The Gift That Gives Back - And A Way To Develop And Grow Your Coaching Practice

A reflection inspired by Empower World's Coaching and Leadership Podcast conversation with ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC), Mentor, and Supervisor Zsofia Juhasz, "The Gift of Volunteering: Community, Confidence and Coaching Growth."

At some point, coaches will reflect on how to grow their practice - not just in terms of clients, but in confidence, connection, and long-term sustainability. You’ve invested in training, you care about the people you work with, and you want to build something meaningful. Yet questions may remain around visibility, consistency, and how to position yourself within a growing profession.

It’s common to assume the answer lies in doing more: more marketing, more business development, which might not be a natural thing or a comfortable thing to do. However, there is another approach that is often overlooked: active contribution to the coaching community.

Coaching is inherently relational. Growth rarely happens in isolation and when coaches engage with their professional community through volunteering, supporting initiatives, or contributing their skills, they begin to experience a different kind of development.

As Zsofia Juhasz - International Coaching Federation Master Certified Coach - shared with us: “To give and be generous… that is very rewarding.” Giving back is beyond personal satisfaction, where contribution creates opportunities for connection, learning and visibility that are difficult to achieve alone.

Volunteering provides a context in which coaches can deepen their thinking, observe different approaches, and build relationships with peers and more experienced practitioners in ways that aligns with their values and what they are passionate about. And yet, when building a practice or managing competing priorities, contribution can easily fall to the bottom of the list.

As Zsofia says: “If we are busy… and you are wanting to volunteer… if it’s always going to be on the very bottom of the list, it will not work.” This highlights an important point. Contribution does not become meaningful by accident: it requires a conscious decision to engage, and engage in activities that inspire and energise.

This does not mean doing more or volunteering for the sake of it. The most sustainable contribution aligns with what matters deeply to you. When it connects with your values, wants and strengths, maintaining it becomes natural.

For example, when Zsofia moved from Hungary to Australia, she lacked a community to belong to and looked out for a place she could be a part of. The ICF Australasia, Brisbane Branch offered her the opportunity to be part of something she strongly believed in, leading to diverse connections, experiences and growth that have tremendously supported her coaching practice.

Joining the ICF met Zsofia's desire to be part of a professional community, rather than building a practice in isolation. As she said simply, “My first desire was community… I didn’t know anybody.”

In practical terms, volunteering might involve contributing in small, consistent ways: supporting a local coaching body, participating in professional conversations, or offering your experience where it is relevant. It does not need to be extensive to be valuable.

Over time, this kind of engagement tends to have a cumulative effect. Coaches often notice increased confidence, stronger relationships, and a clearer sense of their identity within the profession. Opportunities may also begin to emerge - not as a direct result of seeking them - but through being visible and engaged.

As Zsofia shared from her own experience of contribution: “It did give me opportunities that I never thought about initially.” Contribution not only supported others: it changed what became possible as opportunities began to emerge, not through deliberate pursuit, but by being visible and engaged in meaningful ways.

This reflects a broader pattern many coaches experience. When you contribute consistently, you are seen in context - how you think, how you show up, how you partner with others. Over time, this builds both confidence and credibility.

Zsofia explains that at times, as a volunteer, she has been asked to activate projects where she had limited experience in. Although unsure to begin with, the faith shown in her led to the development of skills to instigate and create initiatives - that were not only new - it also developed her creativity as a coach and a developer of new programmes. This has supported her own practice through new connections and expanded skillsets.

Importantly, this is not a one-way exchange. Contribution creates mutual value. “By giving, you also get,” she notes - not only in terms of opportunities - but also connection, learning and a sense of belonging.

Coaching continues to evolve as a profession, and its development depends on those who actively contribute to it. Engaging in this way not only supports your own growth but also strengthens the wider community. Zsophia explains: “It’s easier to do things together rather than by oneself.”

As you reflect on your own practice, you may wish to consider where contribution fits within your current approach. Not as an additional task, but as an integrated part of how you grow, connect, and make a difference.

Be Empowered

www.empower-world.com

If this reflection resonates with you, you may enjoy listening to the full conversation with Zsofia Juhasz on the Empower World Coaching and Leadership Podcast, where we explore the value of volunteering, the importance of community in coaching growth, and how contribution can strengthen confidence, connection, and long-term professional development.

You can listen to the full episode here:

YouTube: ------ https://bit.ly/YT-Podcast-EP-251

Direct Link: ---- https://bit.ly/Podcast-EP-251

Spotify: ------- https://bit.ly/SP-Podcast-EP-251

iTunes: -------- https://bit.ly/IT-Podcast-EP-251

As always, we would love to hear what resonates most with you. What helps you move from sharing knowledge to inviting meaningful transformation?

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