Your archetype is a summary of your personality, style, and current skill set. It’s what gives you a natural advantage as a coach and helps you understand your innate strengths.
You most likely followed a traditional route. You know... went to college, got a degree or two, worked a 9-to-5 job.
One too many times, you plopped yourself down on the sofa at the end of a long day while sipping a cup of PG Tips tea and thought to yourself:
"Look at you living life to the fullest!"
No?
Yeah, you most likely asked, "Is this all there is to it?"
Sticking to the status quo has never been your strongest suit.
If that wasn't bad enough, life snuck up on you and threw you a curveball. Illness. Divorce. Death.
Then just like that you were reborn.
And on your journey to self-discovery, you stumbled upon this thing called life coaching.
Now what?
You're probably thinking...
"I'm in the midst of getting my sh*t together. What if I'm not good enough yet?"
The thought of being found out is scaring the bejesus out of you.
So you think it's best to continue with your self-improvement until you feel ready.
But if we're being honest, you know you will never feel ready.
Totally normal to feel this way, btw.
Here's what we mean by that…
You're hardwired to think negatively of yourself. Thanks to the psychological phenomenon called negativity bias.
"The evolutionary perspective suggests that this tendency to dwell on the negative more than the positive is simply one way the brain tries to keep us safe."
you're curious about life coaching because you're naturally inclined to help people.
That's the superpower you should harness to beat your biases.
How do you do that?
Glad you asked.
You have a breadth of experience—failures, losses, and heartbreaks included—and it has shaped who you have become. The whole you that could be a catalyst for change in another person's life.
And if you can't change that person despite busting out all the life coaching tools and techniques you know, remember that it's not a reflection of how good of a coach you are.
It's NOT your job as a life coach to fix your client. Coaching is client-led, after all. If you listen actively, look at how you frame questions, and help people get unstuck as they come to their own conclusions on how to achieve their specific goals, you're golden.
We'll always have struggles within ourselves. Don't let that stop you from becoming a life coach. As an empathic human who cares about understanding what people are going through so you can help them live the way they've always wanted, you'll provide a lot of value in the world of coaching.
"I appreciate each individual's skills and unique perspective."
“I feel a sense of hopefulness about the future, and it makes me excited to wake up each morning."
"I have a purpose and a calling that is greater than myself. Fulfilling them leads to a life full of grace."
Own these traits and you'll undoubtedly become a successful coach. Because being true to YOU is how you make real connections.
"My life was falling apart. I couldn't find steady work as a server in the service industry. I was broke. Nothing was going right in my life. My apartment floor was filled with black mold and my physical health was suffering.
All this while I was beginning to date someone who was a professional relationship coach. I also was getting TONS of messages through email and over social media from people who were reading my articles and blogs, telling me how much my words and articles were literally changing their lives and helping them through a dark time.
All this while I was beginning to go through a spiritual awakening. I honestly felt called to the world of coaching at this time in a way I could have never anticipated. It was wild and serendipitous how all these events were colliding together. I realized there was something much deeper and more impactful I was here to do, and that path was through becoming a coach and teacher in this space."
I know this might feel like we're moving pretty fast here, but it's crystal clear that you'd make an amazing life coach. If you're ready to move forward and start the process, here's your coaching career game plan.
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you're not good enough yet. Especially when you're in the middle of a major life transition and a process of self-acceptance.
When it comes to life coaching, you may not have everything figured out right now. Guess what? It's okay. Trust the evolution.
There's no perfect time to become a coach.
The question is, do you have it in you to take the first step and boldly claim that you are, or you want to be, a life coach?
Be hyperaware of the scammy Sammies. There's a lot of B.S. life coaching programs out there, promising certifications overnight. What?! (For comparison, JRNI Coaching Intensive provides certification after a 20-week training.)
You need to make sure you get exactly what you need from the life coach training program you choose.
Finally, pick the training duration that you will realistically stick with and feels comfortable for you. And when it comes to the cost, remember that you're investing in the foundation of a potential career that will serve you for the rest of your life.
Choose practice over perfection and show up as an imperfect human instead of as someone who has it all figured out. Coaching can be natural and intuitive after some training, which makes it a practice. Weave it into your lifestyle by helping, supporting, and coaching your family, friends, and even strangers. Maybe you already have this lifestyle. Keep at it.
And that's just for starters.
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 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.
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.
Boy, oh boy, are you gonna be rewarded for your dedication! Now that you're part of the JRNI fam, you'll be the first to know whenever we come up with more ways to serve our community.
You'd make a great coach, so let's dive deeper and go over all the wonderful pathways that your coaching career might take via our workshop. Looking forward to connecting with you, Seeker.