I've never heard of life coaching before. Is it a new profession?
Life coaching is a relatively new profession that evolved from influences such as business consulting, executive coaching, and the pre-existing personal development industry. It was developed to function as a powerful alliance between a coach and client designed to help clients identify and achieve personal goals through results-oriented work with the coach to identify creative solutions and overcome obstacles. The coach works directly with the client and helps the client access their own inner wisdom. Life coaches believe completely that the client has all the tools they need to succeed in any realm they desire, and the coach provides guiding questions and external accountability to help the client discover their own answers.
How is life coaching different from consulting/therapy?
A consultant will provide answers to a client, offer direct suggestions, and give advice. A therapist focuses on a client's psychological history and looks deeply into their past in order to resolve old issues that are hindering current progress.
A life coach on the other hand will never give you the answers they think are "right." The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter what we as your life coaches think, because it isn't our life, it's yours! We will never give advice, we will instead ask you probing and intuitive questions to bring your consciousness to your own perfect solution. Life coaches also do not spend a lot of time discussing your past. We are interested primarily in the present and the future. Occasionally some past event may surface that is pertinent to the discussion, but it is not the focus of life coaching.
One very important distinction between life coaching and therapy is that while therapy aims to bring a client from dysfunction to function, life coaching aims to raise a client's performance from function to optimality. A life coach may decide that an issue is causing too much dysfunction for a client to be able to glean the full potential of the coach's alliance and recommend that the client seek therapy instead, at our discretion.
What is the coaching process like?
Life coaching is either done in person or over the phone. Each week you will have a session with your life coach during which you will uncover new resources and create exciting goals and precise strategies for attaining them. The life coach's role is to provide you with powerful tools for transforming whatever is hindering your success into opportunities for learning and growth, to keep you focused on what your biggest goals are, and to keep you accountable to yourself. One of our biggest roles is to be your personal cheerleader, keeping your morale high as you work towards your dreams.
I am considering getting a coach but would like to see what the process is like before making a decision.
Great! We wouldn't want you to jump into this without a full understanding of the alliance we want to forge with you. We offer a complimentary introductory session and recommend them strongly prior to deciding to work with us. This will allow you and the coach to know that the two of you will work together well and that the process is right for your current situation.
How can coaching be done over the phone?
Coaching is done over the phone for several reasons. First, connecting over the telephone is simply more convenient. Traffic and travel time are eliminated, you can work with your coach no matter where you are in the world, and you can have your session in a comfortable environment of your choosing.
I'm not sure I need coaching.
If after reading our site and seeing what services we have to offer you're still not sure if coaching would be useful for you, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Together, you and one of our coaches will investigate whether or not your current challenges can appropriately and effectively be addressed by coaching. We look forward to hearing from you.
I don't feel like there's anything wrong with my life right now. How could life coaching help me?
As mentioned above, the life coach's alliance with the client is to raise the client's consciousness and satisfaction from functional to breathtaking. Are there any areas of your life where you feel satisfied but not ecstatic? Are there any pie in the sky dreams that you have been keeping on a back burner because they don't seem reasonable or achievable? Those are just some of the big goals that a life coach would be happy to work with you to set and achieve.
How long is my initial commitment? What if I decide it isn't working out?
The coaching relationship typically lasts between three and six months, depending upon the complexity of your situation and challenges. The minimum commitment is three months as this is generally the amount of time needed to gain the necessary tools from coaching. Our practice isn't about making you dependent upon us, but giving you the tools and the map so that you can take your life in any direction you desire. Before concluding the coaching relationship, most people elect to slowly taper off with twice monthly sessions then monthly check-ins to make sure they remain on track with their goals and tasks.
If, at any time, you are dissatisfied with your coaching sessions, please communicate this to us immediately and we will do our best to improve our alliance with you. If we cannot meet your needs we will be happy to refer you to another coach.
How do I get started?
Give us a call or send us an email and we will be happy to schedule a time with you to have a complimentary session. During that session, we will make sure your challenges can be appropriately and effectively addressed through coaching. If so, we will decide upon a schedule that works for both of us and begin your journey! We are very excited to begin working with you.