What is a Life Coach Anyway?
When I first heard the term life coach, I wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. Was it like therapy? Consulting? Cheerleading? Or maybe just someone who gives advice on how to get your life together?
After going through my training with iPEC, I can confidently say that it’s none of those things and yet, it can touch every part of your life.
So, what is life coaching?
At its core, life coaching is about helping people become more aware so they can have more choice in how to live their lives.
Awareness is where it all begins. Most of us go through life reacting to situations, people, and emotions based on old patterns and assumptions. Coaching helps bring those patterns to light. When you can see what’s driving your thoughts and actions, you have the power to choose differently.
That’s where the real transformation happens, not because someone told you what to do, but because you’ve connected more deeply to who you really are. I’ve experienced this on a personal level just from going through this training, and I’m not even done yet!
What coaching is not:
Life coaching isn’t therapy, consulting, or mentoring.
Therapy tends to focus on healing past wounds.
Consulting is about giving expert advice.
Mentoring draws from someone else’s experience to guide you.
Coaching, on the other hand, starts with the belief that you’re already whole, capable, and resourceful. The answers aren’t in your coach, they’re in you. The coach’s role is to help you uncover them through powerful questions, reflection, and awareness.
My personal experience…
One of the principles I’ve learned is this: Every situation shows us who we are and gives us the opportunity to choose who we want to be. Instead of staying stuck in old patterns or thoughts and beliefs, I can become more aware so I can see what my choices are of how I want to show up in any given situation. A coach empowers you to become more aware so you can make conscious choices that align with your values in any given situation instead of being driven by thoughts/beliefs that aren’t helping you.
My first experience with being coached by a life coach was several years ago when I was in a major transition in my own life. I was feeling so stuck, defeated, and frustrated that I didn’t think she’d even want to take me on as a client. I remember saying, “I don’t even know if you’d want me.” When she asked me why, my answer revealed just how much I needed coaching because my thoughts about myself were causing me to feel so insignificant (and that was going nowhere good!), and I very much needed help to change that. It was such an empowering experience that carried me through what could have been a pretty rocky time.
One of my top values is authenticity, and I make a point to bring that to all of my sessions so my clients can feel free to bring their authentic selves too. When you come to me for coaching (life or money- or both!), you can bring your honest self, and when you do, that’s your first step toward experiencing transformation. I love to bring empathy, my presence, and attentive listening skills to our sessions. I believe in you, and I truly believe you can be empowered to make choices with clarity that lead to a life you love!
