Licensed Coach Sybil Isn’t Holding Back
Sybil Kolbert is a Go + Tell Gals Licensed coach and creator who is no stranger to the upheaval that comes with crisis. She is ready to help you through the process of rebuilding and clear out debris to create a foundation that makes room for something more or better.
We sat down with Sybil to hear all about her mission. Read on to hear from Sybil.
TELL US THE STORY ABOUT HOW YOU CAME TO BE A GATG COACH:
In the fall of 2018, I was part of the first round of GATG Go Teams. Also that fall, I attended a leadership retreat, the Ezer Collective. Also that fall, I was experiencing the height of my struggle with chronic pain, migraines, and a difficult health journey. It was during this time that God first gave me the word "coach". It was through the Ezer Collective and Go Teams that I learned what coaching (aside from sports teams lol) looked like for others, but I still wasn't sure what it could look like for me. It was a year later that I was a part of a local cohort of women who were interested in preaching and teaching called Carry the Word. As part of that cohort, I was required to create a mission statement. As part of that process, God gave me five words that started with the letter "C" - Curriculum, Connection, Communication, Conversation, and Coaching. There was that word again - coaching. At that point, I began thinking about what coaching could look like for me. It wasn't long after that GATG launched their coaches’ training program. I applied right away! I didn't get accepted the first round. But felt like God still had that word for me. When the time came for the second round, I applied again and was accepted. When I attended the coachs’ retreat in December, a picture came back to me; it was a picture I had seen during the vision session of the Go Teams in fall 2018. It was of me, looking down at my feet, standing (or sitting) on what was could have been a stage; I couldn't tell exactly but knew it was inside, not outside. When I entered the retreat on the first day and went to my chair, I saw it. My feet on the "stage" at Bright City Church!! It was the right time and place for me to officially become a coach :)
TELL US ABOUT HOW AND WHO YOU COACH.
My coaching is for women. Women who feel stuck and broken and are unclear of what their next step should be. I see myself as a guide or collaborator, asking questions to help these women discover what is already inside of them. My main goal is to create a safe space for this to happen; for these women to explore who they are and who God has created them to be. I want women to leave their time with me knowing a little more about themselves and about God. I also want them to feel equipped to take at least one next, right step. Something that helps move them toward freedom and away from shame and/or uncertainty. I coach women individually and in small groups, through the study of God's word and through lessons related to improving their emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual health. The GATG coaching steps have also helped me in my work with survivors of human trafficking; I use the principles of coaching in my classes and as a I work to develop a curriculum.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE?
My latest spiritual gifts assessment showed prophecy, mercy, and teaching as my top three spiritual gifts. I definitely believe that these are accurate in my current season. I feel the most alive when I am teaching, especially from God's word! I also feel a burden to take the truth from God's word and share it with others, even when it's difficult. I believe God has me in a church in which I am one of the few who is always pushing those around me to grow, change, and mature; I have done this by writing and teaching Bible studies, teaching classes, and speaking individually into the lives of many women. I also feel called to serve those who are the most needy, oppressed, and misunderstood. Often those who many Christians would avoid... I seem to be drawn to.
WHAT DOES RUNNING ON MISSION MEAN TO YOU?
For me, running on mission means that I am authentically obedient. Over the past nine years, God has been speaking to me so loudly (or maybe I finally started listening!) and my desire has been to hear and obey. I don't want to miss anything that God has for me and how he wants to use me to bring him to others. This has not always been easy and it has often taken years for me to discover what it is that God means by certain words (e.g. "coach"). However, I am more sure now than ever that God wants me to live into who he has created me to be! I am compelled to be me and to do what he has asked me to do, each and every day.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO 'GO AND TELL'?
It was not long before the pandemic last year (Feb 2020) when God gave me the words, "don't hold back". I realized at that point that God was calling me out of a season of quiet and into something new. Since that time, he has given me countless opportunities to take what he is teaching me and share it with others, boldly and without shame. Go and tell is what we have been made to do. In this season, I have been learning what that looks like for me and how to integrate my experiences, knowledge and story with the story of Jesus that God has asked me to share.
WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MESSAGES FROM YOU ARE THE GIRL FOR THE JOB?
"It's time to quit arguing with God about our inadequacy and start relying on his capacity." As someone whose story involves chronic pain, I have had to change my pace, my schedule, etc. There were many days when I struggled emotionally because my capacity is not what it used to be. I could think of my life "before" the pain and be disappointed because that wasn't me anymore. I often responded to God with, "But I don't know how..." The idea that it's my obedience plus God's capacity that leads to abundance was so refreshing to me! Even if I don't know how he does. Even when I don't have the energy, I can draw from his abundance. I still have to be careful about my schedule and my pace, but I have quit arguing with God and leaned into him instead.
IS THERE AN OVERARCHING MESSAGE YOU FIND YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH MOST WOMEN YOU ENCOUNTER?
You are free. You don't have to stay stuck in shame or uncertainty, you can move forward in freedom.
TELL US ABOUT THE WOMAN YOU SERVE:
The women I serve want more for their lives than they are currently experiencing. They are wives, mothers, daughters, business women. They have likely experienced brokenness or trauma that has caused them to believe lies about who they are and what they are capable of. These women feel stuck because they don't know what to do next or are overwhelmed by the feeling that they can't possibly do it all. They want to believe that it's possible to live on purpose in any season but are not sure how to do it or where to start. They need someone to guide them toward discovering what is already inside them and to equip them with the tools necessary to move forward.
TELL US ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATION YOU COACH YOUR WOMAN THROUGH:
The transformation happens when these women go from feeling stuck or uncertain to moving forward in freedom. There is also transformation when they go from a lack of confidence and doubt to believing the truth about who they are and who God created them to be.
WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SCRIPTURE REFERENCES OR BIBLICAL ENCOURAGEMENT TO SHARE WITH THE WOMEN YOU COACH?
The verses I have shared most often are Lamentations 3:19-26 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT A FEW OF YOUR FAVORITE COACHING MOMENTS.
A few weeks ago I did a group coaching session with a group of local women realtors. I know nothing about real estate, but tried to remember that I don't have to be the expert, just the guide! I also felt a little strange because most of my teaching includes using God's word and for this event I couldn't. I prayed that God would give me the words to say and that the women would come to a greater knowledge of Him, even though I couldn't speak his name. The session went great and I had a woman book a one-on-one session with me during the event! The best part was what the woman told me when we had our first session. She said that she had prayed right before the event, asking God to bring her what she needed. She believed I was the answer to her prayer. She was an answer to mine as well! In another session, as we got to the end and I was summarizing what she had shared, the woman got a strange look on her face. I asked her, "was that right? did I miss something?" And she said, "You got all that from what I said? That's exactly how I feel, but didn't know I said it." I was able to share with her that I had prayed for insight from the Holy Spirit as I listened to her speak. It was such a win because I knew God saw me in that moment and she believed that he saw her too!!
IF THERE WAS ONE PIECE OF WISDOM YOU COULD SHARE WITH ALL WOMEN, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
God knows you. He is speaking to you and he wants you to hear him. You have the ability to hear him. There is joy in hearing him speak and in stepping toward what he is asking you to do.
