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What is a Life Coach?What is a life coach? How will a life coach work with me? What will I get out of a coaching experience? How is coaching different from therapy or consulting? Is it like sports coaching? Nope. A life coach is not like a sports coach. They will not simply tell you what to do or just give you advice. Despite what the term might imply, answering the question "What is a life coach" is not as easy as it might seem for consumers. The field of life coaching is full of jargon and vague promises of "transformation," "improvement," "new opportunities," "facilitating your excellence" and so on. On this page, I'll try to clearly answer the question, "What is a life coach?" We'll explore what a coach is, what a coach is not, and some key things you need to know. Here are the questions we'll answer:
Q: What is a life coach? Here's the definition of a coach according to the International Coach Federation, the main credentialing body for coaches: A coach partners with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process to help them maximize their personal and professional potential. Despite what the term might imply, a coach is not simply a personal cheerleader or someone to give you advice. In fact, skilled coaches rarely give advice. Skilled coaches ask lots of purposeful questions to help you clarify your thinking, come up with solutions, and take action. In short, they help you find your own answers. Q: That sounds like therapy. So, what is a life coach exactly? How does it differ from therapy? Therapists focuses on healing mental illness and psychic trauma and they help people cope with suffering and loss. The discussions usually focus on something that happened in the past, whether distant or recent. Coaching, on the other hand, focuses on the present and the future. Coaches work with clients to set goals and take action in order to achieve them. We help clients move from good to great, whereas therapists often help clients move from "not so good" to "good." Q: What do clients get from life coaching? The general benefits clients receive from coaching include enhanced abilities to:
Here are some common benefits from life coaching:
Q: What is a life coach's role exactly? What's the process? Generally, at the very beginning a coach will work with you to assess your situation, strengths, weaknesses, and desired outcomes. Then, they'll help you set some clear goals. You'll work towards these goals throughout the engagement. During each session, the coach will "coach you," which will include asking thought-provoking questions, leading you through various exercises, and give you feedback on what they hear you saying. Coaches will rarely give advice. Through this process, you'll learn to tap into your own wisdom to get clarity, generate solutions, and take action. Coaches help you build yourself from the inside out. At the end of the engagement, you and your coach evaluate your goals and identify next steps for your growth and development.  In short, your coach is like a master sailor who can help steer a ship in the right direction. Your energy is like the wind in the sales.The more wind (i.e. energy from you), the better your coach can steer the ship and help you progress to where you want to be. For more information on the field of coaching, please see the pages on finding a coach, and life coaching fees. Also, for information on how I work with clients please see my main coaching page. Good luck! Leave What Is a Life Coach? and Return to Online Life Coaching with Adam Chalker Leave What is a Life Coach? and Return to BPGR Home Related Pages
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