What Is Coaching? & Why Is It An Important Investment?
What Is Coaching?
The ICF's (International Coaching Federation) definition of coaching is a partnering with Clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaches do not advise clients on what to do. Instead the coaching process allows clients to tap into their own inner expert.
Coaches help their clients bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. It can feel scary and intimidating when you want to make big changes in your life, especially when you are surrounded by people who do not share the same vision for your life that you do. Coaches provide support, accountability and a step-by-step process that helps their clients stretch out of their comfort zone and achieve their dreams.
Our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. Your beliefs are the roots of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. What you believe about yourself and the world around you, impacts the actions you take and determines the experiences you have. Most of the time we are not even aware of the thoughts that are impacting our behavior. If you want to transform an area of your life, it starts with changing your thoughts. The coaching process is designed to help you become aware of unconscious beliefs that are holding you back, and break free from them.
How is Coaching Different From Therapy?
Therapy focuses on working through past experiences and traumas that are impacting the present. While coaching does dip into your past, the process is about moving forward towards the future. There is a specific outcome that you are working towards with a coach, such as a career, health, relationship or financial goal. Coaching can at times bring up uncomfortable emotions from the past, that may be difficult to move forward from. That is when therapy may need to be part of the process. A client can see a therapist while also seeing a coach. My own personal experiences being coached, has at times brought up things I needed to address from my past with a therapist. Seeing a therapist and a coach lead to some major breakthroughs in my life. Being coached helped my therapy sessions become more productive, thank in previous years before experiencing coaching.
How Is Coaching Different From Mentoring?
Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. Coaches do not advise clients on what to do. Coaches facilitate powerful conversations that help the client transform and tap into their own inner wisdom.
My Personal Experience With Coaching
In July of 2016, I embarked on my coaching journey and started a 10 month program with iPEC (Institute For Professional Excellence in Coaching). I started this program to learn new skills that would help me help others. I wanted to pivot my career in another direction that was more fulfilling. I ended up experiencing that and so much more! As part of my training, we needed to experience the coaching process ourselves. We were paired up with other students and coached one another using tools and concepts that we were learning. I understood my life in a whole new way! Since completing iPEC I have hired business coaches who have helped me build and grow my business (yep, even coaches need coaches). When you want to create a new identity for yourself, there can be a lot of inner resistance and pain. Challenging yourself to be someone new, takes courage, action and support. Coaches provide that safe environment that can help you stretch and grow.
Coaching helped me take my personal healing to a whole other level, and allowed me to transform my relationships and career. I used to fear disappointing others and would shrink myself to fit the expectations other people had of me. I used to feel afraid to share my ideas and feelings. I can now confidently express myself and make decisions in my life that feel aligned instead of forced. As a coach I am now leading the charge for my clients to do the same thing for themselves.
Would You Like To Discover How Coaching Can Help You?
Are you curious about coaching and how it can help you transform your life? I offer a complimentary session called a Clarity Call. In this session I send you a powerful exercise for you to complete prior to our meeting (over zoom or phone). There are no obligations or strings attached. I extend an offer to continue working with me, if it feels like a good fit. You decide from there. Since coaching is a partnership, it is important that both the coach and the client feel they can work well together. Clarity Calls allow us to connect and work 1:1 together without a commitment. Click here to schedule your complimentary Clarity Call.
Jennifer Shlomovich is a transition coach, YouTuber, public speaker and blogger. To learn more about her work visit www.innerclaritywithjms.com .