Coaching 101
Coaching is a relatively new industry, and as such many people aren’t quite sure what it is or who it’s for. There are a lot of misconceptions out there. This blog post is going to serve as a little intro course to coaching. No need to take notes, and there won’t be a quiz, but you will walk away with a better understanding of what coaching is and may discover it is something that could benefit you.
No one needs coaching, and everyone can benefit from it. Yes, I am a coach and I just said you don’t need my services. You are a complete and whole person, and can most certainly survive without coaching. Yet, coaching can monumentally improve your quality of life by expanding your awareness of your values and feelings, leading to insight and action. It is not about picking up your broken pieces and putting them back together, it is about taking your complete self and the resourcefulness you possess and building a more full life. Coaching is an empowering process.
Coaching is often confused with other helping professions like therapy and consulting. Although the one-on-one setting looks similar, the approach and what clients receive from the process differ. For instance, therapy and counseling typically focus on the past and healing psychological problems like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and addiction. Coaches on the other hand are not trained in these areas and will refer to therapists when called for. Coaching is forward-focused and helps clients expand awareness in the present, see their desired future, and design thoughtful action.
Further, consultants are usually hired to address specific issues for individuals or organizations as a whole. They are expected to provide expertise, interventions, and solutions. On the contrary, coaches help individuals uncover their own solutions. As a coach, I will not give you advice, because I am not an expert in your life. You are! I am here to help you realize what is important to you, create aligned goals, locate and break down the barriers in your way, and ultimately reach those aspirations. I don’t tell you what’s right for you, I help you discover it.
Anyone can receive and benefit from coaching, and people seek it for a variety of reasons. There is an abundance of coaching niches and you can probably find a coach to serve you in whatever area you seek to grow. There are coaches to help you choose a career, improve your leadership skills, or help you build your business or nonprofit. Relationship coaches who help you foster better marital, familial, and parental relationships. Spiritual coaches who help you discover and deepen spirituality, or live in your soul’s purpose. There are health coaches who help you develop healthier lifestyles, and body-positive coaches who help you have a better relationship with your body. There are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coaches, confidence coaches, and financial coaches, and the list goes on and on. No matter the niche, we are all life coaches, because all of these things are intertwined. They all interact with each other, thus transformation in any of these areas really does breed transformation in them all.
The real benefit of coaching is an outside perspective. As normal humans, we get lost in our own thoughts and narratives and that often holds us back from what we desire most in this world. A coach will ask you powerful questions that help you expand your way of thinking and challenge you to think bigger, even when it is scary. They will provide a safe place to explore yourself and say the dreams and thoughts you’ve been too afraid to voice aloud. They will provide the support and encouragement you need to make real and difficult change in your life. Coaching is a partnership. We stand beside you in the trenches and are as curious about you as you are about yourself.
Personally, I am a transformational life coach who helps women untether from the expectations of society, connect to their core selves, and create a life that brings them true joy and fulfillment. Women come to me feeling stuck, lost, and alone. They have followed the steps to success only to find it isn’t what they want, they have unspoken dreams they don’t believe they can achieve, and they have been striving hard to be the best version of themselves, but never feel they are enough. In our work together my clients realign with who they are at their core, create a vision of the life they want to lead, and develop the actions and confidence to build and live that life unapologetically.
If this tour of coaching has piqued your interest and you’re ready to receive the benefits of coaching for yourself, there are multiple routes to finding a coach. You can do a simple google search of “coach” and the area of growth you are looking for, such as “financial” and “career,” or there are directories like the one from the International Coaching Federation. Most coaches offer free consultations or discovery calls, which I highly recommend you take advantage of. Do a few of these calls with different coaches and see who you have the best connection with and believe will provide you with the support you need.
If the type of coaching I provide struck a chord with you and you are ready to dive in and reap the rewards of coaching, I would be honored to provide you with a free discovery call. If you’re curious, but still on the fence, you can subscribe (below) to my newsletter to receive monthly coaching insights and info!
I have done a lot of solo self-work via books and podcasts over the past years that have produced transformation in my life, but receiving coaching has brought that transformation to a new level. It has taken me out of my own head so that I can see the issues and obstacles in my life from a new lens and tackle them with a more productive mindset. It has empowered me to live a life that makes me feel alive and inspired. I am so grateful for the coaching I have received and so proud to provide the same to others.
