Coaching is….
Life Coaching is a profession that is profoundly different from consulting, mentoring, advice, therapy, or counseling. The coaching process addresses specific personal projects, business successes, general conditions and transitions in the client’s personal life, relationships or profession by examining what is going on right now, discovering what your obstacles or challenges might be, and choosing a course of action to make your life be what you want it to be.

Life Coaching is a designed alliance between coach and client where the coaching relationship continually gives all the power back to you, the client. We believe that you know the answers to every question or challenge you may have in your life, even if those answers appear to be obscured, concealed or hidden inside.

The coach is trained and has skills in leveraging the right questions to ask and having the right tools and techniques to empower you to find those answers within yourself.

You, the client, are the only expert in your entire life who truly knows who you are and what you need. You are the only expert who can recognize what is absolutely best for you. I am simply an expert in the coaching process. As your coach, I will you discover what your own personal “best” might be.

Every day we make choices to do or not do many things. These choices may range from profound to trivial and each one has an effect that makes our lives more fulfilling or less fulfilling, more balanced or less balanced, that make our process of living more effective or less effective. Life coaching helps you learn how to make choices that create an effective, balanced and fulfilling life.

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” I define a lifestyle or wellness coach as “a professionally trained coach who acts as a motivator, educator and accountability partner to support individuals in making lasting lifestyle changes that improve their physical and mental wellbeing.”

Coaching addresses the whole person, not just the different elements of fitness training. Coaching gets under the surface of workout and nutrition plans to discover why a client is unhealthy, what behaviors led to the problem, what daily life obstacles are in the way and how the client can make lasting behavior change. A lifestyle coach creates awareness by asking questions, backing a variety of strategies and options and supporting action.

Think of coaching as a way to build on a foundation. Your programming and approach (framing) may be top-notch, but without exploring the underlying factors and challenges of daily life—managing time, creating healthy boundaries, defining needs and goals, learning accountability, making commitments, delaying gratification and identifying obstacles and solutions—clients won’t be able to create a strong and lasting foundation of awareness and change. Behavior change and learning new ways of showing up in life are key factors to success.