The following is an edited transcript of a conversation between Peggy O‘Neal, Director of the newly-formed AsiaWorks Coaching Division, and Marcus Marsden, TWP Director of Research and Marketing.

Marcus : Hi Peggy, and welcome to Asia. Tell us a little about how you came to be here.

Peggy : Well, my journey started with taking the Basic Training in 1987 in USA. My trainer? Mr. Jim Cook!

Marcus : What were you doing at the time you took the Basic?

Peggy : By that time I had been a lawyer for 12 years. You might have heard of my law school professors too …. Bill and Hillary Clinton! In fact, I worked for them in various capacities on his route to the White House and served in his presidential administration too!

Marcus : So how did you move from lawyer to coach?

Peggy : After my Basic Training, I decided I wanted to be a trainer and became an Advanced Course trainer and Regional Manager in New York and Washington DC. I did this for a period of about four years and then went on to form my own coaching company, which I ran for fifteen years and where I worked with individuals from all works of life, including many major multi national businesses and the University of California State in Sacremento, USA

Marcus : And now AsiaWorks. Why the move?

Peggy : Two reasons really: Firstly I wanted to bring my work to a wider group of people. Working on my own, I could reach a limited number of people. With AsiaWorks, I can now touch many more people with coaching and that is something about which I am passionate. Secondly, I share the AsiaWorks commitment to provide the highest quality of coaching development and certification in the world. We are in conversation right now with a group that is closely linked to the leading-edge work in Human Transformation carried out by Ken Wilber at the Integral Institute. This is an extremely exciting development for me, AsiaWorks and coaching in Asia in general.

Marcus : That sounds fascinating. How will this impact LP and the coaching work that AsiaWorks currently undertakes?

Peggy : LP, with its “Performance Coaching”, is a fantastic coaching model and I am not looking to replace it. However the coaching methodology that I will be introducing will add to and complement it. It will bring a greater richness and depth to the AsiaWorks “Performance Coaching .”

Marcus : Without giving away any of your secrets, can you give us a sneak peek into the new model?

Peggy : The new model will focus less on plans and strategies to achieve specific goals and will instead focus more on how the player sees , goes through, experiences and "checks out" how he or she is doing the game. It will look more at the player

themselves and their “way of being” rather than the “realm of doing”. The end game is the same however: the player wins and develops an increased capacity to produce results.

Marcus : So you are not here to replace Kelly?

Peggy : Absolutely not!! That would be totally impossible! I will be working closely with Kelly and our methodologies are very complementary. I am excited to build on my own approach through working with her.

Marcus : What would you say characterizes your own personal approach to coaching?

Peggy : The feedback I receive from my clients tells me that they especially value my insightfulness and also my willingness to see possibility in any situation. They also like my use of metaphor, which they say illuminates their understanding of concepts and issues that they are facing.

Marcus : So what will be your role in AsiaWorks?

Peggy : My focus is very much on coaching (although I might do a few Advanced Courses too!). In addition to developing this new methodology, I will also be delivering new coaching trainings, certifying coaches and working as an Executive Coach. My role extends across AsiaWorks and The Works Partnership.

Marcus : How do you see coaching now?

Peggy : In 1987, when I first got into coaching, everyone thought it was a fad. Increasingly now, it is seen as a respected discipline and profession. I think this will only continue, as more and more people experience the power of working with a great coach. Being coached can truly transform a person’s life, not only in terms of their results but also their whole experience of their life.

Marcus : Is there anything else you want to say to our graduates?

Peggy : Yes! I would love to hear from any graduates who are interested in either developing their own coaching skills or from people who are interested in being coached. People can contact me at peggy@theworkspartnership.com or in the Singapore office.