What Is Coaching?

Written by: Misty Lucas, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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You may be curious or wondering what exactly a coach can do for me? Why would I need a coach? I’ve often heard clients tell me I know what I need to do, I have all the lists, the plans I just need to do it. What perhaps my potential client does not see if even though they have all figured it out, nothing in their life seems to change. There seems to be some sort of fear of reaching out for help or the belief it is not worth the investment because they already know what they need to do. Does this sound familiar?

The reality is a coach can help you follow through on the lists and start creating your dreams and meet your goals. A coach is a way to move from good to great and achieve what you want in life much faster, easier, and feel fully supported.

When you hire a quality coach, you only reap the benefits.

A coach will support you by:

• Being curious and supporting you to be curious

• Be present for you

• Recognize your blind spots and help you see them

• Support you in clearing your blocks to step into your goals

• Stepping into your vision

Having a coach creates accountability, and that is invaluable. What I believe is so valuable in coaching is having someone help you dig through the limiting beliefs and really be able to step into the life you want to live without fear.

This is powerful work that can change your life.

What Coaching is NOT

Sometimes there is a misunderstanding about what coaching is, so let’s talk about what a coach is NOT. The role of a life coach is not that of a therapist.

Coaches are not concerned with the past; life coaches prepare clients for the future they hope to achieve. Coaching helps their clients look through the windshield. However, depending on the certification, some life coaches may need past information to help establish goals for the future.

Life coaches are not consultants. Coaches are not supposed to tell their clients what they should do or prescribe specific courses of action based on what they want. Instead, coaches and clients work together to create meaningful goals, with coaches acting as guides, motivators, and facilitators to help clients achieve those goals.

A life coach is not a mentor. The goal of mentoring is typically to provide clients with knowledge or advice about their future course of action based on their own experiences. Although a life coach may draw upon their own experience and wisdom, it is to help clients gain new perspectives on their life coaching journey.

A life coach is non-judgmental. They are not responsible for deciding if a client's choices are right or wrong, good or bad. Instead, life coaches accept their clients as they are and help them achieve their goals and improve their lives in whatever way they wish.

Coaches aren't their clients' best friends. Due to the vulnerable nature of client-coach interactions. Despite coaches and clients often developing a close relationship, coaches do not interact with clients in the same way as best friends or family members do. Supporting clients while remaining impartial and holding them accountable positively is an essential characteristic of coaches.

Talking to a coach is the first step to seeing if you’re ready for a coach. You may be better suited for a mentor, therapist, or consultant, depending on your situation. Most coaching offers a free onboarding call to ensure you are a good candidate for coaching. I offer clarity calls to first see if you’re ready for coaching and secondly to see if we’re a good fit. It’s important that you feel connected and comfortable with any coach you choose.

Lastly, it is always a great idea to consider having more than one support person to help accomplish your goals. Many clients work with a coach in addition to a therapist or a consultant.

Conclusion

My clients are people who are already successful. Now that they’ve personally experienced the power of coaching, they realize just how much less they were settling for, for themselves and their lives. They were settling for good when they could have been experiencing great. These clients also tell me that coaching has dramatically increased the quality of their lives in all areas, from increased confidence to enhanced relationships and from better health to increased productivity. For the first time, they feel thoroughly and vibrantly alive.

If you are still unsure, consider this: you can't just say you would like things to be different. You can't just want something to happen. Taking deliberate steps toward your goals and dreams requires a decision and action. As a result of investing in a coaching program, you demonstrate your commitment to succeeding at what you want while simultaneously excluding any other possibility than complete success.

That's why I challenge those of you who have settled. I challenge you to stop settling for good. Instead, I challenge you to go for GREAT and to go for your DREAMS and beyond with coaching.

Ready to take a step? Join me for my Free 3-day workshop, What is Stress Costing You? Take Your Health Beyond Conventional Medicine. I host this FREE workshop once per month, and each day, we explore how to bring you back to your remembered wellness. You can register for my workshop HERE.

You can also learn more about tools to Empower, Uplift & Transform your life on my PODCAST. Episodes are available on Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more information.

Read more from Misty!

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Misty Lucas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Misty Lucas is a Women's Life Coach and Restorative Yoga Educator. After a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis that left her depleted physically, emotionally, and spiritually she had to find a new path. She left her career in law and dedicated her life to supporting women navigating complicated health crises from chronic stress and autoimmune illnesses by blending her coaching skills and restorative yoga techniques. From this knowledge, she has created her signature coaching program to support her clients and work with them, releasing old patterns and holding them back from creating a life they want to live.