I loathe the term Life Coach. I use it because it’s the only way people can find me. Why don’t I like it? Snobbery, mainly. Because it sounds flaky and uneducated. Because a Life Coach is just a poor person’s therapist. Because life coaching is all about goals and accountability, and I don’t usually work that way. Because Life Coach is a job for people who aren’t qualified for anything else. Because of this Life Coach. Because Life Coach sounds like I’ll have a whole lot of tools and a toolkit, which I don’t. Because Life Coach sounds like I might be bringing answers to problems, or fixing things which don’t work, like a tennis or a football coach. I don’t. Because Life Coach sounds so much less important and difficult than Solicitor, which I used to be. Because Life Coach is one of those things anyone can call themselves without needing any qualifications (though not if you want accreditation). Because Life Coach describes a huge spectrum of styles and capabilities, backgrounds and interests. Because Life Coach – oh I don’t know, I just always feel a bit embarrassed when I say it’s what I do, and immediately qualify it with a rather vague and unimpressive explanation.
I am a Life Coach. There, I’ve said it. I’m unlike every other Life Coach because that’s the nature of life coaching. My clients come, and stay, because they like the way I work, and because what I do actually does work for them. They feel better, happier, more sorted, more compassionate to themselves and others, gain understanding and become more conscious as a result of our sessions. That’s the kind of Life Coach I am.
