A coach is a trained professional with a purpose of supporting people in turning their thoughts and ideas into actions and reality. A coach has no agenda for their clients - except for seeing that they are successful in living the life they dream to lead.
Coaches come from a variety of backgrounds, interests and training which mold and shape their approach towards coaching their clients. To learn more about my background visit the section entitled The Wellness Coach. My approach in coaching is based on an exploratory process wherein you uncover your inner motivations that provide the passion behind taking action in life. In doing so, I consider you as a whole person, a person living today and for tomorrow, a person with unique physical attributes and spiritual needs for fulfillment. To truly attain your goals, they must be completed with a sense of life balance, ease and grace.
Why a Wellness Coach?
Whether your definition of wellness involves being physically fit, spiritually developing, in tune with your dreams, or being a loving family member, an unfortunate trend is taking place. Far too often in today's world wellness is taking the back seat. We sacrafice our own personal wellness for money, for work, for short lived pleasures, for 'image', for other people, even for things that may be as relatively unimportant as television. Of course the list goes on.
Quite often a very real world consequence of this denial of our own wellness is pysical illness and spiritual emptiness. I know of both of these through first hand experience. But regardless of the actions you've taken in the past, every person on this planet has an incredible contribution to make and the capacity to achieve their hearts desires. A wellness coach provides the support to bring those desires to the foreground and works with you to design a realistic plan to take action.
The Power of Support
The foundation of the coaching model is truly support. Your coach is a resource, a guide, an accountability partner, a cheerleader, and a friend in your journey of life. Throughout your coaching experience, you will be encouraged to enroll the support of family, friends, co-workers etc in taking action. Although we'd all like to think that we can do everything on our own, the truth of the matter is that our potential for success increases exponentially when others are aligned with our mission. Your coach is trained in effective models for support and through your willingness to enroll the support of others you will discover and uncover the incredible resources within yourself.
Coaching vs. Counselling
People who are not familiar with coaching often ask if it is similar to counselling or psychology. The answer is an emphatic no. The only similarities in these professions are in structure. A coach meets with a client for sessions of a set time either in person or by phone on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The similarities end there.
Coaching involves no psychoanalysis or classification. If we look at the timeline of your life, a counsellor or psychologist will often look at the past up until now - the coach looks at now and into the future. The result of coaching is a clarification of your goals, and an action plan to move forward. In coaching sessions you will give progress updates, we will review tools and suggestions for moving forward, and provide the support you need in taking the action when and if things appear difficult. In a nutshell, coaching occurs when action takes place. It is not about insight or inquiry. It is about achieving your goals with clarity, focus, ease and grace.