Sometimes, sitting deep beneath what a client is presenting is one of the most challenging things a coach can face — shame. Kyira Wackett specializes in this tricky topic and shares her definition of shame and how to effectively coach through it.

Kyira Wackett is a licensed mental health therapist specializing in shame and anxiety and the owner of Adversity Rising.

In this episode, Melinda and Kyira discuss:

• Kyira’s distinction between therapist, counselor, and coach
• Her definition of shame
• The different layers of shame
• Assessing shame as a narrative in your coaching clients
• Determining when you need to pause coaching and refer out to a counselor or therapist
• Striking a balance between validating emotions and helping clients regulate them
• Shame resilience

“Shame is a triggered threat — a real or perceived threat to connection and belonging. So when we feel shame, it kicks off a cascade of reactions, defenses, responses.”

Kyira Wackett

Kyira Wackett is a licensed mental health therapist specializing in shame and anxiety. She is the owner of Adversity Rising, a company which equips people with the confidence and skills to write their own stories. Her work ranges from one-on-one coaching to corporate wellness packages with a focus on what she calls the anti-Band-Aid movement — resisting the quick fix in favor of doing the work necessary to make meaningful and sustainable change. The highlight of her work is her signature program, That Life AR, where she walks people through her five-step therapeutic process, which she believes can combat any pain point that comes our way because we all deserve to live a life in which we can thrive.

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee
Coaches Console
Melinda’s book: The Confident Coach
Kyira’s website
Kyira’s YouTube channel
Kyira’s podcast, Untethering Shame

Credits:
Host: Melinda Cohan
Producer: Michi Lantz
Supervising Producer: Cynthia Lamb
Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario
Executive Producer: Danny Iny
Music Soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely
Making our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio

To catch the great episodes that are coming up on Just Between Coaches, please follow us on Mirasee FM’s YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Music credits:
Track Title: Clouds
Artist Name: Acreage
Writer Name: Marshall Usinger
Publisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONS

Track Title: Coastline Dream
Artist Name: Wild Sky
Writer Name: Adam Simons
Publisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONS

Track Title: Coo Coos
Artist Name: Dresden, The Flamingo
Writer Name: Matthew Wigton
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Track Title: Stars & Trees
Artist Name: Outside The Sky
Writer Name: Dustin Ransom
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Special effects credits:
24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.