Kully Coaches Individuals and Companies to Build Resilience and Navigate Change
What’s your story?
I am an executive coach and resilience trainer who helps individuals and organisations navigate change and build resilience. I deliver individual coaching assignments and group workshops on Executive Coaching, Mindfulness, and Personal Resilience using Ignition Coaching’s WAVE© framework.
To build clients’ resilience and emotional intelligence, I draw on 15 years of business experience gained at Deloitte (UK) and almost a decade of coaching and facilitation skills. I am a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the ICF, certified teacher for the Google-born Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, and a Meta Coach for Dr. Daniel Goleman’s Coaching for Emotional Intelligence Certification Program.
I founded Ignition Coaching in Hong Kong nine years ago and later moved to New York. Now, with my team of high-calibre coaches across the USA, Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada and London, my business serves clients globally.
What excites you most about your industry?
We love helping teams and organizations find greater purpose and alignment with their work. Our WAVE© program is designed to build resilience, to enable individuals and teams to not only survive during difficult times or transitions, but to thrive and bounce back even stronger. We’re working with organizations that now recognise the importance of adapting to an ever-changing world by taking a step back and supporting their teams to find greater alignment and engagement through mindfulness and emotional intelligence tools.
The more aware individuals are of their strengths, values and purpose, the more engaged and connected they are to the organization’s mission. It’s rewarding to see the positive impact on leaders’ and teams’ personal lives and their overall wellbeing. And it’s exciting that, through our WAVE© program and coaching, our clients are reporting a real and significant shift in engagement and productivity.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I lived in Hong Kong for six years from 2009-2015. Seeing the lives that people were living and the challenges they faced inspired me to take action. I completed an Executive Diploma in Coaching at Hong Kong and, in 2011, I founded Ignition Coaching. When I moved to New York in 2015, I wanted to continue supporting Asian clients. I now have four Executive Coaches based in Asia (Hong Kong and Thailand) working with some of our global clients.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
For me – Hong Kong! It was a great place to start a business. People were genuinely interested in helping me – with my website, branding and marketing, introducing me to target clients, and brokering great introductions. It was easy to start a business and I found the support network incredibly helpful.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Do what you believe in and keep going even when times are tough. This has been the best advice for me. In the early days, it was tough to find new clients and I thought it would be easier to go back to what was safe, what I knew, and find a job in the finance/audit arena. However, I loved coaching and it aligned with my natural strengths and values, so I persevered. Through my network, and seeking new ways to market myself – which often included stepping outside my comfort zone – I began to attract new clients. I am now proud to be leading a thriving business with global clients and coaches who are all connected to our purpose.
Who inspires you?
My mum is my biggest inspiration. She was bold and brave, always believed in me and encouraged me to move forward in my life. She was kind and compassionate and only ever wanted the best for others. These two foundations, I believe, are excellent qualities for coaching and supporting positive action.
My husband and kids constantly remind me how to make this world a better place.
I love Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability and courage. I’m also inspired by young leaders like Greta Thunberg and her bravery in raising awareness about climate change.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Seeing how quickly the Covid-19 virus can spread and the impact it can have at a global level. I am proud to be working with remarkable organisations, one of which is leading a team to find a treatment for Covid-19, for a large US pharmaceutical company. These teams are working tirelessly to find a treatment and vaccination. I find the painstaking process they go through to be inspiring.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would not be so afraid to do something the first time. And not wait until I have “enough” knowledge and experience. Being confident with my own experience and story and being good enough is something I have now overcome, in most situations! However, it was a real battle when I first started in this new career. I now believe anything is possible, and I’m comfortable with not having all the answers. Realizing this, was a huge mindset shift and really helped me. Now, I pass my own story on to my clients, and it helps them.
How do you unwind?
Yoga, family time, watching a movie and meditation. I’ve recently started running and now I love it! During one of our recent WAVE© workshops where we discussed the vitality element, I set myself a goal to run a half marathon. Preparing for the run has really helped me to unwind, destress and boost my energy levels.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Vietnam. Danang was my favorite destination for the food, friendly people, and stunning beaches and sea views.
Everyone in business should read this book:
“Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness,” by Frederic Laloux. This is a wonderful book based on theory and practical solutions for creating and managing truly soulful businesses in this digital world.
“Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl. As a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, the author shares lessons he learned from his personal experiences and explains how we can’t avoid suffering, but we can choose how to cope with it.
Shameless plug for your business:
Ignition Coaching is a global career and executive coaching company specialising in building resilience and wellbeing in times of transition.
Our coaching and training programs are framed around four dimensions of personal energy: wisdom, alignment, vitality and engagement. WAVE©, Ignition’s comprehensive model, draws on the emerging neuroscience on mindfulness (the ability to pay attention to the present) and Emotional Intelligence (the ability to monitor, understand, and manage our own and others’ emotions).
To date, our experienced and high calibre coaches have worked with the model to empower organisations’ leaders and employees in the pharmaceutical, financial, education, hospitality, power and utilities industries.
How can people connect with you?
Website – www.ignition-coaching.com
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignition-coaching-ltd/?viewAsMember=true
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connects’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder and CEO of MBH Corporation PLC. He is the author of three best-selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’, ‘Agglomerate’ and ‘Entrepreneurial Investing’.
Connect with Callum on Twitter and LinkedIn
Download free copies of his books at www.callumlaing.com
