FEATURED ARTICLE
ANDI SHENKER
SAITOWITZ
‘What Would A Hero Do?’
A
S A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
professional life coach, I help my clients
navigate and leverage change.
When they have consciously and purpose-
fully chosen to do something different or
make a change, my primary role is to
empower them to keep their vision alive,
stay focused, committed, inspired and accountable and
together we build an action plan accordingly.
But what happens when change is thrust upon us and we
aren’t expecting it, don’t particularly have control over it
and now need to find the most effective tools and mindset
to embrace it and thrive? Of the many tools, theories and
methods I use in my coaching practices, The Hero’s Journey
Model stands out as the most versatile and relatable when it
comes to change.
Based on Joseph Campbell’s incomparable research and
adapted to combine with several coaching techniques, this
model reminds us of our innate resilience, courage and
resourcefulness to move through change, discomfort and
uncertainty in a brave, positive and heroic way, even though
we may feel scared, unsure, confused or uncomfortable. I
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like to break down the journey of problem-solving or trans-
formation into 7 stages.
Leaving: This is the moment when I know this is not the
way my story is going to end. Something is going to change
and be different from this point onwards. I may choose to
leave having reached a threshold or breaking point or I may
be thrown on a heroic journey – either way I leave. I leave
my current status quo.
Kingdom of Darkness: The moment we decide this is not
how things are going to continue, we enter the kingdom of
darkness. Just like its name suggests, this is a fearful and
uncertain place with so many unknowns. How will I solve
this? Who am I? What really matters most to me? One of
the greatest challenges of this stage is we don’t know how
long we will stay for. But this is also a blessed opportunity
to rediscover, to reevaluate, to revisit strengths, passions and
intuition and truly get clear on what I want and how best to
proceed. Although this stage is not fun or pleasant, it is
necessary and healthy and gives us a moment to pause and
engage with ourselves in a way we could never do if we were
in the light.
Our Shadow: moving through change and problem-solving
MAY 2017