Interview with an ICF Coach: Ginger Edgecombe Dorsey 

I recently interviewed Ginger Edgecombe Dorsey, PhD, CHES, ACC, who is a current member of the Adventist Association of Health & Wellness Coaching. Her educational background includes having a PhD in Public Health and being a Certified Health Education Specialist. She lives in Maryland with her husband of 25 years and attends the Pisgah SDA Church. Unlike other coaches we've recently interviewed, Coach Ginger obtained her coaching credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She is currently an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with plans to become a Master Certified Coach, which is the highest designation within ICF. Let's find out more about her! 

 

How long have you been a member of AAHWC? 

I feel like it's probably going on closer to maybe six to seven years now. 

 

So, it sounds like you're one of the charter members – one of the first 100 people to join the organization. 

Yes, that's probably correct to say. 

 

Tell me a little bit about your journey in becoming a health coach. 

To start with, I attended the NAD Health Summit, where I was introduced to health coaching. Then my job offered coaching. They wound up offering a pilot program for Internal Coaches. So, I jumped at the opportunity. At that point, I felt I was ready to dive into coaching. The type of coaching that we were trained in is called Integral Coaching, which is more holistic in nature overall, and it really is looking at the whole entire individual. As we are coaching, individuals may present [with] one thing; oftentimes, you find that there are many other things that are going on in their lives. Because again, we're looking at the whole person. And so that's kind of been my overall introduction into coaching. In terms of where health coaching is concerned, I've had an opportunity to participate in several of the Pathway to Health mega health clinics and served as a health coach during those clinics. 

 

What motivated you to be a health coach? 

My background is in workplace safety and health. In that regard, I've always looked at the root causes of injuries or illnesses that employees may sustain on the job. And that has led to what are the ways by which I can be effective in that area, and to promote health overall. So, health promotion is something that has been of most interest to me for a number of years. That's one of the reasons that led me to get a doctorate in public health. With the work that I have done, while not classified as health coaching directly, there are certainly elements that do come into play as we look at the individual worker and trying to prevent them from being injured at work and then looking at ways by which to improve their productivity, their desire to be at work, and the desire to work in ways by which it places the least amount of stress and strain on their bodies overall. And so, you could say there's coaching that certainly is involved in that, but it's also more of a consultant-type role. So, it's a combined role in that regard.  

 

From what I've done personally, from teaching aerobics classes to teaching swimming classes or doing personal training, growing up playing sports, coaching volleyball, refereeing volleyball, and just remaining active overall, all of those things have kept me in what I would consider to be where health promotion is present and of great importance to me. With all of those things combined, I was informally doing coaching. 

 

What kind of training or certification do you have as a coach? 

I received my initial training through New Ventures West. I have 196 hours of training that I received through that particular organization. And that was, again, certification as an Integral Coach. Then I took courses through the Professional Christian Coaching Institute (PCCI) for life coaching. There's been a couple of other courses that I've taken along the way. 

 

I think you mentioned earlier about being certified by ICF as well. 

Yeah, the International Coaching Federation. There's criteria that you have to meet. Part of that criteria is the number of training hours that you've had, the mentor hours that you've received, and then the number of hours that you've actually coached individuals. 

 

ICF has three different levels of coaching. The ACC level means that you've minimally met a hundred hours of coaching individuals, you have a certain number of mentoring hours, and a certain number of training hours. Then you have what's called PCC, Professional Certified Coach, which means that you've coached 500 plus hours. Lastly, you have MCC, which is the master level, the highest you can get, and that means that you've coached over 2,500 hours. 

 

So, you have the ACC. Is that correct? 

Yes, meaning that I have over a hundred hours of coaching, but I don't have over 500 hours of coaching. So, I have between 100 and 499 hours of coaching. 

 

What is your current coaching specialty? 

I do internal coaching, meaning I coach the employees within my organization on work-related challenges from the standpoint of looking at the whole person. I also do work-life coaching through my own business.  

 

How long have you been a coach? 

Formally, I got my certification in 2020. 

 

What has surprised you about coaching? 

I think that there's so many different things that make up our lives as a whole. And you never know what someone is going to talk about. People tell you what they want to talk about upfront, but just where that goes can be something different altogether. It has given me many different perspectives by which to look at life in and of itself and some of the different challenges that individuals have.  

 

What are you hoping to accomplish in your coaching career? 

 I want to help others be more aware that they have avenues and choices that they can make that can go a long way in terms of them living lives that are more conducive to them having the best life that they can have, whether that's having a closer walk with God and then doing things that are going to be most pleasing to Him, if that is applicable. Or just doing things in a manner by which they feel good about the directions that they're going in, then I think that there's progress to be made in that regard. When you work with an individual and they are able to say thank you or they have these aha moments, and they're taking action behind those aha moments, that lets me know that this work that I'm doing is worth it [and] valuable because I've been able to help someone.  

 

So, career-wise as a coach, do you have any future goals that you're trying to accomplish? 

 Once I retire, I do intend to go full-time where my business is concerned [with] retirement hopefully [being] within the next five years. I am also looking to do nutrition, which is an area for me personally that I have not had as much training in but I would like to have. And so that is one area I would like to add to my repertoire. I'm also looking to do more work in the medical missionary field. And so that is another area that I'm seeking to gain more experience. I do believe that where coaching is concerned, it's valuable across the board and something that can be used in whatever field I may be working in or wherever I may go next. But I think having different experiences overall is only going to help make me more well-rounded as a coach.  

 

What do you know now as a coach that you wish you had known early on in your coaching career?  

The importance of listening and removing anything that I may have come [up] with in my own mind. I need to listen to what the person that's sitting in front of me is saying and that I'm really hearing them for who they are and what their needs are, as opposed to trying to interject anything that I may be coming [up] with. I'm coming from a background where I'm used to making recommendations for people. But in coaching, it's just the opposite. It's the individual who has to own it. Overall, I can't own it for them. 

 

What are some things you enjoy as a coach? 

The people. I thoroughly enjoy working with individuals. And each person that I work with, that is, I know that they're hoping to gain something from me, [but] I'm hoping to gain something from them, too. So, I feel like it's a two-way street. Overall, it is something that enriches my life. The various individuals that I've had an opportunity to coach – I know this sounds quite cliché – but life is just very interesting. And the way that people operate, the way that people think, the actions that they take, and so forth are very interesting to me as a whole. And it keeps me excited because you just don't know what people are going to come with.  

 

Unfortunately, there's just a lot of hurt [and] pain that exists right now that so many of us are holding back and not knowing what to do and thinking that there is no way out. I think coaching gives people hope. My thing is to help you see that there are other ways to accomplish your goals, whether it's accomplishing it today or tomorrow or ten years from now, it's still something that's feasible.  

 

Do you coach in person, like face-to-face, or do you do it virtually through your job? 

Both. Some are over the phone, some are video chat, and then some are in person. 

 

What are some of the challenges you've experienced as a coach? 

So, one, I would say, is being too close to the organization. For example, in talking with others who've been coaching longer as an internal coach, they've indicated that they would never coach anyone in the same office or even the same organization. They would definitely recommend coaching outside. And most recently, I would say that, yes, I can definitely agree with that based upon my own personal experiences.  

 

Two, ensuring that I keep the focus on the individual and not think about the challenges that I, too, may have either experienced or may be experiencing at that time. And to not think about what I'm going through, but to remember this is not about me, but it's about the client. So, stay focused and stay present. For example, if my client is coming at two o'clock, that I am not working up until 1:58 and then thinking that I'm now mentally prepared to coach. So, needing to give myself at least 10 to 15 minutes to get myself mentally ready for coaching, and taking care of myself so that I can receive and be ready for whatever my clients have for me.  

 

You know, ensuring that whatever their challenges are, are not things that I take on myself, but that when I am done coaching that I leave everything right there. I may need to step away for a minute, go and get some fresh air, whatever that might look like, so that I'm not holding on to whatever it is that they have presented with. 

 

You've already mentioned that Pathways to Health was one of the ways that you're using coaching in ministry. Are there any other ways you use coaching in ministry? 

So that is the primary way. I do serve as our Health and Temperance Ministry leader at my church as well. Even in that regard, there are opportunities to use coaching. We have also conducted different health fairs, and so that presents with [what] I would say is [on the] spot coaching. 

 

The last question I have for you is, what are three things that you would like to share with potential health and wellness coaches? 

One is to remember that we have a purpose. We have the right arm of the gospel message where health is concerned. So, there's work for us to do if you are willing and you have a willing spirit. Secondly, if there is an area that is of most interest to you, where health coaching is concerned, learn all you can about that area, but at the same time, remain open. Keep in mind that what you see up front is not always what the real issue is. And third, remember to remain present the whole time.