If you are looking to embark on a life coaching journey and wondering where to start, in this blog post you can read my tips and information on how to find a suitable life coach who is just right for you.
What is life coaching?
Life coaching is a process that empowers you to move forward from where you are now to where you want to be. You would employ a life coach to help you work through action plans to meet your goals, and motivate you using various coaching tools, techniques and exercises. This is particularly effective if you are feeling stuck in a rut, or if you know something needs changing, but you are at a loss on where to go next and what you need to do to enable you to get there. Your coach will believe in you, every steps of the way, and have high expectations for your success.
What would you use a life coach for?
Life coaching can be used for moving towards many goals, although you would typically work on one main area over the course of your coaching journey, whilst assessing all areas of your life.
Here are some of the goals my clients have successfully achieved:
- New career
- Business start-up
- Weight loss
- Reducing working hours and increasing income
- Better health and wellbeing
- Stop smoking
- Reduction in anxiety
- Increased confidence
You will find there are coaches who have areas of expertise. For example, I have come across coaches who specialise in: parenting, sleep, weight loss, menopause, career, wellbeing, business, relationships and many more. You should find a coach who matches what you are looking for in reaching your goals.
You may also find life coaches who are trained in other modalities, such as mindfulness or Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and are able to apply these to enhance your coaching experience.
What happens on the life coaching journey?
Each life coach will work in a different way, using different approaches and techniques. Your life coach may offer you a method for your session that is mutually suitable and this could be: face-to-face, telephone, video call or email.
Life coaching is usually carried out on a one-to-one basis, meaning you and your goals are the only focus for the sessions, but you may find some coaches offer group coaching too.
Whichever method of communication for your session, your life coach will provide a safe environment in which you can explore, define your goals and create action plans.
A life coaching session is typically 45 – 60 minutes and the average number of sessions required is dependent on the goals you are working to achieve. This may be as little as four sessions, or as many as twelve sessions. Most clients usually complete their coaching journey in around six to eight sessions.
How to find a suitable life coach:
With this in mind, your coach should be giving you techniques, tools and exercises that you take away and use for life. This means your coaching journey should naturally come to an end as your coach empowers you to take ownership of your life goals.
Please be wary of any coaches who try to prolong the coaching process by asking you to book and pay for unnecessary extra sessions. Sadly, this does happen. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t employ the same, or a different coach at a later date if you wish to return to the support of the coaching process. In fact, this is quite common as clients seek support from coaches in different stages and areas of life.
There are many, many, excellent and honest life coaches who give their very best to their clients. In seeking a suitable life coach who is right for you, I suggest you look for client testimonials or good old-fashioned word of mouth.
A newly qualified coach would have had to have completed a specified number of coaching hours as part of their training. Therefore, you can rest assured that newly qualified coaches carry the experience they need to effectively coach their clients.
Your life coach will adhere to life coaching code of ethics and may give you a copy of this when you start your coaching journey. If you request, your coach will be pleased to show you evidence of their life coaching qualification.
The qualities of an effective life coach:
The most important aspect of coaching that you should understand is that your life coach’s role is not to tell you the steps for moving your life forward. They should instead use a variety of techniques to empower you to define your own goals and assist you with realistic action planning.
An effective coach will have these qualities:
- Non-judgemental
- Have good rapport
- Put you at ease in order for you to fully open up and to be honest
- Remain confidential at all times, unless they are required by law to pass on information
- Have high expectations for you
- Believe in you and your goals
- Give you the confidence to believe in yourself
- Be a good listener
- Empower you to explore and define your own goals
- Assist you in effective action planning
- Motivate you every step of the way
- Keep you on track as you successfully move towards your goals
What to expect when seeking the services of a life coach:
Most coaches should offer a free short initial session to discuss what you are looking to achieve through coaching and also what they can offer you. This is a great time to ascertain whether you feel comfortable going forward with this coach.
You may receive a questionnaire to be returned to your coach before your first session. This helps you to map out where you are now and get you thinking about your goals. It also helps the coach understand more about you and build a picture of what you are expecting from the coaching sessions.
The benefits of life coaching:
During the coaching process, you will embark on a journey of self-discovery and positive change. The benefits of life coaching are:
- Increase your confidence
- Boost your self-esteem
- Give you limitless self-belief
- Release any beliefs that are holding you back
- Define your goals
- Create life balance
- Motivate you to achieve your goals
- Enable you to live a life that fulfills and excites you
I do hope this has given you insight in how to find a suitable life coach. It’s vital that you have good rapport with your coach, and you feel completely comfortable to discuss all areas of your life with them. That is how you will get the best from your coaching sessions, successfully define your goals and move forward towards a life of fulfillment.
