Have you ever thought about hiring a life coach but you just aren’t sure if it’s worth the investment?
Time-wise & money-wise…
What are things you need to know before hiring a life coach?
Let me tell you, when I first considered hiring a coach, I wasn’t sure either. I had a looot of questions.
Where do I find a coach? Will I like this person? Will this person like me? Will she understand me? Is it going to be a never-ending story? How do I know this is MY coach?
So I looked for coaches, chose three, and decided to take the plunge. I booked a call with each of them and guess what? Best decision ever!
After the calls, I knew exactly who I wanted to work with and why.
I KNOW how hard it can be to decide whether to invest or not. And I KNOW that tons of questions come up around hiring a life coach and what a life coach can really do for you. I KNOW how scary it can be!
To make it easy for you, I’ve answered the 10 biggest life coaching questions & myths and I am sharing the things you need to know before hiring your life coach. They’re a mixture of thoughts and questions I had and ones I hear from my clients as well.
Don’t see yours? Feel free to leave it in the comments or shoot me a message at claudia@happythingsinlife.com
Plus, I created a free guide with simple steps on how to find the right coach for you AND the Top 6 questions to ask your future coach before working together.
Finding the right coach for you can be quite overwhelming. That’s why I’ve created this guide to help you prepare!
The top 10 questions people have about life coaching [that you want answered!]
1: Isn’t life coaching is the same as therapy?
Let’s get this myth about life coaching out of the way first.
Something you need to know before hiring a life coach is that Life coaching is NOT therapy.
There I said it!
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s have a closer look at it.
Life coaching and therapy (or counseling) are NOT the same, but there are similarities.
Both coaching & therapy will help you to explore and understand past behavior and experiences. This is necessary to make change happen in the present.
However, with therapy, you will explore & investigate childhood, family history & trauma.
With coaching, you take what you need from the past, explore & understand it and then you focus on how you can use that knowledge to your advantage to change blocks & patterns to change your future.
So if you’re not looking to dig up that can of worms from the past, but only the pieces that help you to change your behavior in the future, then coaching is where you want to be.
In case you are suffering from trauma, depression, or abuse, coaching is not the place for you and a good coach will always redirect you to a therapist.
Another similarity is that both coaches and therapists will empower you to shift your thoughts, emotions, perspective and/or behavior in a way so they start working for you instead of against you. Both provide a safe place for people to explore their thoughts, feelings, and past experiences.
Coaching is a form of personal development that helps you to achieve your goals by providing the tools you need to make it happen. This will help you to start living your best life.
Where therapy focuses on healing mental illness and emotional difficulties and goes much deeper into the why, why, why, coaching focuses on action, accountability, and helping you create more positive & sustainable action in your life.
A coach will meet you where you are at and will help you to get to where you want to be.
It’s my role as a coach to help you to develop your potential and to explore all the resources you already have inside of you so that you can improve your life without changing who you are at your core.
2: Am I “broken” when I get a coach…?
In the past, coaching was used as a tool to “fix” things.
When people were underperforming or couldn’t succeed on their own, they got a coach.
This probably still happens right, but instead of that being the rule, it’s more the exception.
You don’t have to be “stuck” or “broken” to get coaching.
Nowadays coaching is used to help people to get where they want to be in life.
- Whether you’re an A-player or underperformer
- Whether it’s work or personal life related
- Whether you are 16 or 60
It’s for everyone!
Coaching is designed to give you the skills & tools you need
to get you to where you want to be in life
Plain & simple, coaching helps you to get from A to B.
From where you are right now to where you want to be.
The only difference is that you don’t have to do everything alone anymore.
You don’t have to figure everything out by yourself anymore.
You’ve got someone in your corner guiding and supporting YOU!
So think about it, where would you like to be in a few months?
Do you have plans, dreams and/or goals that you want to achieve?
Book your complimentary 30-minute call with me and I’ll show you exactly how you’ll get there!
3: Life coaches are experts at life, have all the answers & will fix all my problems, don’t they?
Let’s bust this myth. Life coaches do not live perfect lives, they are not experts at life, they don’t have all the answers & won’t fix all your problems. We don’t have a ‘magical’ solution for everything.
However, life coaches ARE experts at helping others create positive changes in their lives.
They have a thorough understanding of what it takes and how to make it happen.
They will help you see what you don’t see and help you guide you through new ways of thinking.
Plus they have the exceptional ability to spot bumps (triggers, beliefs, patterns) along the way. This way they will help you tackle it before it sidetracks you. And most of all, we want YOU to succeed!
Personally, I believe that the person who knows you best is… YOU, so let’s combine that with my coaching skills & make some magic happen!
4: I don’t have time for coaching…
If you’re anything like my clients, you’re a busy bee! You’ve got work, family, friends, hobbies… Most of them even have a business on the side. So I get it, you’re busy!!
That’s why it’s good to know before hiring a life coach that coaching isn’t so much about adding new things to your life. It’s about exploring how you can utilize what you already have to get to where you want to be.
Yes, you will be introduced to new ideas and approaches to try. Simply because experience has shown that implementing these in your life will free up more time & energy for your goals & passions over time.
That will get you to where you want to be.
Isn’t that a time investment that sounds worthwhile?
5: Doesn’t coaching last forever?
Let me ask you this.
How long have you already been working on what you want to achieve?
How many hours did you spend on all the research, figuring stuff out, trying to make it happen?
How much money have you spent already because you thought it would get you one step closer to getting to where you want to be?
Or even more important, how many precious moments have you missed already, because you’re so set getting there by yourself?
Now, think about how much more time you want to spend on actually making it happen.
And I don’t mean the obvious “like yesterday”.
How long would be a reasonable timeframe to finally make it happen?
It’s good to have an idea of that before hiring a life coach so you can take that as a starting point when you get on a call with a life coach.
Because how would you feel if one year from now, you’re still at the same point where you are now. Frustrated, overwhelmed, stuck…
Coaching doesn’t last forever, it all depends on how much effort you’re willing to put in doing the work. Our goal is to help you get to where you want to be AND equip you with the right tools to stay there.
6: Everyone’s a life coach nowadays, I’ll just do it myself.
It’s true, everyone who aspires to be a life coach can make it happen.
That doesn’t mean everyone is a good fit to be a coach.
That doesn’t mean everyone has the right knowledge & training to be a life coach.
In other words, that doesn’t mean that everyone automatically is a good coach. It’s always recommended to see if someone is certified & to book an introduction call to see if someone is a good match for you.
And of course, you can try to do it yourself, but my best guess is that you’ve already tried that.
That’s why you’re here right?
Ask yourself the same questions here as well.
How much more money & time do you want to spend?
How many extra precious moments do you want to miss by figuring everything out yourself?
How many times do you want to put your dreams and goals on hold because life got in the way, again?
Because that’s what happens.
No matter how carefully you plan things, life happens and the first thing you do is cancel your own plans.
People often fall back into old habits & routines when life gets busy & stressful
And that’s fully understandable because you’ve developed certain thought patterns that you can’t look past on your own. And that’s exactly why you need a life coach.
So you have someone in YOUR corner for once.
So you have someone who reminds you of your goals & dreams, who helps you to make it happen even when life happens. And who will holds you accountable!
In case you’re still wondering if you should do it by yourself ask yourself the following question
“What do I want and why haven’t I made it happen yet?”
Because if you really want something, you CAN make it happen.
You just need to find out what’s blocking you.
“Coaching helps you stop the crazy mind chatter in your head that tells you all the time that you’re not good enough” – Oprah Winfrey
7. Am I important enough to hire a life coach?
First, there were coaches for people who needed to be “fixed”. Then there were coaches for the rich and famous. Nowadays there are coaches for everyone. Everyone who wants to move forward so yes, also for you!
Often people assume that life coaches are only for “important” people. But let me ask you this, aren’t YOU important?
Aren’t you the most important person in your life?
Don’t you deserve it to chase your goals and live a fulfilling life? No matter what that looks like!
Living a dream life looks very different to each and every one of us and that’s A-okay. None of the amazing women who have worked with me had the same goals or dreams. What they did have in common was the fact that they had trouble making it happen because they always put others first & themselves last.
Like Rachael who struggled with other people’s negativity and has now mastered the positive mindset so other people’s negativity doesn’t influence her anymore!
Like Karine who with finding time for herself because she couldn’t say no to others and has now mastered the skill of saying NO to others and YES to herself!
Like Michele, had heard that she was “too sensitive” all her life and now welcomes her sensitivity with open arms!
They all lived with certain beliefs & patterns that were blocking them from making it happen. That’s why they decided to take the plunge, they booked that call and decided to join my program Happy Life by Design. It changed their lives for the good.
It’s safe to say that a coach is for everyone who wants to change something in their life.
For example
- Building stronger relationships
- Building confidence and self-esteem
- Getting insights into your patterns & belief systems
- Changing them so they start working for you instead of against you
- Creating time for hobbies & personal interest
- Understanding who YOU are. Not as a mom, partner, or friend but as an individual
A life coach can help you reach these goals and also identify goals, hopes & dreams that you never realized were there.
Or ones that are buried deep within you.
With the support and guidance of your coach, you will reach your goals and breakthrough those blocks that were holding you back from making it happen on your own.
8. Do I need to be super clear on my goals before I hire a coach?
Some people know exactly what they want to work on when they are hiring a life coach, some people don’t.
Overall, all my clients live happy lives. They’re happy people! But… they do have the feeling that something is missing. That something is holding them back from living their happiest lives.
And they uncovered what that was while working with me so they could change that. So that they could be better moms. So that they could be better partners. So that they could enjoy their lives even more, together with everyone in it.
So no, you don’t need to be super clear on what you want to work on before we start working together. What you do need is the desire to change or uncover something and be willing to put in the work to make it happen.
Some examples of why people started working with me are
- Something wonderful happened and you want guidance to navigate through it.
Think of a new relationship and you don’t want to make the same mistakes as you did last time. - Something bad has happened and you want support & guidance to help you through it.
Maybe your relationship ended or you got fired. These things are hard and working through those situations on your own can be challenging. - Nothing happened
You’re not moving forward the way you want to. You’re trying to make change happen, but it’s just not working. - You want to figure out your next step
When you reach a point in your life where you’ve achieved the things you want, there’s a big chance that you think “Okay, so what now? What’s next?”.
No, you’re not restless, you’re curious about life and all the good that’s still there to explore. A life coach understands this and can help you with this.
“Everyone needs a coach. We all need people that give us feedback. That’s how we improve” – Bill Gates
9. Isn’t having a life coach is like a paid friend?
First things first, a life coach is NOT a paid friend.
Also, they will not just say things just to make you feel better.
You hire a life coach to push you, to challenge you, to go on a beautiful discovery journey with you.
A life coach will support you in a way that helps you to achieve your goals.
They will ask you the hard questions, they’ll hold you accountable and for sure, they’ll get you out of your comfort zone. Plus the coach can shine an objective light on your situation.
A life coach is someone who is in your corner and has YOUR best interest at heart and that’s why it might feel like you’re working and chatting with a friend. The relationship is about YOU.
That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re a good fit before you start working together.
Having a chat together so you get to know each other a bit and share where your interest in working together comes from, is something I always recommend. That’s why I offer a complimentary 30-minute call to everyone who’s interested in working with me.
10. Will I be happy all the time after working with you?
Let’s bust this myth once and for all.
After working with me, you won’t be “happy” all the time. That’s not how life works.
What does happen is that you will have all the knowledge & tools you need to deal with situations when they pop up in your life. You will be able to handle them better, work through and move on from them quicker so that you can be happy again.
Being a happiness life coach also doesn’t mean I’m happy all the time.
Life happens and just as you will after working with me, I’m better at navigating through situations when they appear.
Before I became a happiness life coach, I went on a beautiful (and confronting) self-discovery journey myself.
An eye-opening journey that taught me so much about my own patterns, beliefs & blocks that I’m able to recognize them myself when they pop up. And because I have a much better understanding now of who I am and what I want & need in life, I am able to support myself through the situations and come out better on the other side.
And whenever I feel I need help with that, I reach out to my own coach because yes, I have one too. I gave up thinking I “had to do everything myself” a while ago and it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.
Because just because you can do things by yourself, doesn’t mean you have to!
Lots of love & positivity,
P.S. Are you ready to get the life you’ve always wanted?
Book your complimentary breakthrough call valued at $200 and get your personalized pathway to your best life. Together we’ll identify what’s blocking you and how to shift it! Because you really can have it all: a successful professional aaaand personal life!
