And do you need one?

In This Post
- What is a Life Coach
- Types of Coaches
- How Coaching is Different from Therapy
- What Life Coaching Isn’t
- What Makes a Coach Great
- Who Uses Life Coaches?
- Styles of Coaching
- What to Expect When You Work With A Great Life Coach
- My Personal Experiences with Coaching
- See What this is All About – Try a Free Coaching Call
- Take Action List
What the *&!! is a Life Coach?
I just came back from The Life Coach School (where I started working on my third coaching certificate) and have been getting a lot of questions about what I do and why would someone need a life coach.
I thought I’d answer all your questions about “what is a life coach” here this week.
Simply Put
Simply put, the answer to “what is a life coach” is:
- Life coaching is a general term for people who help other people get a perspective on where they’re feeling stuck, helping them to push forward to reach their personal and professional goals (big and small).
- We help people create the life they really want.
Types of Coaches
One frequent question I get on the topic of ‘what is a life coach’ is, “what types of things do people work on with a life coach?”
The answer is – life coaches help you work on virtually anything you can think of.
There are soooo many types of coaches, which is amazing. You can find a coach to help you with virtually any type of goal you’re wanting to achieve. Some examples of types of coaches are:
- Business coaches
- Career coaches
- Dating coaches
- Marriage coaches
- Parenting coaches
- Executive coaches
- Mid-life coaches
- Millennial coaches
- Success coaches
- Performance coaches
- Sales coaches
- Confidence coaches
- Weight loss coaches (different from personal trainers, this type of coaching typically focuses on mindset)
- Financial coaches (different from financial advisors, this type of coach focuses on mindset around money vs. the mechanics of how/where to manage money)
- Grief coaches (this is different from therapy, see more about that below)
- Personal development coaches
- Life coaches who focus on all of these without specializing
How is Coaching Different from Therapy?
On the topic of “what is a life coach”, another common question I get is “how is life coaching different from therapy?”
I think Tony Robbins answers this best. On his page “Life Coach vs. Therapist“, he says:
“Therapy, also called counseling or psychotherapy, is a long-term process in which a client works with a healthcare professional to diagnose and resolve problematic beliefs, behaviors, relationship issues, feelings and sometimes physical responses. The idea behind therapy is to focus on past traumas and issues to change self-destructive habits, repair and improve relationships and work through painful feelings. In this sense, therapy focuses on the past and on introspection and analysis.
The difference between a life coach and therapist is that a life coach sets clients up with a process that may be long or short-term, instead of regular sessions. In life coaching, a client works with a coach, who is not a healthcare professional, in order to clarify goals and identify obstacles and problematic behaviors in order to create action plans to achieve desired results.
The process of life coaching takes the client’s current starting point as an acceptable neutral ground and is more action-based from that point onward.
What Life Coaching Isn’t
- Psychotherapy
- Psychiatry
- Friendship
- Someone who does the work for you
- Froo-froo (is that a word? you know what I mean 😉)
- Life coaching isn’t a nice-to-have, if you’re ambitious and wanting to make the most of this life (yes, this is definitely a personal opinion but it is shared by almost all of the most successful people in this world. Having a coach is one of their best kept secrets to success)
What Makes a Coach Great
Another question I get on the topic of “what is a life coach is” – what makes a great coach?
I’ve met a LOT of coaches in my corporate and entrepreneurial work. Here are some these I’ve noticed, what separates the good from the great.
Great coaches
- Provide root cause, or causal coaching. They don’t give clients the answers, they help clients find the answer for themsevevs.
- Help their clients to unleash the power of their own thinking and knowledge. It’s all in there, it just needs to be unlocked.
- Believe 100% in their clients abilities and potential.
- Listen hard.
- Help the client identify patterns and trends, that lead to the same results.
- Ask great questions.
- Don’t commiserate (even when they REALLY want to).
Who Uses Life Coaches?
Most of the most successful people in the world use life coaches, and often refer to coaching as one of the secrets to their success.
- CEOs
- Executives
- Entrepreneurs
- Celebrities
- Business Owners
To me, I love this data point that so many successful people attribute their success to having a coach.
But, I really love hearing from all the people without flashy titles who have a coach.
- I’ve met so many other amazing people who have a coach because they want to live their best life.
- They are tired of playing small.
- They want to reach that goal that they’ve been chasing for so long.
- They want to reinvent themselves after a transition such as becoming a mom, approaching middle age, etc.
- They want to push past those things that have been holding them back, their upper limits and limiting beliefs.
These are people of all walks of life who want to maximize their potential
Styles of Coaching
When people ask “what is a life coach”, they often wonder what styles of coaching are out there. Here are the 3 most common styles:
- Individual 1:1 coaching – This is where you have a call (or web conference) directly with the coach. You have the coach’s full attention.
- Group coaching – usually where you’re part of a group working on a common goal (e.g. weight loss) and you take turns being coached. When not being coached, you can get value in watching the coach help other people in the group.
- Memberships – memberships come in all styles and for basically any topic you can think of. I’m in one now where we get monthly assignments, to work on areas we want to improve. The coach answers our questions in a forum style on a private membership website.
What to Expect When You Work With A Great Life Coach
When people ask “what is a life coach”, they also wonder what they could expect when working with the coach.
I’m going to focus this answer on what to expect from a GREAT coach. You should expect:
- Coach has mastered a coaching philosophy (The philosophy I use is called “causal coaching”, which I use to guide my clients to identify the root causes of why they haven’t yet achieved the results they want.)
- Coach has a framework they can use to guide you through any topic. For example, the framework I use is called The Model created by Brooke Castillo.
- Coach is a great listener!
- Coach asks questions and goes deep to understand their client and what is driving them
- Coach offers tools but doesn’t do the work, or tell the client what to do. Coaching is about empowering the client to achieve their own desired outcomes.
- The coach isn’t a friend. Great coaches don’t commiserate. They don’t respond to the client’s emotions or try to make them feel better. They are objective and provide a safe place for the client.
- The coach isn’t merely an accountability buddy. True coaching isn’t just an accountability buddy, although accountability is a helpful component of coaching. Your coaching call shouldn’t sound like:“tell me about what you did last week, why didn’t you do what you said you would, what are you going to do this week. The end.” Instead, it should dig deep into your desired outcomes, pinpointing obstacles, and finding perspective.
My Experiences With Coaching
As of this writing, I have have had coaches for the last two years. To me, coaches are a requirement for my success, growth, and sanity 😉.
I’ve worked on so many topics and goals with my coaches. Here are just a few:
- Figuring out the next step for my career
- Stop being resentful of people when they don’t do what I want/expect them to do
- Being more present win my relationships
- Identifying my passions
- How to be in self-integrity
- Getting healthy using mindset and no more yo-yo diets
- Creating a business from scratch
- Repairing damaged relationships
- Making huge progress in less time
- Basing my happiness and worth on me and not what other people think
- Shifting my money mindset from scarcity to abundance
Next Steps ➡ Take Action
- Click here to join the conversation over at The Corporate Moms Club on Facebook
- Click here to apply for your (no cost) Strategy Session with me. This is the best way to dive into your goals, what’s holding you back, and to make an action plan to accomplish what you truly want.
Recap
I hope I gave you a good basic answer to the question “what is a life coach.”
And, also some criteria to use in finding a great coach!
As you probably know, one of the best ways to learn is by doing. If you’d like to experience a no-charge coaching session, please book a call with me. Here’s the link to schedule the free session on my calendar.
Related Links
Click Here to Book a Free Coaching/Strategy Call With Melisa
The Corporate Moms Club on Facebook
Did You Know?
I’m a success coach for corporate moms.
If you’re reading this, my bet is that you’re an ambitious mom who wants all she can out of life, for herself and for her family.
But, like so many other moms, you might be feeling
- Exhausted,
- Overwhelmed,
- Spread too thin,
- That you’ll never get back on track to the high achiever you used to be.
- You’re in survival mode.
- You might be feeling like you’re failing at everything as a result.
I can relate. I used to be all of these things (and more). But, then I found a coach who helped me get exactly what I wanted
- Achievement
- Belief in myself and my new identity (one that incorporates but isn’t defined by motherhood)
- Purpose
- Direction
- Clarity
- Results
I help other ambitious moms do the same thing.
I work with other ambitious moms like you to create and execute the mindset, strategies and routines that are required get out of survival mode and achieve your goals, both personally and professionally.
Think of it as a re-set for ambitious moms, like you, who want to maximize what you do, who you are, and all you impact, to make the most out of your life. Do you want to:
- Regain control of your current career path
- Create better balance (don’t believe the naysayers, it is possible)
- Migrate to an alternative career path such as part-time or
- Build your own consulting business
The first step is a complimentary Strategy Session where we talk about your goals, your obstacles and create a mini action plan for you.
Click this link to APPLY FOR your free Strategy Session.
This is time focused on you and your goals, and how to get to the next level.
Comments: 19
This is very informative. I am an instructional coach in a school and I have two friends who are executive coaches. Everyone could use a coach in life!
Thanks for your comment Laurie! I agree 🙂
Great article! I really didn’t know what a Life Coach is or what they do .. you described every aspect very thoroughly and now I have a better uunderstanding . Thanks for explaining the differences between a coach and therapist, I could see where most people would think they are one in the same, but there are huge differences. My one question I guess would be, what do life coaches cost?
Thanks Kristina, I appreciate your comment! To answer your question, coaches generally charge for a package of coaching and it ranges quite a bit depending on the coaching topic and direction.
I absolutely loved reading this. I’ve often wondered about Life Coaching & what it was all about. Thanks for explaining it so well & providing so much detail
Thanks for taking the time to add a comment Michelle, thank you!
Intriguing. Will be saving this post for later. I think a Life Coach is a worth while service.
Thanks Amber, I appreciate your comment!
Great post! It answered my questions.
I’ve heard a lot about Life Coaches, but never fully understood who would use one and why. I could definitely see myself using a coach in the future.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Jennifer, I appreciate you!
Wow, this was so informative. I’ve always wondered what a life coach really does and how they become one. Now that I know what kind of solutions they provide, I am really intrigued!
Glad this was informative Heather! It’s the best!
Great article. I didn’t realize there are different styles of life coaching. I always assumed it was only offered one on one. The clarification between therapists and life coaches was quite helpful too.
Glad this was helpful/informative!
I was just having this discussion with my best friend, I think I am at a point in my life where I need a life coach.
Soooo interesting! Would love to know how this topic came up with your bff. Book a strategy call with me if you’d like a free session 🙂
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