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International Coaching Week 2026
with Eleni Soler, PCC
Date: Monday, May 11, 2026 • 9:00 AM

Holding Paradox: Embracing Both/And Thinking to Deepen Coaching Presence

This interactive session invites coaches to explore paradox—the experience of two desirable, yet seemingly opposing truths—and how holding both can deepen presence and awareness in coaching.

Participants will explore different paradoxes commonly encountered in coaching, holding the tension between being Silent and Probative, knowing when to remain spacious and reflective, and when to engage with purposeful questioning.

The session also includes an experiential exercise where coaches identify their own personal paradox and practice holding that tension lightly, noticing how it arises cognitively and somatically, and discovering ways to remain spacious, curious, and engaged without collapsing into either side.

Through this work:

• Coaches develop practical strategies to bring both/and thinking into their sessions, enhancing presence, relational skill, and the ability to support client insight and self-agency.
• By exploring paradox firsthand, coaches leave with a clearer sense of how tension can become a tool for fostering clarity, growth, and more impactful coaching relationships.

Eleni Soler, PCC, Marketing & Communications Director of Upstate NY Charter Chapter of ICF, and founder of Eleni’s Edge, LLC, partners with individuals and organizations to cultivate awareness that evolves into aligned action. With a grounded yet intuitive presence, she guides from the space where heart and mind meet. Holding multiple master’s degrees, including an MBA and an M.Ed., Eleni draws on extensive experience in organizational leadership, business analytics, and people development across higher education and corporate environments, to help clients build the inner architecture needed to lead with creativity. Her coaching style is marked by expansive listening and a belief that the most powerful questions are those that echo long after a session ends. When she isn’t coaching, Eleni can be found with her husband and son watching sunrises or enjoying a good book and cup of tea alongside her playful Havanese.