Anne LouiseNow a days there is a coach for everything. Any topic you can think of, I assure you there is a coach for it. The word coach has kind of lost its meaning a little. And that is because everyone calls themselves a coach when they are not really coaches. Some people are merely experts in a topic and call themselves coaches. For example a styling coach. They know a lot about fashion and can do amazing things for you. But they are not real coaches.
Real coaches are people who have done extensive training and are certified by bodies that are approved by the international coaching federation. These are coaches who never tell you what to do, but help you explore what you really want and help you get there.
These are real coaches.
Why are there so many different kinds of coaches? Like executive coaches, business coaches, life coaches, embodiment coaches – what else have you heard of?
Some coaches come with experiences and expertises that set them apart from others. And more importantly, different coaches have different interests and driven by different purposes. Many of my coach colleagues work to improve leadership and emotional intelligence within companies. My calling is more connected to peoples private life, although work life and private is always connected. How happy you are at home will affect how happy you are at work and vice versa.
I’ve always felt a deep connection with people who have had difficult childhoods.
People who come from
- families of divorce
- abandonment
- difficult relationships with their family
- or other kind of trauma that many kids unfortunately have to go through
I know what they have gone through and I can see what is needed for them. I can see how everything is connected. How their upbringing has made them who they are today. And I love seeing their aha moments when they realise there is a way out of suffering or when they understand how things from their childhood effects them today. My clients also come to understand that their reaction to life today, is a normal physiological reaction that stems from the traumatised body – which is really soothing to understand, ie there is nothing wrong with me, this is how my body is programmed to react.
What coaches do?
Sports coaches are good examples to explain this because a coach is someone who knows how to motivate you, to encourage you, that believes in you and that can help you change whatever it is you want to change.
ICF certified coaches ask a lot of questions, they have no secondary agenda, no judgement and always hold their clients to a bigger vision. We help clients go deeper into themselves and pull out all their resources and help them maintain and use these resources out in the real world.
Why do you need a coach?
An athlete is really good at sports, but to be excellent, they need a coach. The same goes for other types of coaches. You can be a good leader, but with a leadership coach, you can become an excellent leader. You can live your life, but working with a life coach, you can live an extraordinary life.
A coach can help you get unstuck. Sometimes in life it seems like we are not getting anywhere and we are stuck. A coach can help you get out of the stuck-ness and help you move on.
How to find the right coach?
When you are looking for a coach in a specific area, I would always encourage you to check out their credentials. Because basically, anyone can call themselves a coach. And even then, it can be confusing, because anyone can become a coach over a weekend.
While the profession of coaching is not regulated, the international coaching federation (ICF) tries to set a certain standard and integrity for the profession. If you are looking for a coach in personal development, I would advice you to check if they are accredited by the ICF.
Most coaches will offer a first free session or call to find out if it’s a good match. You should definitely make use of that. Coaching works wonders when there is trust and good wibes between coach and client. So, make sure you find someone you feel good with.
Why am I not a confidence coach or life coach?
I am someone who doesn’t like labels. One of my core beliefs about people is that we are all equal. When we put a label on someone (or something) it comes with a handful of presuppositions and assumptions, and I don’t like that. We are all human beings, we all come from the same race; the human race. We have the same DNA and the same red blood cells flowing through our body.
So, I can’t put a label on me as a coach. What I can tell you is that I am certified through two coaching school; first as an integrative nutrition health coach and one as a co-active coach. I am also accredited by the ICF.
I am a very intuitive coach and I will blurt out what I see and feel to see if this can help you as a client. Most of the times this gives the clients a moment to reflect and discover a new insight in their lives.
I also really enjoy using the body in my coaching sessions. The body holds so much wisdom and when we use that to find out what you really want or use it to get you unstuck, things move much faster than if we only talk about things.
The feedback that I get most often, is that clients feels incredibly safe to explore and open up with me. This is something I don’t take lightly, because it is very vulnerable and can feel scary to talk about your deepest, darkest moments and to know that clients feel comfortable enough to open up, is really fantastic.
Final words
Coaching is best experienced rather than talked about. If I have sparked your interest, I invite you to schedule a first call with me to discover for yourself.
Click here to book your first session
What is your experience with coaches? What do you think a coach is? Share in the comments below.
