By Amy Nielsen

Last week in school we started working on branding ourselves as our intended profession. In my case, this is in the field of health and wellness. Because of the laws of my state, there are some very specific words I cannot use to describe what it is that I do because these words are the sole domain of licensed practitioners who have a different educational background than I do.

This topic brought on a lively debate among my classmates. We are a far flung bunch of 500, spread literally around the world, who range in age from mid-20s to mid-60s. Our debate: what do you call yourself when someone pays you for the knowledge in your head rather than what you produce?

I can’t use the words counselor or therapist, according to my state laws. But then I wouldn’t use those words because I am not really either of those things. My particular practice will have several aspects to it in order to reach the clientele I want to help. I plan to teach classes, but I am not specifically a teacher. I am writing a hands on lectures series, but I am not a lecturer. Part of my practice is holding space for people to release but I am not a facilitator either.

I could use the word coach, but that implies a different sort of relationship than the feeling I am looking for. I didn’t grow up playing team sports a lot, but I did play grade school community soccer. I played some individual sports, gymnastics then horsemanship and eventually competitive highland dance. I excelled at the individual sports in competition even though I dislike competing very much. So I had relationships with professional coaches.

The relationship I had with those coaches feels different from the one I want to present my clients with. Perhaps it is because I can only see those relationships through the eyes of a child. Perhaps it is because, for the most part, those relationships were built around the competition rather than the life skills those sports could teach. My business has nothing to do with that sort of endeavor.

I have had a sports coach as an adult. I spent 10 years studying target archery under a coach. Our relationship was very different from my previous coaching experiences. Perhaps it is part of the sport of archery, and perhaps it is based on the sort of formal framework our relationship was bound by. I didn’t just learn to shoot arrows, I lived the life of an archer in another time. I was Yoeman to Baron Li Kung Lo in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

First, a short sidebar into what the heck this weird thing the SCA is. As defined by the organization, “The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe. Our “Known World” consists of 20 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which feature tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes & workshops, and more.” (SCA.org)

In short we are historical reenactors who live, work, and play in the middle ages recreating the arts, sciences, life skills as closely as possible, including a whole lot of primary source research. We play in the Society by a version of King/Queen, Royalty Household/ Family, Peers, minor nobility and court, on down to us measly peasants, or because we are anachronistic and democratic and politically correct – not to mention 700 years farther evolved (current political situations aside) - commoners. Some of the best artisans, researchers, and historians I know anywhere are or once were SCAdians.

Within this context, my archery teacher and coach was, a Peer of the Realm, a Pelican, as well as a Grand Master Archer, and member of the Order of the Sagittarius. Now I tell you this all because he was so much more than my archery coach. By the titles he wore and his time within the organization, it was incumbent upon him to have students.

Master Li is – um - not exactly the teacher-like type, if you get my drift. He is a crotchety, opinionated, frustrating, zen master of pure heart that shine through when the grasshopper finally gets it.

Part of the agreement we made when I became his student was to learn not only to shoot but to be an archer. Within the SCA, this means learning to make and maintain my own equipment. Learn about the life my sort of person would have lived. Make or acquire clothing appropriate to my station, and that pleased my Lord Master, to be a credit to his household. I had to learn not only the rules of archery within the SCA competition, but to sharpen my skills he took me to modern target archery competitions as well.

Archery is an unforgiving sport. You either hit the X or you don’t. In order to do that you must be exactly still. Everywhere. For a spilt second. To teach that is impossible, but to lead someone to it is genius.

Now I am certainly not a master, and Master Li would tell you neither is he. But he will also tell you that to become a master one must teach. Well, I know I have a lot to offer. I am just beginning to understand how teaching, becomes leading.

I see my business set up in three distinct levels: fun crafty classes, group or tribe style wellness coaching, and then eventually, I would like to have a few clients who are more intense and who want to work deeper with me on things we find mutually interesting. Like my studies with Master Li. I studied as his archery student for a while before becoming his yoeman. He became my mentor. We were able to use our archery practice to work through a whole lot of real life stuff together. We both grew from our relationship.

So perhaps in an effort to spell it out for the universe, I should call myself mentor. And I will work up and into that esteemed title.