How are you and your firm portrayed on the Web?

If you haven't thoroughly searched the Web lately then you don't know.

And isn't that how many of your clients are trying to find you?

Launching your website is just the first step. Now it's time to scour the web to see who talks about you and your firm, and what to do when the talk turns negative. Using layman's language and non-technical terms, we'll discuss the many searching mechanisms offered by Google and other search engines, the results of searches on other sites, the role of anonymous reviews, and the many reasons why you want to monitor your web presence, and that of your close friends and family.

During the presentation, Ann will demonstrate:

• Actual search results on a Pittsburgh-based coach
• Advance search techniques to uncover hidden references
• Vulnerabilities of Facebook, My Space and other social networking sites
• Continuing privacy issues on the web and the challenges you can expect in the future.

In addition to coaching and speaking, members of the Pittsburgh Coaches Association conduct workshops and seminars and for several years have also conducted teleclasses on a regular basis. These teleclasses are now held monthly, and are an opportunity for Pittsburgh coaches to share some of their coaching knowledge and experience with participants, as well as their passion for helping others to move forward and reach new levels.

Teleclass topics range from sales and marketing to creating space, leadership, and finding your dreams, and can help people to make important changes and take steps to reach their potential.

This month we are featuring Deborah Barr's teleclass: Money: A Spiritual Matter on April 15th at 7:00 p.m.

In this teleclass, Deborah Barr shows how money and spirituality are inseparable aspects of the Divine Perfection that permeates all of life. Lack of money is a symptom of disconnect from your spiritual heritage. The current global economic crisis is an opportunity to exercise spiritual co-creation skills that are innate and seldom used. Discover how you unknowingly prevent the flow of money and learn 3 important Inner Fitness actions you can use right now to increase your prosperity. Understand why positive affirmations don't work and leave with some tools for connecting with some very abundant and influential friends who are waiting to help you.

Deborah Barr is a 25-year Holistic coach for life, health and weight issues. Her website is: www.wholehealthresources.com. She can be reached at (412) 361-8600 and deborah@wholehealthresources.com.

Join us for a great learning experience with Pittsburgh coaches. Teleclasses take place throughout the day and are free to anyone who registers. Click here to register for up to three teleclasses. Registration takes just a few seconds and is FREE. A conference call number will be immediately sent to you via e-mail.

A certified Wellness Coach, Jill Ross believes that being well is a choice. When you are ready to make that choice, she is ready to help you succeed. Jill knows from personal experience that lasting behavior change is achieved through a process of setting and reaching attainable goals.

After years of struggling with a sluggish metabolism, weight gain, and chronic health problems related to being overweight, Jill lost more than 50 pounds and transformed herself into a healthy and fit person who is committed to helping other people transform their lives.

Jill is certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a personal trainer and lifestyle/weight management consultant. Having successfully maintained her weight loss, she is a member of the National Weight Control Registry. Formerly a weight-loss counselor for a major international weight-loss company, Jill has helped hundreds of people lose weight and adopt healthier habits.

Jill's passion for healthy and balanced living is deeply personal and permeates every aspect of her life. By committing herself to a healthy lifestyle and continually setting new goals, Jill has achieved more than she ever dreamed was possible. Today she is a successful businessperson, triathlete and Wellness Coach who is dedicating herself to being well and inspiring others to do the same.

For a free 30-minute consultation on how Wellness Coaching can help you reach your goals, please contact: Jill A. Ross, Certified Wellness Coach, (304) 983-2486, jillross@westco.net, www.wellcoaches.com/jill.ross.

Musings - Relationships

By Shaon Eakes

The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our life.

THOUGHTS

Think of three people in your life with whom you'd like to improve your relationship. Now ask yourself honestly, "How do I cause trouble for (each of them)?" That was the question we started with in a course I took recently from The Arbinger Institute. And to me it was a shocking question! I had thought a lot about how each of them troubled me, but very little about how I troubled them. Thinking seriously about this was an eye-opener. I could actually imagine how my judgments and sense of superiority probably felt.

The Arbinger model maintains that it's our "way of being" with people that determines the quality of the relationship. "Way of being" is deeper than behavior. Here's what that means. If we are angry with someone but act sweet, they are not fooled. If someone is indifferent to us but feigns interest, we feel their disinterest.

The recommendation is that we see people - all people - as people instead of objects. This includes people we love, people we don't care for, and people we meet casually, like clerks or flight attendants.

The Arbinger model suggests that the three most common ways we treat people like objects are to see them as:

1. Obstacles
2. Vehicles
3. Irrelevancies

If we're seeing people as people, we're recognizing they have hopes and dreams and burdens of their own, that what they do makes some kind of sense to them, even if we don't see it. It means taking the time and making the effort to listen to them openly, with a "heart of peace" instead of a "heart of war."

When we have a "heart of peace" toward someone, we respond to them instead of resisting or reacting. Relationships in which we maintain a "heart of peace" are good even if there are significant differences between us or we need to say things that are difficult.

Our relationship with ourselves is one of the relationships that helps determine the quality of our life. If we are always mad at ourselves or repeatedly do things that are unhealthy, we are probably seeing ourselves as objects instead of a person. It seems to me that seeing our self as a person means taking care of our self physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Developing and maintaining a "heart of peace" toward ourselves is important.

The remarkable thing I've noticed is that when people prioritize relationships, work to maintain a "heart of peace," when they see people as people, the rest of their lives take care of themselves. They are often highly successful at whatever they do.

COACHING QUESTIONS

1. Do you generally see people as objects or as people?
2. Name three people with whom you'd like to improve your relationship.
3. How are you trouble to each of these people?
4. Do you see any of these people as objects? Obstacles, vehicles, irrelevancies?
5. What do you see if you look carefully at each of them as a person? What are their hopes and dreams? Their burdens?
6. What would it mean to have a "heart of peace" toward each of these people?
7. What would it mean to have a "heart of peace" toward yourself?

We invite experienced coaches, as well as those new to the profession, to join the Pittsburgh Coaches Association (PCA). This is an exciting time to be a member! We are a 501(c)6 professional organization, and an International Coach Federation (ICF) chapter.

Additional benefits for member coaches include networking opportunities with other professional coaches, a profile on PCA's 'Find a Coach' website directory, discounts for monthly luncheon meetings featuring interesting and relevant speakers, a forum to offer teleclasses on coaching-related topics of your choice, and special events to raise the profile of coaching within the community. There are many more benefits; please don't hesitate to become a part of one of Pittsburgh's best professional associations.

You can now register to become a member online at www.pittsburghcoaches.org. Join today.

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Not a Coach? Now you can join PCA as an Associate! We invite all professionals in the Pittsburgh area to join us. Are you interested in meeting coaches, supporting coaches but are not a coach? Join us now as an Associate Member of the Pittsburgh Coaches Association.