Since the day my family and I decided to settle down in the United States slightly more than five years ago, I have been feeling like I’m rafting on the mountain river. Sometimes there are very small rough areas, sometimes there is whitewater, big waves, large rocks and hazards that called for a firm hand on the oars.
As you probably know, dealing with risk and the need for teamwork is often a part of the rafting experience. I started my journey alone and met great people on my way. I see them as my team and my tribe now. Thanks to the support and trust of all my people – my family, teachers, friends, mentors, clients, Columbia classmates – my dangerous adventure has become a part of me evoking a great transformation in my personal and professional life.
So, rafting through multiple tasks, working and studying hard, I have noticed that my energy doubles when I coach. Coaching is my passion and my mission, my partnerships with my clients are the source of my super-power – the more I coach the better I feel. My kids say that I remind them of the mom from the Incredibles because I have my own super-power.
The unlimited acceptance and support of my people encouraged me to choose my Day Name, or Coach Name, or even better Super Helper Name. I know how difficult it to pronounce or spell my last name, Dvurechenskaya, and how my English-speaking clients refer me to their friends and colleagues as Maria, the great coach with a very long last name. So, I decided to make it easier for people to remember my name. I’d like to introduce my Super Helper Name, Maria Wade, that I will use from this day onward.
This choice is no groping about blindly, I see the meaning in my new name.
My original name, Dvurechenskaya, is translated from Russian to English as “belonging to two rivers”, and I don’t want to separate myself from the rivers, the water, this elemental force.
“Water is the ‘valley spirit,’ the water dragon of Tao, whose nature resembles water – a yang in the yin, therefore, water means spirit that has become unconscious.” – wrote Carl Jung. The water is also the place of transformation: Proteus, the water god, turns into a lion, a snake, a tree; Thetis, the Nereid, transforms herself into a bird and a tree while courting Peleus.[1]
It reminds me of the coaching process when we go to the depths to explore our unconscious to awaken awareness, draw a clear picture and transform ourselves.
In my new name, I love the familiar sounds from my father’s name and my family’s name, the meaning and energy of the word “wade”; it resonates with me.
wade (Merriam-Webster.com)
verb \ ˈwād \
intransitive verb
1: to step in or through a medium (such as water) offering more resistance than air
2: to move or proceed with difficulty or labor wade through the crowd; wade through all the evidence
3: to set to work or attack with determination or vigor —used with in or into wade into a task
transitive verb
: to pass or cross by wading
Can you hear the voice of the river in my name? I can. I trust my intuition, I feel this name, I embrace its power and energy. I bring this energy to my work.
As you understand, this change has re-branding as a consequence. I’m going to move from abstract MDC Executive Coaching to Maria Wade Executive Coaching: Thinking Partnership.
I’m open to learning your thoughts, opinions, and comments about my decision. Feel free to share them with me and my readers.