Maren Somers is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her plethora of tools that she uses to help her clients. She says “Bereichert means enriched in German, which is a reference to my birth name Reichert and also how I wish my clients to experience our work together.” Her way of coaching is customized to each individual’s needs and wants. And she is one of the most dedicated coaches that we interviewed so far. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Maren Somers:

Name: Maren Somers
Pillar: The Spirit
Who is this coach for: For anyone who wants to enrich their life with meaning, purpose and self confidence.
How they can help: By using a unique combination of tools like NLP, Hypnosis, Systemic Constellations, just to name a few.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?

We managed surprisingly well. I was able to put more time into my coaching business as I also have a Part Time employment which gave me enough time to deepen my knowledge through workshops and seminars that fortunately took place.

We spent more active time together and had many chances to practice our communication skills.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

I was very fortunate personally, I must say, I take great joy in having more time at home and with my family.

In personal as well as work related surroundings I was very fortunate to meet people that were able to cope very well with the situation and for some, it was also fortunate as it gave them the opportunity to find a way back to themselves and what they want in life.

The clients I worked with had issues and obstacles which could have appeared at any given time and had no real connection to the pandemic or its circumstances.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

I have to love and accept myself first and actively take time only with myself to think about what I want.

In order to feel myself I have to distance myself from the outside world, the constant overload of news, being told what I need and need to have in order to be of worth.

If someone else feels the need to tell me what I want and need, it is only their opinion and what their needs are.

It has nothing to do with me, which is a very liberating knowledge indeed. Maybe their strategy is different from mine, and that’s fine. We can agree to disagree.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I have taken communication workshops for years now, trying to figure out what communication does and how to use it to express myself more clearly in order to solve repeating conflicts.

On one of those workshops I was introduced to something called “non-violent communication” by Marshall Rosenberg. I instantly started researching and was hooked.

Everything suddenly made sense and I began to understand myself. I had discovered the power of feelings and needs in combination with a method to actually put this into words.

Through a year long Workshop on non-violent communication, I met a coach and was very intrigued by her work and started to look into it.

Within a few weeks, I decided to book a Coaching Program with a German Institute (Dr.Migge) which specializes in training coaches with a very wide range of methods including Hypnosis, Systemic Constellations, Cognitive, Solution oriented and Logical Methods like NLP and many more.

Almost right at the beginning I was approached by my first female client and have been coaching ever since. 

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

Losing my mother in my early 20s to cancer, trying to fix my toxic relationship, and for about 35 years, continuously being told I am wrong and everything I do is wrong.

Not only obstacles made me into the person I am today. I insist on mentioning that the following added so very much: traveling all over our wonderful planet and listening to people from so many cultures, countries, and backgrounds.

Becoming a mother has been the most amazing journey both towards my true self and far beyond what I thought was possible.

Lifelong reading and learning by asking questions and staying curious, always.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I enjoy being very active with my clients as I use the room we are in (or my client’s room when online coaching). I use cards, chairs, and ropes on the floor. We work with toys and pictures. We have imagination sequences.

Non-violent communication is used in all my coaching as it is the heart of all the work I do, combining it intuitively with other methods I had mentioned before.

Regardless of the mandate, it is always about my client as a whole human being: including the individual’s feelings, needs, wishes, goals, family and work related system and resources as well as capabilities.

Right now I am working on a package to include all necessary steps to gain self confidence, purpose, and meaning in life, overcome obstacles and reach a state of confidence, happiness, and contentment with the ability to communicate in a way to solve conflicts in a connected way. Stay tuned.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

To be honest, I believe that I have very, VERY capable, empathic, and professional colleagues almost everywhere on this beautiful earth.

We all have our own experiences. We each have similar or not so similar toolsets. What makes us all unique is the combination of tools we use and how we use them, because of who we are.

What makes my approach unique is the way I connect with people and my ability to see a greater picture. To me, every person is of value and of worth because we are so very different and share so much. But then again, is that really unique?

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

My clients receive new perspectives on their life, themselves, and their immediate system.

Some gain a different understanding of themselves, of their feelings, and what they mean.

Some find their purpose, their one thing in life, and some just enjoy exploring their boundaries and personality structures. Some completely transform their lives. What would you like to „happen“ for yourself?

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

Non-Violent Communication, Tools from NLP, The Work, Imagination, Existentialist Coaching Methods based on the work of Victor Frankl, Hypnosis, Systemic Constellations, Inner Child, Schema Coaching (Young) Cognitive and Solution-Oriented Methods, A Compassionate Mindset inspired and influenced by Essentialism, Minimalism, and Curiosity.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

Be the change that you want to see in the world, by loving yourself first!

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

Feelings are your friends, they tell you what’s good for yourself and what isn’t.

They need to be felt and listened to. If not, they’re just getting louder and louder. Or they will eventually make you sick and break down.

They tell you about your needs. And if your needs are met, or even acknowledged, the results are absolutely astounding: happiness and contentment sets in.

Everything living beings do, is to meet their needs, even if they aren’t aware of them. And their how, their strategies can be disturbing or even violent or offending towards themselves and others.

But you have a choice, always!

Set your boundaries. Do something differently. Walk away. Tell them to stop. Every second you have a choice!

Listen to your gut. It knows what’s right for you. It is your inner you.

Your final thoughts?

Thank you all for reading my interview. I feel very honored and am deeply thankful for the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences through this channel.

I would feel very happy if my words trigger curiosity in you to look into Marshall Rosenbergs lifetime work and maybe change your life as it did mine.

Every obstacle is just life asking a question. And if you find your why in life, answering this question becomes easier and easier.

Feel enriched!
Yours, Maren.

Where Can You Find Maren Somers?

If you liked this interview and it resonated with you, make sure to check her website at https://www.bereichert.net/. It is written on German but don’t worry if you don’t understand. You can easily translate it via Google translate or, you can contact Maren directly as she is not limiting herself only to German clients.

If you want to get a glimpse of her coaching make sure to follow her on Instagram or connect with her on LinkedIn. It was an honor having this interview with her.