A professional, accredited personal coach works with people to help them make important changes in their life, whether it’s about career/work, personal relationships, ways of being, and more. They help clients turn their dreams or wishes into realistic, attainable goals. They guide people through the process of making life changes by helping them evaluate the steps they must take to reach a particular goal, then help them decide how to take those steps in the most efficient, effective and rewarding way possible. A coach acts as a motivator, strategist and accountability partner.

Unlike a therapist, a life coach doesn’t help solve problems from your past — they’re focused on helping you move forward in your future with new ways of acting and thinking that will help you reach your goals. While we always take a client’s past experiences into consideration, the focus doesn’t remain on past events.

People of all ages and in all careers benefit from having a personal coach. They come to coaching for many different reasons, but primarily so they can work with someone who can help them figure out the tangible changes you can make in your life to reach their goals. We discuss purpose, mission, values, and big goals or desires with every client. Coaching can help clients work through various options to find a clear path with concrete steps that lead to an attainable goal. A coach can help clients make a major career change, such as starting a new business, develop better habits that will make them more successful, and act as an accountability partner. As a coach, I also often guide clients through major transitions in life, such as a career change or other stressful situations that are made easier with guidance from a neutral third party.

Coaches help you... Improve your mindset. The biggest challenge for many people is what’s between their ears...mindset, self-talk and patterns of thinking.Coaching helps you improve your thinking and get out of your own way. Make sense of your experiences. This is not about false optimism or positivity. This is about getting curious about your life experiences and circumstances and extracting lessons that you can apply to your life going forward. Identify your true desires. It seems obvious, but people are often disconnected from what they truly want in life. We hone in on the real desires, not just the status quo expectations. Create a plan of action. It’s one thing to know what you desire, but in order to achieve transformation, you must take action. It’s part of making your desires a reality. Make faster, more confident decisions. Analysis paralysis and overwhelm are common when faced with decisions. Coaching helps you understand the path to your desires and freedom, and gives you the clarity to choose the way to that path. Coaches do not... Give advice. Coaches don’t tell you what to do. There is nobody who knows what’s best for your life better than you. Coaching is about using tools and strategies to help you uncover your inner wisdom and arrive at your own answers. Give therapy. Coaching is not the same as therapy. Therapy is often past-based, meaning you work to understand past experiences or manage mental health conditions. Coaching will take your past experiences into account, but will remain more present/future focused. Diagnose. Coaches are not qualified to diagnose mental health or any other conditions. At times, coaches might use assessments to gain more insight into your thought or behavior patterns, however, those are never intended to diagnose or label you. Tell you what to do. Coaching is not consulting, and coaches will not tell you what to do. They are also not responsible for your results. Coaching is powerful and can be a form of accountability, but outcomes depend on the client and their level of commitment to their process. Like most things in life, the effectiveness of coaching depends on your level of personal investment. You get out what you put in.