So, what exactly do you do as a coach??

I'm a life and business coach. Which might be followed by...Great! So happy for you!...Now, what exactly will you be doing??

As a fairly new profession, there can be some confusion as to what a coach does in the life or business arena and why you would use one. We all know about sports coaches and what they do and there's some similarity. Life and business coaching is not training or teaching and it's not therapy although both are often utilized in the process. Training, or teaching, is imparting new information for learning. The trainer shares the information and usually gives opportunities for application then checks for understanding. The roles as teacher and student are clear as is the topic and the art or mastery involves sharing the information in a way that the student can pick it up quickly and retain the knowledge over the long term. Therapy is used to resolve problematic behaviors, beliefs, feelings, relationship issues, etc. usually over an extended period of time. The masterful therapist helps the client safely look at these topics and over time develop healthy coping skills and understanding that leads to being able to deal with their life better.

Coaching in general is results oriented (like teaching) and requires that the client know and accept that he or she is accountable for what happens in their life (like therapy). However, it's completely collaborative as the goals are set by the client and the coach acts as the guide to help the client discover their own plan and then acts as a level of accountability. Thus, it's far more powerful than problem solving as it lets a client see the power in their own choice where right now there may seem to be very little or there might just be confusion. Coaching empowers the client to change anything which no longer serves and to practice placing focus on their ability to be, do and have what is they want and specifically set what they desire to achieve. It is transformational as it focuses on getting to a place where noticing how feelings and desires can generate inspired actions and not just a "to do" list to be finished and empower the client to go forward using what they've done with the coach as a blueprint for continued growth.

Coaches usually specialize in a specific area. Some are business coaches only, some help with navigating change, some do health or relationship coaching or focus on helping people increase their wealth or happiness. Some work with mostly women, some with men and some work with both. As in any consulting role, finding a good fit for your specific area of concern, style of learning, and expectation of end result is paramount. A "great" coach for one person may not be the best choice for someone else. The wide range of pricing, programs and specializations makes using a coach a fantastic option to up-level, jump start a new endeavor, or gain clarity on a subject or issue. It's built-in accountability and specificity of goals and results is attractive to people that value their time and see the benefit of delegating to experts. A kind of, "Yes, to my vision of my life... now!!"