Life Coaching Might not be a fit for you... yet.
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'Round these parts of the interwebs, we pride ourselves for our no B.S. stance on things. So let's cut to the chase for some real talk.
Coaching is not an
easy-breezy job that every Tom, Dick, and Sally can do in their sleep.
easy-breezy job that every Tom, Dick, and Sally can do in their sleep.
The Short Answer
Life coaching is both an art and science that traditionally follows the path of getting certified (then possibly credentialed), mastering a plethora of evidence-based tools and techniques, and continuing education to develop skills. Whew!
Your required investment: time, money, and effort.
It's not as easy as setting up shop in Squarespace and declaring, "I'm a life coach now. Gimme money and lemme gab."
Your required investment: time, money, and effort.
It's not as easy as setting up shop in Squarespace and declaring, "I'm a life coach now. Gimme money and lemme gab."
The Long-ish Answer
- Life coaching is client-led. You provide motivation, accountability to help move your client into a life with a flourishing future.
- Life coaching involves active listening and intentional questioning.
- It's about holding space for your clients with no judgement.
- Life coaching is about co-creating an action plan for the future with your client.
- Life coaching requires a solid foundation that includes science-backed theories, among other things.
- This isn't about you. The client is the hero and you're asking the right questions to help the hero reach their goals.
- Life coaching isn't a lecture where you go to town discussing your opinion.
- Life coaching isn't about giving advice on how to fix your client or anything else!
- Life coaching isn't similar to providing therapy or treatment.
- You can't just wing it. And you definitely can't make magical promises. Capiche?
You might be thinking,
"How hard can it be?"
"How hard can it be?"
Let us tell you now, the path isn't a piece of cake. There's no shortcut to it. There’s no one-size-fits-all, plug-and-play template to success.
So, you ought to have a tête-à-tête with yourself. Ask about the must-not-be-ignored WHY behind your interest in life coaching.
If your answer is anything short of a deep desire to help transform people's lives and the belief that it can be done...
...sorry, buddy. Life coaching ain't for you (at least not yet).
Your success as a coach cannot—and should not—be measured by how much dolla, dolla bills you'd bank or how many clients you've booked in your calendar.
The bigger barometer?
Whether you effectively helped your clients get unstuck and move towards their unique goals.
So, you ought to have a tête-à-tête with yourself. Ask about the must-not-be-ignored WHY behind your interest in life coaching.
If your answer is anything short of a deep desire to help transform people's lives and the belief that it can be done...
...sorry, buddy. Life coaching ain't for you (at least not yet).
Your success as a coach cannot—and should not—be measured by how much dolla, dolla bills you'd bank or how many clients you've booked in your calendar.
The bigger barometer?
Whether you effectively helped your clients get unstuck and move towards their unique goals.
But hey, look at you exploring the world of coaching!
Kudos for your curiosity (and the courage to pursue that curiosity). And even if it's not the right time for you yet—it could be someday, who knows!—we hope you don't stop learning.
You can start by watching our free training, so you can learn more about what it REALLY takes to become a coach. No B.S.
You can start by watching our free training, so you can learn more about what it REALLY takes to become a coach. No B.S.
Straight Talk on What It Takes to Change Careers and Become a Coach
In this training, we also discuss:
- The many ways you can use coaching to level up current skills
- How to build a work-from-home coaching practice
- Whether or not you really need certification or ICF credentialing
- If JRNI is the right coaching community for you
“Who’s dishing out all this life coaching wisdom, anyway?”
Meet Your Mentors
“I'm The Professional who went through 5 career changes until life coaching helped me overcome my life issues.“
Noelle Cordeaux
JRNI CEO and Co-Founder
I thought I wanted to be a police officer. Or a lawyer. Perhaps a teacher. I assumed all these different careers would help me find that elusive special something. But I still felt broken.
I went into therapy for years, but I never got to the place where I had concrete action steps to cultivate confidence and happiness.
Then I discovered the science of applied positive psychology. And my Professional brain broke in the best way possible.
I thought to myself: "Oh, this is what I've been looking for." It's this life-changing, transformative technique that makes sense of the world and makes sense of who I am.
And I knew I wanted to bring that to other people such as yourself—currently through my work as CEO of JRNI Coaching, and through being a feminist scholar, ICF-certified coach and speaker who specializes in the relationship with the self.
I went into therapy for years, but I never got to the place where I had concrete action steps to cultivate confidence and happiness.
Then I discovered the science of applied positive psychology. And my Professional brain broke in the best way possible.
I thought to myself: "Oh, this is what I've been looking for." It's this life-changing, transformative technique that makes sense of the world and makes sense of who I am.
And I knew I wanted to bring that to other people such as yourself—currently through my work as CEO of JRNI Coaching, and through being a feminist scholar, ICF-certified coach and speaker who specializes in the relationship with the self.
“I'm The Seeker who experienced a rebirth as an unconventional therapist and life coach after my failed marriage.”
John Kim
JRNI Co-Founder, The Angry Therapist
I was meant to lose my way. Because it's only after seeing failure after failure—from career to relationships—that I found myself.
I thought I was going to be a screenwriter. Glad I didn't become one. Instead, I clocked in thousands of hours studying and working in therapy school, rehabs, for-profit and nonprofit centers. And that's when I finally made sense of my story.
I used my Seeker character strengths as my compass in my journey of self-discovery. My love for connecting with people shone through my string of failures. And I stumbled upon that elusive special something that I couldn't have discovered had I not gotten lost: a sense of purpose.
I found a novel way of helping people not only as a licensed marriage and family therapist but as a life coach. And I want to share that with you so you can build a life that you love.
I thought I was going to be a screenwriter. Glad I didn't become one. Instead, I clocked in thousands of hours studying and working in therapy school, rehabs, for-profit and nonprofit centers. And that's when I finally made sense of my story.
I used my Seeker character strengths as my compass in my journey of self-discovery. My love for connecting with people shone through my string of failures. And I stumbled upon that elusive special something that I couldn't have discovered had I not gotten lost: a sense of purpose.
I found a novel way of helping people not only as a licensed marriage and family therapist but as a life coach. And I want to share that with you so you can build a life that you love.
Our shared love of coaching and helping others brought us together almost a decade ago. But the coaching programs we wanted didn't exist then, and so we knew we had to create one that would have resonated to us as humans.
Keep reading, and we'll show you a sneak peek of how we teach the techniques and methods that have helped our clients make progress in their own lives.
Keep reading, and we'll show you a sneak peek of how we teach the techniques and methods that have helped our clients make progress in their own lives.
Looking for more Life Coaching essentials?
In your continuing journey of self-discovery, take these curated resources along for the ride. Use them as a guide in your exploration of a career in life coaching.
THE PODCAST PLAYLIST
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“When the student is ready,
the teacher will appear.”