There are coaches out there for everything these days. Naturally I think this is wonderful because I firmly believe in the real and measurable difference coaches make in people’s lives. However, for anyone still at the point of wondering “what is coaching anyway?” all of the coaching options out there can be overwhelming!

In this blog we’re going back to the basics friends. I’ll explain what coaching is, how it benefits you, how it’s different from therapy, consulting and mentoring, and why I choose to coach mothers.

I’ve been a coach since 2012 and have relished the opportunity to work with micro business owners, individuals, couples, teams and farm business owners. On a daily basis I experience the powerful impact of being a coach, and being coached myself (as a client).

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as: partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment.

And this from the founder of Coach U, Thomas Leonard: coaching is a collaborative partnership for the acceleration of your development. The result is moving you in the direction you want to go, with amazing discoveries along the way. Coaching is a safe environment for you to say and try new things. It will accelerate you towards your goals, resulting in a more advanced, effective and productive state of being.

A Coach is all of the following:

• Your partner in achieving business and personal goals
• Your champion during a turnaround
• Your trainer in communication and life skills
• Your sounding board when making choices
• Your motivation when strong actions are called for
• Your unconditional support when you take a hit
• Your mentor in personal development
• Your co-designer when creating an extraordinary project
• Your beacon during stormy times
• Your wake-up call if you don’t hear your own, and most importantly,
• Your coach is your partner in helping you have all of what matters most to you. 

Source: Thomas Leonard, founder of CoachU.

Working with a coach is investing in you, which you should, because you are the most valuable asset in your life! When you work with a coach you also invest in a partnership with someone who holds a greater vision for you than you hold for yourself. A sounding board, a mentor and teacher and someone who holds the space for you to grow and step into more of who you really are. 

Over the years I have invested in multiple and extended periods of coaching – with a life coach, business coaches, an intuitive coach and a mindset/success coach. With each of them I’ve had major breakthroughs, because they’ve seen my blindspots, called me out, or inspired a greater vision for me.

I’ve also invested in therapy, consultants, and mentors. So what’s the difference between them all? Here are some definitions according to the ICF.

Therapy:

Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.

Consulting:

Individuals or organisations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.

Mentoring:

A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counselling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counselling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.

Coaching has been demonstrated to have very powerful results when three factors are present:

1. You have a strong desire to develop your potential
2. There’s a gap between where you are now and where you want to be, and
3. You’re ready and willing to take action to achieve the results you want.

People come to coaching for different reasons but the outcome is the same – coaching brings out your best. Partnering with a coach will help you to solve problems, reach goals, design a plan of action and make decisions. This is the work I choose to do specifically in support of mothers, through my  1:1 coaching.

and Illuminate group coaching program.

I hold space to give to these special women when they are giving so much to everyone else; to reconnect them with their magnificence; to help them harness the power of their mind and support them to move forward. Because she who does the holding needs to be held.

Before you jump to thinking that you can’t afford a coach or it’s not for you somehow please ask yourself these questions.

1.     What in your life would you like to change?
2.     What if you worked on that, with the support of a coach, for 90 days and you could change it?
3.     What if you do nothing about it and never address it?

My personal experiences with coaching have been extraordinary and the value I’ve found in the results far outweighs the cost.

It’s important to find a coach that’s a fit for you, and you should allow your inner guide to do the talking on that. Take advantage of complimentary discovery calls that many coaches offer and feel your way into whether he or she is the right fit for you. It’s a co-creative relationship and when the fit is right you will create magic together!

If you would like to experience coaching with me I offer complimentary no-obligation coaching sessions for you to get a feel for it, explore, ask questions and see if we’re a good match. I’d love to meet you – you can book a call with me here.