are learning

Coaching Session Audio – Recordings of a complete set of Play Life Coaching sessions that follow the same Coaching Guides that you will use.

What you will learn…

BY PLAYING and PRACTICING!

Three Transformation Models

• Social Play
• 64 YOUnique Superpowers
• Energy Alignment

Six Transformation Techniques

and when/how to use them!

• Dream Activation
• Peak Experience
• Role Play
• Pivotal Moment
• Supermind Connection
• Toleration Zapping

Nine Steps of the Method

• Step #1) Share the Dream
• Step #2) Design the Way to Play (with Social Play)
• Step #3) Play for results with actions
• Step #4) Embrace Challenges
• Step #5) Evaluate Feedback
• Step #6) Practice Skills
• Step #7) Play Plan for your Superpowers
• Step #8) Expand Inner Freedom
• Step #9) Expand World Power (Design a thriving ecosystem)

Play Language

The Spirit of Play and Play language set coaching apart from every other approach to Human Achievement. When you focus your conversations on playing big for a dream and playing better you will never be confused with another type of professional. If your aim is to become a Professional Transformation Coach then this is essential for you. 

SO MUCH FUN!

In the Zoom class you will experience a lively combination of large and small group conversations and 1-1 practice dyads. At CoachVille we learn by practicing together!! You will meet classmates from all around the world.

*This course qualifies for 24 live Coach Training ICF CCEUs; 12 2-hour sessions

** This course is part of the Center for Coaching Mastery Certification Program

The Butterfly Moment

From the Play Life Method “Player Playbook”

The Butterfly is a symbol of transformation.

The butterfly begins its life as a caterpillar. Crawling around slowly with a daily routine of consuming a lot of vegetation.

Let’s say the caterpillar is a task-oriented consumer!

Sounds familiar.

But then, something stirs within the caterpillar; its butterfly nature is calling to it and it knows…

It’s Butterfly Time!

So, it finds a safe place and spins itself into a cocoon.

Then it liquifies it’s body and forms a new body with a set of wings

Then it uses the cocoon as an exercise station to build the wing strength needed to fly.

Then… it breaks free… and flies!!

Now as a butterfly it appears to be at play.

Dancing with the breeze.

Co-creating – by pollenating – the flowers and vegetables. It plays a vital role in the ecosystem while bringing delight to all who have the opportunity to see it in action.

A Transformation Coach with the Play Life Method

Let’s explore a few elements the butterfly’s true story as a metaphor for Transformation Coaching.

Transformation

From: Task-oriented consumer

To: playful co-creator

While the butterfly does its transformation once in a lifetime, we humans can transform many, MANY times.

We find ourselves in a routine with a lot of tasks that we have done before; and consuming a lot. (Social updates? Or Entertainment perhaps?) You know what it is for you.

Then something stirs within you. A new Dream is calling to you from your Human Nature… It’s butterfly time! For us, it’s transformation time.

This is where your Transformation Coach comes on to the scene.

You need a safe space: (a cocoon of sorts)

To liquify your inner self = to explore and uplevel your intentions, desires, beliefs and social fears.

To exercise and PRACTICE with your new set of wings = your social play actions and your emerging superpowers.

To play in the breeze and pollenate the flowers = engaging in social play to relate, create, explore and experiment while contributing to the ecosystem around you.

Meanwhile, inspiring everyone who has the opportunity to see you at play!

The butterfly as a metaphor for Transformation coaching using the Play Life Method

1) The caterpillar does NOT become a butterfly by trying to fix their caterpillar problems! The Caterpillar trusts and expresses its butterfly nature every step of the way. In our lives as Humans, we don’t focus on our problems to transform. Instead, we focus on trusting and expressing our YOUnique Superpowers!

2) The Human version of the cocoon is the safe space of practice with a transformation coach. The difference is that while the butterfly is in there once, exercising until it is ready to set itself free to play in the world, we Humans do this on a regular basis. We go into our practice space for a short period of time and then out to the world to express what we practiced. We go back and forth between practicing in a safe space and playing in the world.

3) As Humans, we start out as butterflies; playing and delighting all who have the opportunity to see us in action. Then the Industrial Control Culture devolves us into caterpillars: task-oriented consumers. Transformation Coaching with the Play Life Method is a way to reclaim your butterfly nature: our YOUnique Superpowers.

4) We have all heard of the story of the human who intervenes in the process by cutting open the cocoon, so the young butterfly doesn’t have to “struggle” to get free. Then the poor creature falls to the ground… all butter… no fly!

Play Life Coaching is about being in the cocoon!

Liquifying = reforming intentions, desires and beliefs and

Exercising = practicing the activities of Social Play.

A Transformation Coach embraces with you the challenges, strong emotions, failure and feedback that you will experience on your transformation journey.

They won’t cut open the cocoon when they think you are struggling! You aren’t struggling… you are exercising!

If you feel the stirring of your Awesome Human Nature inside of you…

YES! It’s butterfly time!

From the Player Playbook

The Play Life Program is a 12-Session Coaching program designed to guide you on an adventure of transformation: becoming the next version of you… and the next version too.

From: Worker mindset

To: Player mindset.

And maybe more importantly…

From: Stressful

To: Playful

And one more:

From: Consumer

To: Co-creator

OK, one more…

From: Fighting against change

To: Flowing with growth

It’s all about embracing ongoing transformation. You can always become the next version of you; to live life more fully, or to more joyfully adapt to changes happening around you.

We have all be fully indoctrinated into the Industrial Culture of Control where we are supposed to do the same things day after day while distracting our minds by consuming entertainment and all sorts of numbing addictions.

We believe that REAL LIFE can be an amazing growth-oriented adventure… EVERY DAY. But to live our Dreams every day we need to transcend the mindset of control.

On a regular basis we can transform from who we are to our next version… and the next version and the next one. Becoming an inspiration for everyone around us.

This will take some effort… BUT it is not something you do alone. For Humans when our “Butterfly Moment” arrives, this is when we need a Transformation Coach.

This is the purpose of Transformation Coaching with the Play Life Method!

Each session with your coach will build upon the last so that your self-expression grows, your spirit of play returns and your connection with your coach builds as you become powerful companions and co-creators.

Next let’s briefly explore some of the core concepts of the Play Life Method.

1) The world is a playground. (not a school or a job)

2) Life is for play. Humans are born to play.

3) The BEST way for two people to do ANYTHING is to Play Together… so co-create!

4) We believe that playful practice, judgment-free awareness and tenacious self-love are WAAY better than micro-management and feeling anxious about making mistakes.

If you believe what we believe, then you should learn Play Life coaching with us.
And we will LOVE to have you in our community of wise rebels!

YES!!!

OK.

How do you play life?

How do we practice life?

GREAT QUESTIONS!!!

Let’s get into it…

Four Moments of Social Play Model

We have a little model to help you shift your mindset from worker to player: Relate, Create, Explore, Experiment. (it has a ring to it!)

As a coach you will guide your player to add activities in these four areas into thier plan each week; this will guide them toward the experiences they desire, the impact they desire and personal transformation AT THE SAME TIME!.

Here is an important insight to consider: Anything that you cannot control but you can influence is an opportunity to play and play better with a coach!

So, I want you to wonder… to dream… of what you would do if you were able to increase your positive connection in the social world around you.

These are the four types of activities: Moments of Social Play.

• A play-able moment is a coach-able moment that you can improve through practice.
• Social play means that it involves co-creating the experience with one or more other people rather than completing a task in isolation as was the norm in the Industrial Age of Control.

The BIG idea of shifting your focus from completing tasks to social play is this: with social play you don’t know what the outcome is going to be; there is mystery; there is possibility; this brings a much deeper experience of aliveness! YES!!!!

Relate for Influence (AKA Play for “Yes”)

Relate means talking to other people! This is pretty much what we do all the time in life. It becomes playful where there is an opportunity for positive influence like when you are making an offer to do something with someone and they might say “yes”, but they might say “no”.

People are yearning to be a more positive influence in the lives of the people that they care about.

You can coach them to do this better!

Create for Inspiration (AKA to share with others)

Creating is when you make a thing or you design an experience that you aim to share with others to inspire them; for examples: writing, recording, designing, planning. The sharing part is all about participation and contribution. This is very much in line with the idea that “Life is Performance Art”; which is a concept we talk about a lot in coaching.

People are yearning to use their abilities to make something good, to matter, to contribute to others, to contribute to life.

You can coach them to do this better!

Explore for Visibility (AKA to See and Be Seen; to know and BE Known)

Exploring is when you go into a new territory OR something you created goes into a new territory.  You are stepping into the unknown (hopefully with a sense of wonder) It can be a physical place, a social media platform or even a new idea. You explore to see and experience new people and new places; and also to BE SEEN and KNOWN by new people.  This often leads to an invitation to meet to get to know each other better.

People are yearning to belong, to connect, to be seen and known for who they REALLY are, to be appreciated and respected.

You can coach them to do this better!

Experiment for Change (AKA to Try New Ways)

Experimenting is any time you do something that you have not done before OR you do something that you have done in a new way. Often when we experiment, we have an idea or a hope of what will happen but we don’t actually know. A key to success is to start with an intention, be open to new possibilities AND keep track of what happens; and most important is to not look at any outcome as a failure but as learning.

People are yearning to express themselves more fully, to trust themselves more deeply, to come alive.

You can coach them to do this better!

As a transformational coach you will be able to guide your players to look at everyday life through this model.

OH! You are going to enjoy doing this with your players.
No matter what you do in life or where you go, you will know how to do something that is always in demand: Guide Personal Transformation!

Next… let’s talk about BECOMING by expressing our YOUnique Superpowers

Superpowers for Play Playsheet

YOUnique Superpowers for Play

We all have unique abilities within us that we rarely notice or express until we are playing BIG for a Dream.

Our BIG Dreams call for us dig deep within ourselves to find the qualities – the energies – that we need to fulfill the dream.

As a coach you will guide your player on a path of discovering and then practicing their Superpowers for Social Play. In this process is it very helpful – powerful even – to have the right words to describe these qualities.

This was the driving force for creating this invaluable playsheet of Superpower Words. It is loosely based on the ancient Chineese text called the I Ching (Book of Changes) The wisdom of the book is that our Human Situations are always changing and that we ahve the power within us to both cause and adapt to these changes.

Try it for yourself right now!

1) Think of what you are trying to do and who you aim to become in your life right now.

2) Scan the playsheet and see if any phrases jump out at you… YES! This is who I need to become.

You probably see more than one.  It’s fun!

When you use this playsheet with your players they will experience powerful shifts in energy when they NAME their Superpowers, practice them with you, and then go out into the world to play for their Dream.

OK… one more powerful model for Play Life… The Energy Alignment Game:

Energy Alignment Game Model

From the Player Playbook…

The Energy Alignment Game

You know how… often the most technically capable artist or athlete often doesn’t create the most compelling performance? What is that about?… It’s Energy!!

There is SOOO much more to life than meets the eye! (and ear etc.)

This is the way we transform:

From: struggling hard

To: being in the flow.

And it’s really FUN!

Over the next 12 weeks, as your Coach is guiding you to play better, I will share with you – in this playbook and the accompanying audio – about how to align your energy with your Dream. Energy Alignment is “baked in” to the Play Life Method. So you don’t have to TRY to do it. It will happen naturally as you play! 

This is playing “in the growth zone”. It’s GOOD!

Each time in your life that you uplevel your dream, and the impact you aim to have in the world, you also need to re-align your energy. Most people don’t do this and this is why life becomes more and more of a struggle over time; when it should be getting easier.

Your BIG Dream

This is your vision of what you aim to accomplish, experience, express or co-create in the world. Your Dream comes from your hearts desires but is often sparked by what you see – or don’t see – in the world around you.

Often our hearts dreams are a little mysterious; even to the one who has the dream.

Most BIG Dreams include an essence of contribution.

Next we will go to the lower left to explore all of the energies that we can align with your dream.

Super YOU

There is a next-level version of YOU that you must express fully and become in order to fulfill this big dream. This is a major focus of the Activate Your Superpowers Program.

One of the reasons your Heart has dreams is so that you can discover and express more of your abilities.

Playful Conscious Mind

There is a playful version of your focused thoughts and deliberate actions that you need to use in an intentional way. You can uplevel your skills to align with the new dream. Your playful conscious mind responds to the urge to become the next version YOU. Play is all about becoming. In the model hopefully you recognize the 4 symbols for the Pivotal Moments of Social Play that we explored earlier.

Non-Conscious Mind

Whoa, this is a big one. Your non-conscious mind is the power source of belief and desire within you. It is like an energetic bridge between the urge to become in your playful conscious mind and the need to belong in the environment around you. You will need to expand your body awareness; this is where your intuition and inner knowing live.

You will need to uplevel your relationship with fear from enemy to friend and a treasure map to your Superpowers. Your dream will need you to tap into your hearts desires for focus and fuel. You will need to cultivate belief in a whole new set of possibilities to align with your dream.

The non-conscious Mind is the main focus of the Pivotal Moment Coaching Technique that we will explore in Chapters 4 and 5… whew! We need it.

Environment

Your non-conscious mind – which is super focused on belonging – is in constant connection with your environment; especially the people and your social status with each person. You will need to uplevel many aspects of the world around you so that the powers of belonging, believing and becoming align with your dream. And as you unleash your Superpowers, you will need to find or cultivate an environment where it is safe for you to express them. Playing with a Life Coach will give you the courage to make those changes.

Connection to the Super Mind

There is a timeless web of human consciousness that we are all connected to. Through big questions, gratitude and intentional thoughts your dream can become a magnet for the insights, inklings, spontaneous awareness, opportunities and synchronicities that you need to live your dream. But be prepared, the Super Mind plays rough so you need to expect a tumble or two.

The pursuit of Flow

Your dream is calling you out into the world to discover a bigger contribution and more fulfilling joyful life. As you endeavor to align every part of your energy to the BIG Dream, it begins to FEEL – feel is the key word – more natural. This is called getting into the flow. It is not the ultra-safe under control routine. It is engaging, yet safe enough that the potential rewards seem worthy of the potential risks.  This is when pursuing your BIG Dream feels less and less stressful and more and more fun!

That is what we are playing for!

The class is a transformation coaching immersion experience:

Each week you will:

1) Learn a few new transformation coaching concepts and techniques

2) Listen to them being used in a real coaching session

3) See how to apply them right away by using the Coaching Dialogue Guide

4) Practice with your partner in class

5) Then coach your “practice” players using everything you have learned.

6) ALSO BE Coached by your class partner as you PLAY your own life performance

7) ENJOY the LOVE that emerges when you PLAY and Coach…
and celebrate the successes and failures that you experience

Hint: coaching is a profound personal relationship… so yes, there WILL be love.

8) Every week you will share about your playing and coaching experiences on your Game Card;
and you will play to inspire your classmates and earn “You Inspire Me” points.

Whether it is for personal growth, business, leadership or anything else…

This is how you Transformation Coaching happens…

• You guide your player to clarify their BIG Dream.
• You guide them toward the pivotal moments where they can play better.
• You jump in as whoever they need you to be to practice with them… you play with them.
• You observe.
• You share what you see.
• Sometimes you demonstrate.
• You share ideas that can lead to playing better.
• You engage in provocative conversations.
• You transform fear into a friend who has a treasure map to their superpowers.
• You learn to see with judgment-free awareness.
• You reveal the player to themselves.
• You unleash their hidden superpowers.
• You help them uplevel their environments.
• You learn when to challenge them and when to support them.

THEN…

When they do something amazing that they would NEVER have done without you…

And when they say: “Thanks Coach”…

You do the happy dance of joy and celebrate like a mad fool!!!!

***

You might be wondering…

Can I do this? OR

Can I get paid to do this? Or

Can I do I do this on the phone? or on zoom?

Hah! Yes. You can. To all 3 questions.

We will show you how in the Play Life Method Class.

An essential part of every CV class is the Gamecard where students share about learning concepts, playing for their own dream AND they share about their coaching experiences.

The Gamecard amplifies learning and facilitates a robust experience of belonging.

I pulled out some shares of students talking about their players.

You will recruit at least 3 players from your world to coach every week while you are in class. (just like they did)
YES, you can do it AND we will provide some guidance.

CoachVille is a “learn by doing” school! (also quite rebellious since many schools don’t require you to coach anyone while you are in class which actually makes no sense to us)

Coach Deneise Borel Shares… (Executive Assistant, Texas Christian Hospital)

The first coaching session I had with M was very eye-opening.  As we were exploring what her big life dream might be, she couldn’t really identify it.  She knows she wants to “be and do” more, but can’t seem to verbalize it.  Sometimes it takes several sessions of just asking big questions, of getting people to remember what made them happy in the past, of what really inspired them, to get them to a place where they can identify the long term, bigger dream that’s always been there.  It’s just been stifled for a long time.

I’ve had two sessions with R and it is so much fun watching her begin to come alive and identify her Big Dream.  I am always amazed at how little we believe in ourselves and our abilities.  But I am more amazed as the lights begin to come on and the dream starts to take shape!

Coach Will Keller Shares… (EVP International Business at HSE24)

Just had my 4th coaching session with Player A. We’ve been co-creating using RACE (Results – Actions – Challenges – Evaluate) while learning about and practicing judgement free awareness and tone of voice. This past week, it all clicked for him. He ran a great meeting and his two more senior colleagues asked to learn about RACE because it was a great structure. My learning: that sessions build on each other and can more rapidly than I realized have a strong impact. A actually said this at the end of the session: that he was surprised at how much progress he has made these past few months. Good for him!

Coach Gary Ware Shares… (CEO Breakthrough Play)

In our session I observed that my player was stating results that weren’t exciting them. When I challenged them to think BIGGER they got to an area that was a little scary for them, however they were excited to take action.

In week 2 with my player J I went in it thinking that his dream may be a bit broad, however when we started mapping out his Outcomes, Mastery, Become, and Upgrades everything came into focus and he left feeling excited. My takeaway is trust the process.

In meeting with my player M in going over the actions that didn’t get the results that she wanted we were able to take a time out and role play how she would approach it in the future so she can prioritize her content creation project so it doesn’t wait till she is tired from a long day. She really appreciated this.

Coach Leanne Woehlke Shares (CEO Epic Yoga)

Session 2 with Player 2 this afternoon. Initially I thought we were going to craft her game around her professional life, but it became her relationship is her primary area she wants to play with for the next 12 weeks. She texted me after our session and said,

“Leanne! Thank you for your time today! Our talk resulted in a mind-shift for me.  It informed how I will approach the things I want to reshape in my life. In short, you clearly suggested a different filter to how I see and approach things I’d like to achieve —- and all rooted in play. What that did is it take the pressure to perform off of me. I feel free to color outside the lines and basically, not just think outside the box, but get rid of the box entirely.

I already feel more creative and free and much, MUCH lighter.
I will work on what I’d like to achieve but without any bossy framework to inhibit my joy.
What a Great start to our sessions!
Love and Light!

Realizing I will need to better keep track of the time… our sessions are funning (sic. a typo? maybe not!) about 60 mins.
***

I just got off a coaching call with one of my Players who said that she feels “Less threatened by life” by embracing the concept of play in our sessions. She also said that she feels she is “getting more done because I’m not procrastinating because I’m not in fear… there is no pressure. ” This was a huge a-ha moment for her and she was so giddy realizing that as she brought in the spirit of play, she was able to dive into her day without the judgment which had in the past been paralyzing.

She has also been incorporating the spirit of play in her work with her clients. She said she’s playing bigger because the play takes the pressure off.

Coach Nour Kahheleh Shares

It was ONE FULL-OF-SURPRISES session!

We intended to talk about the player’s dream, then I started asking questions, and BOOM a pattern appeared to the surface. I asked permission and noted it out. the player was in a deep awareness moment. She even wanted to stop and concentrate on the pattern.

As we did so, BOOM, a fear came out. Again, I took permission, shared my observations, and my player was in a moment as if she got “ran” by the truths she heard about herself. I could totally tell from her tone of voice she was shaken. But I loved how rebellious her soul is. I loved her courage. She asked for ANOTHER SESSION where we can talk more about her fear and pattern.

I can’t express how happy and proud I am from myself.
I will change this lady’s life! I will let her go achieve her dream!

Thank you Coach Ville!

Coach Kyria Kalata Shares… Chief Executive Officer at House of Education

Player L is a creative person who is looking to go into business for herself again. She thinks her challenge is self discipline.

This method will totally help her break free from the structured mindset that she currently feels is needed to be successful at building her business. L‘s superpowers of mentoring and connection have been dormant.
***

Player C is very attached to the industrial age.
Her dream right now is to let go of micromanaging her staff, learn to trust her staff and be able to get a full nights sleep (rather than worry about staff calls).