My “Why”

Life-Long Learner

I have been described as a life-long learner and have long been a keenly interested observer of people and intensely curious about the why and how of life's challenges. I learned significantly more from real life, through my work and personal interactions with others, than in much of my formal education. Yet the most impactful knowledge I acquired came from seeking and finding more experienced, skilled, and wiser people to teach and challenge me. Whether I understood it or not at the time, I now recognize those people — the business owners, leaders, managers, co-workers, and friends that invested their time and energy into me — were, in effect, the teachers, mentors, and coaches that most impacted my life and from whom I gained the most knowledge. The rest of what I have learned in life came from experience or the school of hard knocks. I discovered that life could be a great teacher if I took the time to examine and learn from it, especially during the hard times, from both my own experience and those around me.

A Void to be Filled

2020 was a year of change and necessary endings in my life. My only marriage, which lasted 25 years, ended in divorce in January 2020. I sold my real estate brokerage company in October 2020, after 24 years of ownership. And while my two kids still lived with me, my daughter, 23, was about to enter Chiropractic school, and my son, 21, would soon be married. I encountered a massive void in my life. I was unprepared for the transition that I was experiencing and was unsure as to the path forward. However, I have always been a person who is fueled by opportunities to positively impact the lives of others - the way I was impacted by those who taught, mentored, and coached me.

Identifying my Inborn Strengths and Natural Motivation

Through the recommendation of my best friend, I sought the help of Bill Hendricks, President of the Giftedness Center, President and Co-Founder of Giftedness Guides, and the Executive Director of Christian Leadership at the Hendricks Center at Dallas Theological Seminary. For several decades, Bill has focused on helping people discover what they were born to do and then use that insight to make life and career decisions that fit them. Through his application of a proprietary, qualitative process called The System for Identifying Motivated Abilities® (SIMA®), a person can identify their inborn core strengths and natural motivation. After working with Bill through this process, he provided me with a detailed written report and, most importantly, helped me fully understand its contents. The report summary offered several examples of potential best uses of my giftedness, which included:

"Serve as a coach or mentor for up-and-coming talent in an entrepreneurial venture."
"Take an ownership position in a business with potential and coach a young leader on running the business and making it thrive."
"Serve as the primary people-development officer in an entrepreneurial venture employing many young, hungry, and talented people."

I must say that this was one of the most positive, impactful, and eye-opening processes that I have ever experienced.

Seeking a Focus to Match My Strengths and Motivation

So, in December of 2020, armed with my Giftedness Assessment, I reached out to highly respected therapist/counselor Billy Grammer, who had expertly guided/counseled me through my divorce. Interestingly, I learned in our meeting that Billy attended Dallas Theological Seminary around the same time and knew Bill Hendricks. Billy read my Giftedness Assessment, listened to me explain my situation, and recommended I consider Executive/Professional Coaching. Bill Hendricks strongly endorsed Billy's recommendation because it matched my MAP® (Motivated Abilities Pattern) in my Giftedness Assessment.

Discovering a Path to Purpose and Fulfillment

After receiving these two recommendations, I researched the many coaching programs. Finally, I selected the highly regarded Organizational Behavior and Coaching program at the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management. I still was not sure this was the right path, but I felt drawn to the concept of coaching and took a leap of faith. After the yearlong intensive learning from expert coaches/professors and becoming immersed in being coached and coaching others, I found it to be the best learning experience in my life. I found purpose and fulfillment again while becoming energized by the opportunity to coach someone. And I continue to feel the same way today.

Finding My Why

So, the why I found as it relates to coaching comes down to this —

I am interested in and care about people and the challenges in their careers/lives.
I have tremendously benefitted and learned the most from others willing to invest their time and energy into me through teaching, mentoring, and coaching.
I have a lifetime of learning while experiencing both the successes and the hard knocks in my professional and personal life.
I learned the benefit of seeking expert help, guidance, and coaching when faced with confusion and a lack of clarity regarding challenges, the unknown, and a transition for which I was unprepared.
I experienced first-hand that coaching works and can change your life for the better.
I gained skills and knowledge from one of the top university-based coaching programs in the country.
Two brilliant guys that I trust and my "Giftedness Assessment" said coaching fits me, and I learned it is an activity where I get energy, find purpose, and gain fulfillment.
And most importantly, I found a way to continue to serve and positively impact the lives of others, which is my life mission.

Finding Your Why

Even though coaching is laser-focused on what a client wants and not what a coach wants for them, I would like to offer my hope, desire, and prayer for those I coach and, frankly, for anyone — and maybe help identify your personal why in how you might benefit from coaching —

To move on from the past or move beyond your current situation — from adverse events, ingrained and unhealthy patterns, beliefs or thought processes, or learned behaviors that are unproductive or even destructive.
To experience harmony between your many roles/areas in life — work, family, personal, spiritual, and social.
To find unity between your God-given giftedness and your focus in life while learning to recognize, acknowledge and value the giftedness of others.
To build character and live authentically where actions and words align with ethically based principles and values — operating as your "best" self.
To establish healthy boundaries in your life, accept what you do not control, and acknowledge what you should not let control you.
To learn to interact with others in a healthy and mutually beneficial way.

If these match to any extent with your hopes, desires, or prayers for yourself, and you need help, then please consider coaching — because it works!

I strongly encourage you to consider working with Tracy Nowell as your executive and professional coach, based on two incontrovertible facts. First, you almost certainly need a coach. Seventy-five to eighty-five percent of people do. For most of us, a coach is not just a luxury or a nice person to have around. No, a coach is a requirement for us to grow and develop and perform at our best. And secondly, Tracy was born to coach. Coaching is not just a job to him. It’s his calling. It’s his core process. It’s what he does—what he instinctively loves to do. That’s the kind of coach you want on your team! — Bill Hendricks, President of the Giftedness Center, President/Co-Founder of Giftedness Guides, and Executive Director of Christian Leadership at the Hendricks Center at Dallas Theological Seminary