What Is Coaching?

A primer on how coaching can add to your life and what to expect from your sessions

“If you wish your life were different…do your life differently.” These are powerful words from Terrence Houlihan, an educator, counselor, and coach. But this statement is easier said than done.  Essentially, we all possess the power to change our lives, but often, we don’t have the roadmap to steer us in the right direction. This is where coaching comes in.

What is coaching?

Depending on the person, coaching may cover different categories (i.e. life coaching, career coaching, etc.), employ different strategies, or target different goals, but there’s only one objective—self-improvement. Coaching is all about empowering you with the tools to lead a better life.  This empowerment can take many forms:

• Education—learn new skills to take your life or career to the next level, and use your mistakes to inform your future
• Assessment—identify your strengths and use them to your advantage; acknowledge your weaknesses so you can overcome them
• Clarity—define concrete goals and create a detailed plan to achieve them
• Growth—push yourself out of your comfort zone, remove the roadblocks that are limiting you, and permanently change your mindset
• Purpose—unlock your potential and bring your passion to the forefront
• Relationships—create a more meaningful connection with yourself and, subsequently, those around you

 
In a January 2018 piece for Quartzy, writer Rosie Spinks interviewed several life coaches to gain a better understanding of coaching’s ultimate purpose.  She writes that coaching is about “creating proactive steps to live the life you want.”  Indeed, you’ll work with me to identify and eliminate the obstacles blocking you from your dreams. ​

Who benefits from coaching?

Coaching is for anyone who desires a major life change or aspires to reach the next level of their career—something most people have felt at some point in their lives.  However, the ideal coaching candidate needs additional support forming a plan to enact this major change.  They have a vision of the future but can’t seem to overcome their personal roadblocks.

More concretely, those who need coaching have experienced one or all of the following thoughts or feelings:

• You often feel lost or confused about your next step—you can gain clarity with coaching.
• You’re plagued by self-doubt or a lack of self-confidence—coaching can lead you to find your inner power.
• You crave change, but you can’t decide on a plan to make it happen—coaching will support you in creating a detailed and effective plan of attack.
• You need support juggling all the aspects of your life—with coaching, you’ll start prioritizing so you can take action.
• You have a habit of procrastinating or not following through—coaching will empower you, so you can make things happen.
• You need to make a big change in a short amount of time—coaching gives you the tools to get big results quickly.
• You’re often sidetracked or overwhelmed by stress—coaching not only enables you to reduce stress but teaches you to focus.

 
If any of these statements describe your situation, life coaching or career coaching can provide support. ​

What happens in a coaching session?

Once you’ve taken the leap and booked your first coaching session, what can you expect?  Some coaching candidates mistakenly think that a coach prescribes every element of the journey, but that’s not the case.  Your input is a vital part of the process.  Vice’s Hannah Evans writes, “Simply put, a life coach helps clients reach their goals by questioning their thinking and helping to signpost without judgment.”
 
As your coach, I play a significant role in your journey, and I’ll support you as you move forward, but our relationship is a partnership. 
 
From the start, you’re in the driver’s seat.  You’ll come to your first session prepared with a series of questions.  What do you want to work on?  Where are you having trouble?  This is the point where you’ll talk about the major change you desire and the issues you’ve encountered trying to get there. 
 
Based on your questions, we’ll explore what’s important to you, and we’ll create an overview of your life.  Once we have your overview, we’ll start to flesh it out with your values.  We’ll work together to identify the basic elements that shape your thoughts and inform your action patterns. 
 
Then we move on to define your life’s purpose and outline your goals.  We’ll align those goals with action steps (big and small), so you can start striving toward your future.

If you don’t have your entire life figured out just yet, that’s okay.  Coaching can bring value to your life by supporting you as you find your purpose and solidify your goals. Ready to take action? Schedule your free introductory coaching call with me today. ​​

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