Back in the day when my knees ‘knee’d’, there was a period of time where I loved to play double dutch. But before I could get to the ‘love’ of double dutch, I had to learn. And the learning part was terrifying to me. Skipping a single rope–easy. I had that, it was all in the wrists. Double dutching was not that. When I watched more practiced double dutchers, it seemed to me that they were just thrusting themselves into two ropes that move so fast, they whistled. I’d learn that a misstep could mean a giant welt on your legs or if you were really unlucky, your face. And then, once someone was in the ropes, they had to keep their feet moving fast enough to not get tangled up? Hard pass, ‘get somebody else to do it’. 

At some point in my younger years, I learned double dutching is actually a very cooperative activity and not just a game of ‘welt roulette’. The two people turning need to know how to maneuver the ropes independently and also be in sync with each other to make sure no one person is doing all the work of keeping the speed just right; they turners also have to listen to the person jumping and be ready to pivot as needed. The person jumping has to communicate how fast they want the turners to move the ropes and trust that those turning will do what’s needed to make the conditions as perfect as possible for them to hold the speed and jumping rhythm they’ve established. And finally, the person jumping has to trust themselves to actually get in the ropes. If any of those things don’t happen, well then, that double ain’t gonna dutch—, or at least not well.

My coaching approach, much like the fundamental values of double dutching, is anchored in trust, cooperation and responsiveness. In this analogy, it’s you that is jumping rope. You decide when you jump in, and the pace at which we go. As your coach, I’m doing the turning for you—keeping pace, watching you for changes in your footwork so you don’t get tangled up, and most importantly listening to what it is you need. Annnnd, right about now you’re doing some quick maths because you’ve surmised that double dutching requires at least three people and you’re sure that 1+1 only equals 2, so you’re asking yourself ‘Who the hell else is turning in this this double dutch/coaching comparison?’

Well friend, you, me, and Intuition make three.

My intuition is the ‘chemical X’ ingredient that I bring to our coaching sessions. It levels up my ability to be responsive to your needs and helps to guide me in offering you a perspective that you may not otherwise see.