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What Is Coaching and Is It for Me?

Life CoachingMindWellbeingArticle

What is coaching? If you ever wondered what coaching is, this article is for you. 

 

Coaching is a popular choice for people looking to make positive life changes. They need help understanding why they may feel unsatisfied in life. A life coach helps clients identify and achieve personal goals with accountability and support. 

 

Have you thought about becoming a life coach? Are you struggling with whether you should take the plunge into life coaching?

 

In this article, we will give you an overview of the profession and help you decide if you want to pursue it.

What Is Coaching?

Coaching is a process that helps people attain life transformations. A coach provides guidance, support, and accountability to help clients reach their desired outcomes. 

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A life coach helps clients identify and achieve personal goals with accountability and support.

What Is a Life Coach?

A life coach is a type of coach who helps people identify and attain their personal and professional goals. Life coaches typically work with clients one-on-one to help them overcome obstacles.

What Does a Life Coach Do?

A life coach helps clients identify their goals, create action plans, and provides support and accountability to ensure that the client sticks to their plan. Daily, the following is what you might do as a life coach.

Conduct Intake Sessions 

An intake session is the first session with a client. During this meeting, the coach and client will get to know each other and discuss the coaching relationship.

 

It is also the time to discuss what the client wants to achieve through coaching. As the coach, you will ask questions to help the client identify their goals and what they need to do to achieve them. 

 

The intake session sets the stage for the rest of the coaching relationship. It is when you and your client will decide if you are a good fit for each other. 

Meet With Clients 

You might meet one-on-one or in group settings. Each type of setting brings advantages and disadvantages. For example, one-on-one meetings provide more opportunities for personalization, but group settings can create a sense of community and support. 

 

You might consider conducting both types of meetings. You could set up your coaching business to meet 1:1 bi-weekly while bringing all your clients together inside weekly group calls. Many people benefit from the group setting. They will experience mindset shifts after hearing answers to questions they never thought to ask. 

Facilitate Sessions 

The actual coaching sessions will vary depending on the goals of the client. Some clients might need help with time management and goal setting, while others might need help exploring the benefits of meditation. Or, you might coach a client struggling to become a better marketer.

 

As the coach, your job is to facilitate these sessions. You will guide the conversation and help the client find their answers. You will not give the client advice or tell them what to do. Instead, you will help them see their situation differently and find their own solutions.

Provide Resources 

As a coach, you do not need to be an expert on everything. However, you should provide resources to help your clients achieve their goals. These resources might include books, articles, websites, or other coaches that specialize in a certain area. Your job is to help your clients find the resources they need to succeed. 

Follow Up With Clients 

After each coaching session, you should follow up with your clients. You can follow up in the form of an email, text message, or phone call. The purpose of the follow-up is to check in with the client and see how they are doing. It is also a good time to provide additional resources or answer any questions the client might need.

notebook with writing that says 'you are capable of amazing things'

How To Decide if Life Coaching Is Right for You

Coaching is not for everyone. It takes a special type of person to become a successful coach. Ask yourself if you naturally have the following skills.

 

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. 

 

Patience: The ability to listen without judgment and provide support when needed. 

 

Motivation: The ability to encourage and inspire others to reach their goals. 

 

Organization: The ability to keep track of multiple clients, goals, and resources. 

 

Communication: The ability to listen and communicate effectively. 

 

If you possess the above skills, then coaching might be a good fit for you. 

How To Become a Life Coach

If you have decided that coaching is right for you, then the next step is to become a coach. There are many ways to become a coach. You can get into life coaching with and without getting certified. 

 

If you want to attain certification, many different coaching certification programs exist. The International Coach Federation (ICF) offers several different levels of certification, from entry-level to advanced. 

 

You can also set up shop and start as a life coach without certification. Remember, the most important thing is whether you can make a difference for clients. 

Don’t Forget About Marketing

Marketing is one of the most vital aspects of becoming a thriving life coach. Don’t underestimate the need to learn how to market your business. While you can get started with your warm market and get referrals from happy clients, you will need to branch out eventually with official marketing methods.

 

For example, you can use social media, online ads, and content marketing to attract new clients. You can also hold free events and workshops to get your name out there.

 

The bottom line is that you need to become proactive to succeed as a life coach. Don’t wait for clients to come to you. Instead, go out and find them.

Conclusion

What is coaching? Coaching is a profession that helps people achieve their goals. As a life coach, your job is to facilitate sessions with your clients and help them find their solutions. You should provide resources to help your clients succeed and follow up with them after each session. 

 

If you possess the required skills and coaching sounds exciting, get started on your journey today.

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