Your Time of Power 2026: Self- Care Coaching
Free self-care coaching offered by the V.I.P. Coaches community of HRE Global Academy.
110 survey responses, 67 coaching participants, 134 sessions.
Article by Anna Kirikou, ACC, CSTP 4
Your Time of Power 2026 brought the need for self-care into focus. A total of 110 people responded to the initiative and took part in the survey. Of these, 67 received free coaching through 134 individual sessions. They also shared what self-care means to them, what makes it difficult to care for themselves, and what they want to change in their daily lives.
A volunteer initiative focused on self-care
Your Time of Power began in 2020 as part of International Coaching Week (ICW), with a consistent purpose: to offer free coaching to people who need it. The initiative is made possible through the voluntary contribution of the V.I.P. – Visionary Innovative Powerful Coaches community, which includes graduates, faculty members, and students of the HRE Global Academy coaching school.
Each year, the initiative focuses on a different social group or need — from women’s leadership to professionals and young people. In 2026, under the title EmpowerThem in Self-Care – Body, Mind & Soul, we focused on self-care, a need that concerns us all.
Coaching and research on self-care
This year’s initiative combined free individual coaching sessions with a survey exploring people’s relationship with self-care. The open invitation received 110 survey responses, while 67 people took part in the free coaching sessions. Together, these numbers point to a need for more time, care, and attention for ourselves.
We explored how people are feeling at this point in their lives, what self-care means to each person, what keeps them from practicing it, and what it would mean to make it part of their everyday lives.
What the survey revealed
The findings highlighted everyday challenges many people will recognize:
- 50% said they consistently put others first.
- 38% said they were too tired to focus on themselves.
- More than half rated how they feel right now as 3 on a 1-to-5 scale.
The picture that emerges is not necessarily one of people in crisis. It is one of people who may need space to pause, see their needs more clearly, and seek support.
110 responses, 67 coachees, 17 coaches, 134 free coaching sessions
Of the 110 people who completed the survey, 67 each received two coaching sessions — 134 sessions in total given by 17 volunteer coaches, students, graduates and members of the faculty of HRE Global Academy.
As in previous years, the feedback from those who completed the process was excellent. Asked how much stronger they felt after their sessions, participants gave an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Among other benefits, participants reported greater clarity of thought, calm, and confidence. They also described specific commitments, including taking new professional steps, building daily habits, and setting boundaries without guilt.
The most significant benefits were greater clarity of thought, followed by calm and concrete actions, such as taking new professional steps and developing new daily habits.
“I leave feeling refreshed, with my batteries recharged!”
“I was able to see clearly how I want to move forward with the career transition I have set as a goal.”
“I feel understood and at the same time pushed forward — vulnerable and empowered at the same time.”
Comments from coaching participants
The Self-Care Workshop
The initiative concluded with a free online self-care workshop, held on Friday, October 2, 2026, via Zoom. The workshop opened with a presentation of the survey findings and the initiative’s results by Anna Kyrikou, with support from Kelly Panagiotopoulou. It continued with a wonderful experiential self-care session led by Olga Papantriantafyllou, a member of the HRE Global Academy’s academic community.
The workshop closed with reflections from everyone who attended on the benefits of coaching and of the workshop itself. Shortly before the end, Prodromos Papavasileiou, Managing Partner of HRE and a member of the HRE Global Academy’s academic community, spoke about how coaching education is for everyone and congratulated the people who made another successful Your Time of Power initiative possible.
The workshop was open to everyone who had expressed interest in this year’s initiative, and participation was free.
Self-Care as an Everyday Choice
Self-care is not a luxury. It is a way of recognizing our needs and making space for what matters to us, so that we can also be present for the people around us.
Your Time of Power 2026 reminded us that this care can begin with a simple step: making time for ourselves and asking for support. The sessions were made possible through the voluntary contribution of the V.I.P. Coaches of the HRE Global Academy.
Learn more about Your Time of Power and the community’s initiatives.
Anna Kirikou
Member of HRE Global Academy Faculty
Associate Certified Coach by ICF
