What is life coaching?
What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god – the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Hamlet was right. We all have great natural resources and abilities, values that inspire us, creativity and ingenuity with which to shape our lives. The support I offer as your life coach enables you to make the most of these, and direct them towards creating the life you want. Possibility, clarity, self-expression and choice open up, letting you lead a life that’s effective and fulfilling because it’s tailored to you, by you.
Life coaching can be useful for:
- work / life balance
- romance
- starting a new business
- being a fantastic parent
- making life choices
- becoming well-organised
- relationships at work
- self development
- self management
How does personal coaching work?
First, have a free sample session. Once you’ve done this and chosen to commit to having me as your coach, we do a foundation session. This is 3-4 hours long, and builds a reallly strong basis to our relationship. After that, we have three sessions a month, which last for about 45 minutes or so. We also can keep in touch between sessions as necessary, usually by text or email.
What if I don’t live nearby, or if I travel around a lot?
No problem – we can work by phone, or Skype.
What’s coaching by phone like?
It works very well – indeed, it has several advantages. Besides being very convenient, it also has a certain informality.
How long should we work together?
To get the full benefit from coaching, we always recommend a minimum commitment of three months.
Are you qualified?
Yes. I trained with the internationally acclaimed Coaches Training Institute.
Is coaching for everyone?
No! It’s only for you if you’re ready to commit to change. If you’re unhappy with the way things are, but convinced that they aren’t going to change, you’re unlikely to get the best value from coaching.
What makes coaching different from therapy and counselling?
There are a few important differences:
- Coaching isn’t about fixing you. You’d be OK without it, but having coaching helps you get the most out of life.
- Coaching is about insight, but it’s also about action.
- The aim of coaching is to get results – to achieve things, to make changes, to put things into practice.
- Coaching is about the present and the future. Therapy and counselling are much more about the past.
Doesn’t a coach just do what my friends and family ought to do?
The support your coach offers is quite different from that which your friends and family can.
- With your coach, you can feel totally free of judgement and the need for approval.
- In coaching, there’s no agenda but yours, ever. You can’t expect that from friends and family.
- Your coach won’t let you off the hook. Friends and family have to, at least some of the time.
- Your coach will challenge you in ways they would find hard.
- You can say whatever you like to your coach. It won’t come back to bite you.
- There’s always stuff you feel you can’t share with them. Often that’s the stuff you’d get most out of looking at.
Why do you charge by the month?
The way I see it, I’m your coach all the time, not just during the sessions. Support is available in between sessions, usually by text or email. Having a monthly fee somehow makes that official.
