What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘COACH’?
I tossed this question out on Facebook recently and was surprised at the answers I received. I assumed most people would say that a coach was someone who leads and directs a sports team. Until recently that is likely what I would have said.
Let me share a few of the answers from the Facebook query about a coach. The words that were offered were:
Leadership
Guidance
Mentor
Instructor
Encouragement
Advisor
For the past few years I have been pondering what career path I might take when Greg and I retire one day in the future. My thoughts returned over and over to Tasting Grace, the mentoring ministry I offer. Surely there was some way to turn the mentoring that I do with women, which I love, into a business.
A few weeks ago a divinely orchestrated email popped into my inbox from Elisa Pulliam, founder of More to Be Ministries. In the email, Elisa shared about the start of two new life coach training classes. Suddenly, I knew I had found was what I had been looking for. I began asking Jesus if that was the direction He was sending me in. The more I pondered and prayed about it, the more convinced I was that the Lord had placed this in my path. I signed up for the class and began my journey toward becoming a certified Biblical Life Coach.
What is a Life Coach and why would working with a Life Coach be beneficial to you?
A Life Coach is someone who is ‘trained and devoted to guiding others into increased competence, commitment, and confidence.” (Fredric Hudson). A Christian Life Coach is a person who walks alongside another person and helps them move from where they are to where God wants them to be.
Let me be clear. A Life Coach is NOT a therapist, counselor, or even a mentor. Therapists and counselors are trained to help people look back at their lives and deal with negative influences from the past. Mentors are experts in an area who walk alongside someone who wants to develop a specific skill.
Life Coaches are not necessarily experts at a topic, but rather they come alongside a client and use skillful listening and questioning in order to prompt the client to come up with solutions that will allow them to move forward in their life.
Some examples of situations where a life coach can be helpful are:
Developing better communication in marriage or other relationships
Deciding on a career change and implementing that change
Improving inter-personal relationships at work or home
Providing accountability and encouragement to someone trying to break a habit or addiction
Developing intimacy with Jesus
Discovering passions and gifting
Finding life purpose
Learning to manage change (and we all know change is certain to happen)
Getting unstuck and moving forward
Improving self-confidence
Getting rid of behaviors and attitudes that sabotage the client’s ability to move forward
Sometimes we get so focused on a problem or situation looming over us that we cannot devise ways to deal with the it and move forward. That is the perfect situation for a life coach.
By the end of January, Lord willing, I will be a certified Biblical Life Coach. Between now and the time I finish my training I will need a few volunteers who are willing to let me practice the skills I am learning.
Would you be willing to be willing to allow me to practice life coaching skills with you? Here is what you would need to agree to:
- I will take lots of notes of our conversation, as well as a recording. I will record because I have to write a word-for-word transcript of the practice coaching sessions that I do to turn in to my instructor. The recording will be deleted once my final notes are written. You will need to sign a waiver that gives me permission to record our conversation.
- The session will be a get-to-know-you session where you share with me about yourself and why you might desire coaching.
- Each session will be done either in person (for those living close to me) or via FaceTime or Skype.
- At this time this is not open to my family or close friends.
There will be no charge to you for the session(s) because they are training/practice sessions for me.
So what say ye? Is anyone interested in and willing to help me out? Do you have questions about this that will help you make a decision? Please email me to volunteer or for questions you might have: [email protected]. Thanking you in advance!
SDG/FCA!!!
NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
