A Companion Along Your Way
Coaching for Episcopal clergy and faith leaders navigating transitions, bishop discernment, and the fullness of their ministry.
25+ years a priest ◆ 1,000+ coaching hours ◆ Clients in 5+ countries ◆ CREDO PCUSA ◆ Ministering to Ministers
25+ years a priest ◆ 1,000+ coaching hours ◆ Clients in 5+ countries ◆ CREDO PCUSA ◆ Ministering to Ministers
WHY CARDBOARD DOG?
As a coach, I am your Cardboard Dog - a faithful companion to your preferred future. I listen attentively. I help you find your own answers. And I cheer you on as you take steps to better align your values and your life.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE YOURSELF HERE?
You’re in good company.
Coaching at Cardboard Dog meets you in the season you're actually in. Not the one you wish you were in, or the one you think you should be in.
▢ You're exhausted.
The work you love is wearing you out. You can name it, but you can't yet name what to do about it.
▢ Your life is out of balance.
Ministry has crept into every hour. You're not sure where it ends and you begin anymore.
▢ Your values don't match your context.
What you believe and what your congregation expects aren't the same anymore. The gap is getting harder to live in.
▢ You're moving toward something new.
A sabbatical. Retirement. The slow exit from church work into the secular world. Or — surprisingly, even a little embarrassingly — the question of becoming a bishop has begun taking shape in you. You'd like a companion for the road.
WHAT HELEN OFFERS
How We Work Together
Individual Coaching
Where Most Clients Begin
I listen carefully and ask evocative questions to help you express what's already inside you but hasn't yet been fully formed. We work together to create next steps toward your preferred future.
FOR
General support · transitions · times of crisis · bishop discernment
FORMAT
50-minute sessions on Zoom · At your pace · Single sessions or packages of 4, 6, or 12
FEE
One session $160, 4 sessions $590, 6 sessions $875, 12 sessions $1,675
Bishop Discernment
Faithfulness, Not Election, is the Goal
I walk with discerners through the full search process, whether the call is a yes, a no, or a not-yet. I demystify the process, review your materials, prepare you for meet-and-greets, and interviews. I companion you as the election draws near, and after.
FOR
Priests discerning a call to the episcopate - especially those who are unsure
FORMAT
1:1 Zoom sessions, designed around your needs. May include: fit review, materials review, retreat and meet-and-greet prep, post-election session
FEE
Pay-what-you-can: for women, transgender, nonbinary & 2Spirit clergy, as space allows
Retreats & Workshops
Renowned Hospitality for Groups
I host small gatherings for Clergy rest & renewal, as well as Parish or Planning retreats. I also organize larger 40 to 70 person multi-day events.
FOR
Cohorts of 4–10 clergy · parish leadership teams · diocesan groups · churchwide events
FORMAT
In-person, custom designed for or with you · deeply intentional hospitality
FEE
Full daily rate: $2,200 for those able to pay · Custom quotes for values-aligned work
Online Groups
Seasonal Cohorts for Clergy Support
From time to time, I offer weekly or monthly clergy groups. These have included book studies, new clergy support, senior clergy support, resilience cohorts, and groups for women, trans & non-binary clergy.
FOR
Clergy who want deep work in community
FORMAT
Online
FEE
Varies
Read more about previous groups →
Wise.
Truth-telling.
With love.
Hi! I'm Helen.
After getting degrees in Psychology and Human Development, I had a brief career in finance before I went to seminary to prove to God that I'd get kicked out. God won, and was ordained in 1998. I spent 23 years in full time parish ministry in a variety of contexts and places.
After my Lily-funded sabbatical, I completed a DMIN focused on creating WEEL, a cohort model of discernment for underrepresented demographics in the Episcopal House of Bishops.
I was trained as a coach by Coach Approach Skills Training just before the pandemic hit, and my coaching practice took off.
I became ACC certified through the International Coaching Federation, and am now contemplating the higher PCC certification.
I left parish ministry in 2021 and have woven together a rich life of coaching, retreat leadership, and mental health counseling. I have over 1,000 hours coaching clergy and others from 6 countries, and have been a discernment partner to 17 bishops and counting.
I'm an active neighbor in Eno Commons Cohousing, I love slow hikes at my local state park, and I delight in my husband and our two young adult children.
Contact me to set up a free Discovery Call and start your coaching adventure.
WHAT I VALUE
Seven Words I Live By
To become the unique person God created me to be. To encourage others to become their own unique creations of God.
Artist: Cydney Reece
JOY
Sharing a life full of blessing and thanksgivingHUMOR
Never taking ourselves or our beliefs too seriouslyBALANCE
Working to live, never living to workSIMPLICITY
Living simply — for our own sakes, and as an example to othersCONVICTION
Believing whole-heartedly while continuing to growBEAUTY
Seeking out beauty around, within, and among lifeFIDELITY
To God, Self, Shawn, Family, and Friends
Client Testimonials
“Helen's coaching helped me land a fantastic new job. I couldn't have gotten there on my own - Helen made it happen for me!"
— Kim
"My time being coached by Helen has been transformative, challenging, and insightful. I'm thankful for her deep listening and guidance…”
— Joy
I arrive at our meetings feeling scattered and depart feeling like I have a reasonable plan.
— Anna
FAQ’S
Questions
People Bring
Don't see yours? Just ask Helen → helen@cardboarddogcoaching.com
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To Get Clarity
Coaching is an excellent tool for getting clarity. A trained coach’s powerful questions help unlock what is already inside of you, waiting to have permission to become real.
To Accelerate Directed Movement
Each coaching session ends with an invitation to take action about what you brought to coaching that day. By committing to action steps, coaching helps accelerate movement towards your desired future.
To Solidify Learning and Growth
Studies have shown that coaching after training increases application three times more than training alone.
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Likely, yes. There are coaches that specialize in just about everything from parenting autistic children to 6-figure job changes to living well through cancer treatment and about everything else you can imagine.
One of the great things about coaching is that it is all about powerful questions. Your coach doesn’t need to be excellent in your field — they just need to know how to listen well, ask powerful questions, and support your own discovery and movement.
The majority of my coaching base comes from clergy, people in transition or retirement, and people of faith– although I’m happy to work with a wide range of clients. If you are interested in finding out if I would be a good coach for you, contact me for a free 30-minute consultation.
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Unfortunately, people can call themselves coaching without having any training at all — so research carefully when you’re considering connecting with a coach.
The gold standard of coach training is ICF, the International Coaching Federation.
ICF has 3 levels of coaching certification. The most common is the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) which includes a minimum of 60 hours of training and 100hours of coaching. Professional Certified Coaches (PCC) have at least 125 hours oftraining and over 500 hours of coaching. Master Certified Coaches (MCC) have over 200 hours of training and 2,500 hours of coaching. I completed my ACC certification in 2020 and currently have over 500 hours of coaching experience.
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Before our session, I will send you a 5 Minute Prep e-mail. This has a few questions to help you think about what you want to focus on during our 50-minute coaching session. Some people find it useful, others ignore it. It’s up to you.
At the beginning of our session, I’ll ask you what you would like to work on. We will spend some time getting clear on the topic, and through the use of powerful questions and other mental exercises, I will be your faithful companion as you get more clear on your next steps.
As a coach, I will embolden you to commit to actionable steps you would like to take towards your goal. I will help you clarify these steps and we will do “gut checks” to ensure you are really working towards your desired future, and not simply more “shoulds” in your life.
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Coaching can range in price from free to over $400 an hour. Often, the cost has little to do with the training or ability of the coach and more to do with what any particular market will support. I strive to find a rate that is fair for both me and my clients.
Single Individual Session: $160
Four Individual Sessions Package $590
Six Individual Session Package: $875
Twelve Individual Session Package: $1,675
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As I was beginning my coaching work, a friend told me the story of a tech company. When employees got stuck on a problem, they needed to talk it out with someone in order to get to their next breakthrough.
They tried talking it out with their bosses, but the bosses were distracted. They tried talking it out with the cleaning staff, and found out that the cleaning staff stopped what they were doing, paid attention, and the employees’ breakthroughs came quickly. But the cleaning work wasn’t getting done. Next, they tried talking to their company dog and found that the complete focus and attention from that dog was exactly what they needed to think through their issue and get to the breakthrough. One dog wasn’t enough to go around for everyone, so the company created cardboard cutouts of their company dogs. There were enough cardboard dogs for everyone who needed to talk. Employees could come to the cardboard dog and be reminded of the full attention they received from their company dog. They knew they could say silly, scary, outrageous things to the cardboard dog, and it would be OK. The cardboard dog was there, just for them, to do the work they needed to do then.
I realized as a Coach, I want to be your Cardboard Dog. I want to be your faithful companion — focused on you, letting you lead, sniffing out the truth, and supporting you on your way to your desired future.
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Therapy and coaching are different. I offer coaching anywhere in the world. I also am a LCMHCA in North Carolina. If you are a North Carolina resident and want to work with me as a therapist, visit: Heal, Grow, Go: Wellness.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Let’s See If We’d Work Well Together
Set up a free, 20 minute Zoom to chat about coaching, discernment, a retreat idea, or whatever else is on your mind.