You can probably guess the ending right now? A coach, writing about whether a coach is worth it!

Go with me on this, as I think it’s something worth me sharing my opinion on because of my own experience of working with many different types of coaches. I want to shed some light on what a coach is, and what they can do for you. There are so many different types of coaches and what exactly you would go to a coach for, can be pretty confusing, especially when you’re not already part of a business or environment where working with a coach is the norm.

My experience with structured coaching begin when I was pretty young when I was at university at age 20. I worked with someone to help me map out my career plan and work on my personal development. It was something I found really helpful at that age, with a whole array of opportunities ahead of me. Having someone to talk to about my thoughts, fears, and desires, was grounding, and helped me get perspective on what I was feeling.

Over the next twenty-six years, I’ve gone on to work with many different types of coaches, for lots of different reasons. This is where for many, the definition of coaching becomes blurred and confusing. Why are there so many coaches? Do they not all do the same thing?

To answer the latter question - kind of, but kind of not!

All coaches want to help you get the transformation you desire. They will work with you to help you get clarity on what it is you want, what’s standing in your way of getting it, and how you’re going to make the changes to get what it is you want. They want to help you find the answers and unlock the potential you already have inside of you. They are there to provide support, collaboration, and accountability.

What you want to get can include things such as a new job, a romantic relationship, a child, losing weight, being fit, gaining confidence, overcoming phobias, dealing with anxiety or depression, battling addiction, coping with grief, becoming a business owner or powerful leader. The list is long!

How the coach works with you will vary and what makes all coaches very different from one another, is their expertise and personality. You might have ten ‘high performance’ coaches in a room for you to select from, but you’re going to pick the one you think will get you the best results for what you want to achieve. You’ll base this on their knowledge, experience, skills and like-ability factor. This last point is a big one, because nobody wants to collaborate with someone they can’t communicate and relate to on a personable level.

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”

— Sir John Whitmore

My story of working with coaches includes one-to-one coaching and some group coaching. I love it, which is one of the reasons why I have become a coach myself. I’ve gained so much from the different coaches I have worked with, and I know that there is so much value to tapping into the support and knowledge of someone else.

When I started working with a coach to help me overcome my anxiety and panic disorder whilst in my twenties, I was ashamed. I didn’t share with anyone except my parents, that I’d started working with a coach to help me overcome my anxiety and lack of confidence. I felt there was a stigma to having to speak to someone qualified, and that it reflected on me as being weak and ‘abnormal’. I remember reading an article about a global celebrity who also hid their shame of having to seek support from someone to help them overcome their crippling anxiety and self-doubt. They worried it would cost them their fan base and impact future career opportunities. It’s so sad that I and many others have felt this way, and I know it’s still something people struggle with today. It’s common for people to think needing help to solve a problem makes them not good enough. I think it’s the very opposite of this - it shows you are strong and in control. Knowing you need support and investing your time, energy and money in working with a coach, reflects on your resilience and drive.

The way a coach works with you will also vary so much. There are so many different tools, models, psychometric tests, evaluations, and techniques such as NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) a coach can specialise in or pull from their toolbox. This is the beauty of having so many different coaches in whatever area it is you need support in. You can find one that suits your style, beliefs and goals.

Life coaching is a broad term used to categorise a whole host of coaching specialities. In my opinion, pretty much all coaching that supports you changing something about you or in your life is life coaching. Whether its getting help to understand and manage anxiety, reduce stress, be more efficient at work, grow your leadership skills, be a strong effective communicator, gain confidence presenting, ditching self-doubt and imposter syndrome, or working on improving relationships - all of which I have worked with coaches on in my own coaching story - you are choosing to improve your life.

That’s why I believe coaching is worth it. The key is knowing what you most want to overcome or improve and finding the right coach to work with you, to get you the best results. Take time to look into the coaches available for your needs, check out what they offer and if the services they provide can give the transformation you desire. Also, consider whether one-to-one or group coaching is going to be most effective for you. Lots of people prefer being part of group programmes, and these can provide something very different and additional to pure one-to-one coaching. You get community, support, learning from the wider group, accountability and more learning.

Whatever you are facing and might want to get additional support for, remember a coach is there to partner with you, to help unlock the beliefs currently holding you back, to get the best from you to live the best life you can.

IS COACHING WORTH IT?

IT ALL STARTS WITH A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP

THE MIND BODY CONNECTION