FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TCM, Inc. d/b/a NWA Executive Coaching Solutions, an executive coaching, leadership development,and team building organization, has been awarded a GSA Schedule 874 contract and are now certified to provide services to the Federal Government. Acknowledging the growth in federal spending through the General Services Administration (GSA), NWA Executive Coaching Solutions has placed their professional services on the government's electronic ordering system, GSA Advantage!.

"As a women owned small business, the opportunity to service federal agencies and help them take control of some of their costs opens up significantly more markets throughout the country," states Teresa Ray, President and Senior Executive Coach at NWA Executive Coaching Solutions. She continues, "Coaching is most effective when practiced in person, on the client's turf and over several months. Our company can now expand our reach beyond the federal level to numerous state and municipal governments throughout the country as they will be able to take advantage of our services at set government pricing and enjoy the same leadership development, team building, and coaching services as private enterprise."

NWA Executive Coaching Solutions provides top-tier coaching and organizational development services. They consider themselves the athletic coaches of the business world. Ms. Ray adds: "While a senior executive may possess all of the fundamental hard skills they need to succeed, often times they may need to fine tune the soft people skills in order to be a more effective leader; outside guidance and coaching gives them another perspective that raises their level of effective leadership and helps guide the company's growth." NWA Executive Coaching Solutions provides Executive, Personal, Team, and Career Coaching as well as facilitating and training in areas such as Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Change Management, Building High Performance Teams, and a host of other workshops and customized services.

About NWA Executive Coaching Solutions: NWA Executive Coaching Solutions emphasizes Leadership, Emotional/Social Intelligence, Effective Communication, and High Performing Teams. They build on their client's strengths and help them to reach their peak performance while maintaining a valuable work/life balance. A founding partner of the John C. Maxwell Team, the company's president, Teresa Ray, is also an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas, College of Education, where she lectures on leadership and effective team building. Visit: http://www.nwacoach.com for more information.

Contact for NWA Executive Coaching Solutions: Teresa Ray, President at 479.966.9102

GSA Applications managed the tender process on behalf of NWA Executive Coaching Solutions, facilitating the application preparation, submission and negotiations with government buyers at the GSA. With over 800 schedules awarded to date, Tampa FL based GSA Applications leverages its industry-leading experience and in-house staff of specialists to deliver professional government marketing services to businesses. Visit http://www.gsaapplications.com for more information.

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NW Arkansas Executive Coaching Solutions Secures GSA Award, Expands Reach

Last weekend marked the 35th anniversary of the release of George Lucas cultural phenomenon Star Wars. How I got to age 50 without seeing it I dont know, but I decided to finally watch the famed trilogy because a kindred spirit told me I would particularly enjoy it at this point in my life.

He was absolutely correct. The spiritual aspects were like a golden sermon from a wise preacher and, frankly, would have been lost on me 35 years ago. Or maybe Im selling myself a little short.

If you strike me down Ill become more powerful than you could possibly imagine, Obi-Wan Kenobi says to Darth Vader.

That kind of thinking has been motivating me for a long time. I just had never thought to actually voice it in such a spectacular way. It ebbs and flows, comes and goes.

Star Wars was a reminder, but this feeling came roaring back over the last week from another source, too. I received a request from a sweet high school student to be interviewed for a project she was working on about a career as a journalist/columnist. She sent me 10 questions to answer and I really enjoyed providing her with thoughtful, informative answers.

But what also emerged from the project, in reading between the lines of how some of her questions were worded, was a distinct feeling she was being discouraged from a writing career by one or more of the adults in her life. Suddenly it brought to mind that feeling of charting my own career path over the years and how I had to keep doing what I thought best despite those who -- lets be real -- had no idea what was best for me and my life.

Make no mistake about it, I have had some stellar mentoring and nurturing support in my career, and I have immense gratitude around that. But I learned very early on that its crucial to take all the counsel under advisement and then do what you want really, need to do. This is about big moments, big picture, and big decisions that ultimately rest with us. I can tick off choices I made that didnt seem all that smart to anyone else. I regret not one of them.

That is what I was thinking about when I hit send on the email to that student. I hoped she would read between my lines and follow her gut regardless of what anyone else thought. Further, the more I pondered it, I hoped my dear student would take that Obi-Wan Kenobi quote, print it in big bold letters and hang it next to her desk. Or wear it on a shirt. Maybe memorize it and unholster it like a light saber when someone questions why she wants to be a writer when there are better paying jobs. Or discourages her in any way from pursuing what clearly interests her.

What a fun club that is, the well-paid, miserable, slave to material possessions set. Cruise through some neighborhoods with perfect lawns and 2.3 cars in the driveway and take a peek behind the walls there are some sad, stuck souls behind them. Theyre the ones who went the societal or parental pressure route instead of the guy next door who became an accountant because he actually has a mind for numbers.

The key is to pursue a life purpose, to develop a natural skill or interest and see where it takes you. It doesnt have to all be mapped out in advance. It doesnt have to follow anyone elses prescribed route. When I was in college and even working in my field already, there was no Internet. I could not have prepared for the precise work I am doing now because I couldnt have known it would even exist. Who knows what technology will bring 20 to 30 years after todays students graduate?

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Life Advice From Obi-Wan Kenobi

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78w1MkfEO-4

29-05-2012 16:39 Pat Shanks is just one part of The Coolest Couple but he is also The Coolest Coach on the Coaching Cognition platform =} Pat helps you on Getting Things Organized to move you forward fast in your business or personal life. Check him inside the Coaching Cognition platform for a FREE 15 interview. "Life is messy... Clean it up, organize it, and put it in a Bento Box!" ~ Brene Brown To learn more about Pat & Lorna and The Coolest Couple check us out: =} =}

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Pat Shanks - Getting Things Organized - Business

For students who age out of foster care, homelessness can be a legitimate worry.

A program at Piedmont Virginia Community College called Great Expectations helps lead them to a less-Dickensian life.

The program helps students ages 13 to 24.

Our program is really targeted to the students who have been in foster care or independent living, so when I work with them, I give them a lot of coaching, I give them a lot of advising, said Constance Cromartie, the programs director. Its pretty much a little more intense.

That help includes assistance registering for classes, organizing schedules and getting access to resources, including the schools learning center.

Maria Chapman, 19, went to high school in Louisa County and opted to attend PVCC rather than Norfolk State University.

She said she definitely considered the program when making her decision.

Youre faced with a lot of challenges really, really early, Chapman said.

Chapman plans to transfer to Virginia Commonwealth University to study social work.

She attributes much of her success to God and to her foster mother. Chapman said her definition of success has shifted as shes participated in the program. Shes now aiming for more than material fulfillment, she said.

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PVCC program helps former foster care students

After three state boys' basketball championships, a combined 16 conference titles and Eastern Regionals appearances and countless lives touched, Wells Gulledge has decided to move on.

The iconic Kinston High School coach, physical education instructor and athletic director announced Tuesday he will resign all posts, effective at the end of the school year, to venture into the non-education sector working for a software company based in Greenville.

The father of two and husband to Kinston High English teacher Dawnn Gulledge cited the desire to spend more time with his family for the sudden change in careers.

It was a long, drawn out process. Ive chosen to go into the corporate world, which will give me more flexibility and more time at home to where I will actually see my wife and kids, Gulledge said. Being a dad has become the most important component of my life. By making this change its going to allow me to do so.

I think the dinner table is a special place when youre raising a family.

The 39-year-old Rockingham native arrived in Kinston in 2001 following a three-year stint at Jacksonville High. During his time coaching the Vikings, Gulledge has become one of the pre-eminent high school basketball coaches in the state.

He won 274 games while losing just 55 in 11 seasons at Kinston, and has 320 career victories overall, including a 46-33 mark while at Jacksonville.

Eight of his teams won conference titles, eight reached the regionals, four won Eastern Regional titles and three 2008, 2010 and, most recently, 2012 won a state North Carolina High School Athletic Association boys basketball championship.

Gulledges three state titles account for nearly half of the schools total of eight, which includes five won by Grainger High in the 1950s and 60s.

First of all, Id just like to thank everyone in the community that has supported us in Kinston. I wish I had time to write individual letters to everyone, Gulledge said. (Kinston is) home to me. Its a very special place to me. My 11 years were very great years.

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Gulledge to leave coaching

Public release date: 28-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marla Paul marla-paul@northwestern.edu 312-503-8928 JAMA and Archives Journals

CHICAGO The diet and activity levels of patients may be improved through use of mobile technology, remote coaching and financial incentives, according to a report of a randomized controlled trial published in the May 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Not following a physician's lifestyle change advice is a major barrier to patients achieving effective preventive care. Many physicians are skeptical that patients will change their unhealthy behaviors, and physicians also report a lack of time and training to effectively counsel their patients, researchers write in the study background.

"This study's interventions leveraged handheld technology to create efficient interventions that make self-monitoring more convenient, extend decision support into life contexts where lifestyle choices are made, and convey time-stamped behavioral data to paraprofessionals who provide coaching remotely," the researchers note.

Bonnie Spring, Ph.D., of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, and colleagues randomly assigned 204 adult patients (48 men) with elevated intake of saturated fat and low intake of fruits and vegetables, and high sedentary leisure time and low physical activity into 1 of 4 treatments. The treatments were: increase fruit/vegetable intake and physical activity, decrease fat and sedentary leisure, decrease fat and increase physical activity, and increase fruit/vegetable intake and decrease sedentary leisure. Patients used personal digital assistant devices to record and self-regulate their behaviors.

During three weeks of treatment, patients uploaded their data daily and communicated as needed with their coaches by telephone or by email. The participants could earn $175 for meeting goals during the treatment phase. In addition, there was a 20-week follow-up during which patients could earn from $30 to $80 for continuing to record and transmit their data.

"The increase fruits/vegetables and decrease sedentary leisure treatment maximized healthy lifestyle change compared with the other interventions," the authors comment. They note that lifestyle gains diminished once treatment ended, as expected, but improvements persisted throughout the follow-up period.

From baseline to the end of treatment to the end of the follow-up, respectively, mean (average) servings per day of fruits/vegetables changed from 1.2 to 5.5 to 2.9, mean minutes per day of sedentary leisure from 219.2 to 89.3 to 125.7, and daily calories from saturated fat from 12 percent to 9.4 percent to 9.9 percent, according to the study results.

"This study demonstrates the feasibility of changing multiple unhealthy diet and activity behaviors simultaneously, efficiently and with minimal face-to-face contact by using mobile technology, remote coaching, and incentives," the authors comment.

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Mobile technology, remote coaching, financial incentives may help improve diet, activity level

Adam Wright climbs out of the pool at Cal Lutheran, quickly changes into his clothes and jumps into his car.

He drives to Westwood to spend a few hours at UCLA's pool before jumping back into his car and heading back to the pool at Oaks Christian School.

Wright has been leading a double water polo life the last few years.

He is a member of the USA Water Polo Men's National Team and also the head coach of the UCLA men's water polo team.

"The easy thing to do is complain because, of course, some days are long and you are rundown and tired," Wright said. "But I am very lucky to be able to do both and I absolutely love doing both."

Wright, 35, just completed his third season as the head coach of his alma mater.

As a player, Wright led the Bruins to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1999 and 2000. Wright was an assistant coach at UCLA for the men's and women's teams in 2008-09 before being named the men's head coach.

During his interview for the job, Wright informed the UCLA administrators that he still planned to participate in the London Olympics.

The core of the national team was intent on pursuing the gold medal after capturing the silver in 2008 in Beijing.

"I made it clear I still had the ambition of playing at the highest level," said Wright, who will be playing in his third Olympics. "I have been with this group for almost 16 years. What we did in the beginning was great, but we really didn't reach our ultimate goal."

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Wright coaching UCLA while preparing to play for Team USA in Olympics again

Elizabethtown, KY (PRWEB) May 25, 2012

Youth sports training organization the International Youth Conditioning Association has released a free coaching video from renowned Massachusetts youth fitness specialist Dave Gleason. Gleason is the head trainer at Athletic Revolution in Pembroke, MA.

In a video recorded at the annual IYCA Summit, Dave Gleason outlines how he left behind an unfulfilling career as an in home personal trainer and opened up his own facility, creating a successful business for himself as a youth fitness and sports specialist.

Its not easy to move on to your next phase of professional development, Gleason says. Even if youre working in a job that is not rewarding, in these uncertain times it can be a blessing just to be working at all. Still, the people who do the best in life are those for whom work isnt just work, but a passion.

Gleason notes that one of the most significant measures a youth sports trainer can take is to figure out why they got into the industry in the first place. Theres a huge difference between trying to be passionate about what youre doing and doing what youre passionate about, Gleason notes.

In the first place, you might be able to make a living, but to make a rewarding life for yourself requires the constant pursuit of doing what you love, Gleason advises.

In the video, Dave Gleason details his own personal journey on his way to finding out what his passion in the fitness industry was. After moving from training job to training job, Dave dabbled in a number of different areas of the industry.

Only later did Dave Gleason realize that working with kids and creating kids fitness programs was his true life passion. Once he realized this, his career and life took off in unprecedented ways.

Once you find that passion, Gleason notes, surround yourself with the right systems and with other people who share in your vision.

Dave Gleason is great because he gets you to ask yourself the question: Why? says IYCA CEO Pat Rigsby. Some people just flit about, never finding themselves. Then there are people, like Dave, who cannot wait to get up every morning and pursue their dreams.

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Youth Fitness Organization the IYCA Releases Special Coaching Video

This is life coaching 101, but it's not old news. It's news that needs to be revisited any time your GPS is stuck in "recalculating." If you're not getting the results you want, if you're frustrated because you feel clueless as to your next steps or if you just feel stale, these basics will be worth the visit.

When you feel stuck it means the energy that flows through your body and your environment is stuck and some very concrete moving of the furniture, literally and figuratively, can get things flowing again. As summer approaches, we need to change the filters so our air conditioners can function properly. This concept is the same for humans.

Very recently, I found myself in a slow-moving time. My weight was up. My energy was low. My business had too much waiting going on and not enough momentum. I felt scattered. I knew it was time to revisit the basics. I changed my game with food and the gym. I spoke some truths in relationships that weren't working and I cleared out my closet, my garage, and my kids' rooms, getting rid of stuff we no longer needed or used.

I kept up my home and work responsibilities but put the bulk of my weekend time into this endeavor. Out of the blue (but not really because this is what happens when you do this) I got an inquiry about blogging because an editor had been at Kripalu, where I recently led a retreat.

I cleared my way to a new opportunity (and a few others that showed up in the same week) and you can do the same. Here are some suggestions:

MOVE. Get your body moving. If you do yoga, do more. If you exercise, change your routine. If you don't do anything, start walking for 20 or 30 minutes a day. Just get that energy moving!

DUMP. Get rid of stuff. Go paperless, pare down to only essentials in your closet, gift or donate unwanted items. Immediately! (Not someday.) Clear clutter like your life depended upon it. In a way, it does.

ACQUIRE. Buy only that which will help you operate more effectively. For example, if you can't get papers off your desk, buy a two- or three-tiered in/out box and create a new system. If you need organizers, containers, a file cabinet, or anything that can help you streamline, invest in it now. Seeing your way to clear space does wonders for fueling opportunity

SHIFT. Shift relationships that are not working. Have that difficult conversation or take a break from someone or a group you may need to take time away from.

INSPIRE. Motivate yourself by doing something that inspires you. Whether it's a walk in nature or scaring yourself silly by doing something you've long thought of attempting. Take a risk. Do the impossible and study those that have to give you courage.

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Laura Berman Fortgang: Clear the Way to Clarity and Momentum

Courtesy of Medic One Foundation

Becky Cole was eight months pregnant with her son Ryan when she passed out. Her husband performed CPR for six minutes with the help of a dispatcher before medics arrived.

Your chances of surviving a sudden heart attack may depend on where you live; some American cities have survival rates five times higher than others. One difference can be 911 dispatchers.

If they coach someone over the phone to give CPR, the chance of surviving goes up. There's now a push to make it universal, but some cities are slow to implement the necessary training.

Becky Cole was eight months pregnant with her fourth child when she collapsed against the bathroom door. It was January 2011 in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville.

"I got up to go brush my teeth, and that's the last thing I remember," she says.

Her husband, Jon, heard the loud crash and called 911.

"She's fallen down, and she doesn't look like she's breathing. I need an emergency ambulance right now," he told the dispatcher.

What happened next is typical in many cities across the country, but it's not nearly as universal as you might expect. When Jon Cole explained that his wife was unconscious and appeared to not be breathing, the dispatcher instructed him on how to perform CPR.

He switched to speakerphone and the dispatcher led him through the process, step by step.

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Dispatchers' CPR Coaching Saves Lives When Every Minute Counts