What is Life Coaching?

Introduction to Life Coaching

You may have heard the term thrown around in recent years but are not exactly sure what’s involved. Let’s break it down. 

Coaching is a series of transformative conversations and exercises that help you to actively and purposefully construct the life you have always wanted. It is a vehicle through which you can speak and explore freely, without judgment or pressure often wielded by family and friends, about what you really want and what success looks like for you. At its best, it is a provocative, insightful, and fun process that digs deep into what really matters to you and puts in place a practical plan for achieving your personal and professional goals. 

Types of Life Coaches and the Coaching Process: 

It is important to understand that there is no uniform, standardised coaching methodology. Coaching can take any format that suits your needs and preference. It can take place over a single intensive day or be a monthly multi-year retainer. Some coaches only see clients in person, others only conduct 15-minute intense phone sessions once a fortnight. Every coach is different, which is why it’s important to pick one you like, who gets you, and whose methods and experience resonate with you.

Some coaches have specialties:

• Career coaches support you through career transitions, job searches, and professional advancement.
• Relationship coaches provide guidance for improving personal relationships, communication, and emotional health.
• Health and Wellness coaching focused on lifestyle changes, physical health, and wellness goals.
• Executive and Leadership coaches provide tailored programs for business leaders and executives to enhance leadership skills.

Others take a holistic approach and help with a variety of challenges simultaneously. For example, because I have been an international lawyer for over a decade, I assist other lawyers with the challenges of the profession. But because my first degree was in neuroscience, I use my knowledge and interest in brain sciences to offer further insight and drive more profound changes for both lawyers and other professionals.

Having said that, at its core, coaching will entail the coach: 

a. learning about your circumstances and establishing the area of your life you would like to improve or a problem you want to solve;

b. challenging your assumptions, thinking patterns, and belief systems, which may be holding you back; 

c. devising a tangible plan for getting you from where you are now to where you want to be; and

d. working with you to turn the plan into a practical reality.  

Most importantly, coaching is about YOU and what makes YOU happy.

Key Benefits of Life Coaching: 

Key benefits of life coaching include:

• Goal Clarity and Vision – thought-provoking, perspective-shifting conversations and exercises help to break down ambiguity and result in tangible plans for the future.
• Empowerment – difficult, overwhelming ideas and dreams become manageable and achievable;
• Accountability and Motivation – regular sessions and check-ins drive progress.
• Personal Growth and Skill Development – provided you pick a coach with the right educational and professional background, your life coaching sessions will facilitate new skill acquisition and self-discovery.

What Coaching is Not

1. Coaching is not therapy. Psychotherapists treat a variety of mental conditions or trauma by verbal communication and interaction and often deal with occurrences from the distant past.  

2. Coaching is not counselling, which deals with personal or psychological problems occurring in the present or immediate past. 

3. Coaching is not friendship. Good friends are wonderful and their input can be valuable, but they are rarely objective and will often shirk from saying or doing anything that might jeopardise the friendship.

Deciding If Life Coaching Is Right for You

Clients often come to a life coach at a crossroads in their life. Acknowledging that something isn’t working and taking the step to seek help is crucial to making progress. Broadly speaking, challenges that coaches assist with include: 

• Career Transitions – helping clients to navigate new roles, career changes, and workplace challenges.
• Leadership and Confidence Building – supporting clients in increasing their impact and improving self-esteem and assertiveness.
• Stress and Time Management – putting in place techniques for managing stress and structuring time effectively.

Choosing the Right Life Coach for You

Here are some things I recommend you pay particular attention to when choosing a life coach:

• Rapport – you are never going to get everything that coaching has to offer if you do not establish a personal connection and trust with your coach. Most coaches offer free discovery calls but pay attention to the format and length offered. You want a coach who really cares rather than one who cuts you off mid-sentence because your time has run out. 

• Expertise and Experience – make sure you independently verify the coach’s educational and professional background, especially if you’re seeking advice on improving your professional skills. 

• Availability and Flexibility – ensure that there is alignment with your schedule and preferred communication methods. Don’t shy away from in-person meetings – they are often the most impactful and are worth the effort. 

• Track Record and Results – make sure to review testimonials and past client successes to gauge suitability.

• Fees – depending on the nature of the issue you’re trying to solve and the expertise involved, coaches’ fees vary hugely from a few hundred HKD per hour to millions for annual retainers (USD 15/hour to hundreds of thousands a year). A lot of coaches will insist on being paid in advance (for good reason) so pick a budget that is high enough to motivate you to make the necessary changes but is nonetheless manageable so as not to breed resentment. I’d recommend avoiding hourly rates if you can; coaching is not a linear process and breakthroughs and progress happen in fits and starts so you want a coach that’s committed to the overall process rather than one that’s just going through the motions. 

Conclusion

I am delighted that coaching is rising in popularity because I truly believe a good life coach can completely change a path of one’s life for the better. After all, it happened to me and I only wish more people would benefit from this transformational experience.