The first time I heard about coaching and learned what it was, I was being hired as a coach. A Student Success Coach. I had no training in coaching specifically, but I new it was something in between an advisor and a therapist. A running coach helps you get better at running. A success coach helps you get better at, well, at succeeding!
My job was to help students who were objectively not meeting their goals and to help them figure out why, set new goals if they wanted, and figure out how to get better at reaching them.
Then I moved back to Tallahassee and got to actually do a success coach training through FSU! It was awesome! It immediately connected with me in my soul. This is how I'd been working all along! It's not about telling people what they should do or how to solve their problems - it's about creating space and asking the right questions so that they have a chance to figure things out for themselves. It's about helping them realize, believe and Know that they can get where they want to go.
My job title at this point was "academic advisor" but I was coaching. I dreamed about being able to coach people more openly. Instead of surprising them when they thought they were just asking a simple question (what class do I need to take next? How can I change my major?) or that they were in trouble (I had to talk to a lot of students who were failing out of their major, or of college in general). I couldn't wait to be a Life Coach for real, and be able to get straight to the good stuff, to the magic.
But I did wait.
I waited for a long time.
I thought that eventually a time would come where I felt "safe" taking the leap. Or that I'd eventually have enough spare time to start my coaching practice without leaving my job.
At this point I dreamed of coaching. I LIVED for coaching.
But I didn't have a coach of my own.
Why?
A few reasons.
1. I believed that since I WAS a coach, I should be able to do it all on my own. If I needed a coach, wouldn't that mean *I* wasn't a good coach?
2. Coaching is expensive! I almost never had money to spare (I've learned since that no one ever has "money to spare" because that's not how money likes to work) and I couldn't imagine even paying for a $25/month gym membership, let alone life coaching!
3. I'd been burned by counseling and therapy before. I'd gone to see a few counselors when I was feeling depressed or anxious, only to be met with patronizing suggestions that I had already tried myself. I doubted I'd find someone I thought could actually help me.
Two things finally prompted me to get a coach.
1. I worked with a financial planner and realized how money works. (there is never extra money. There is, however, always enough money to do what you want to do with your money)
2. I caught myself deferring my dream. Again and again I'd apply for jobs in my current field that had *slightly* better pay. *slightly* more interesting responsibilities. Why was I doing this, when I knew my dream was to start my own coaching practice?
So I found my first coach. Joanna. I found her through a referral service (that I don't believe exists anymore) from a spiritual teacher I read and followed. I knew at least then there was a good chance we'd be on the same wavelength about some things.
I did a consult call with her and KNEW I wanted to work with her. But I still had some money hang-ups (How do I tell my husband I'm going to be spending over $300 a month on coaching???)
Eventually, the last straw dropped. The job I loved got a new director who was making me crazy. I needed things to change.
I signed my coaching contract and I am grateful every day that I did!
First I got better at dealing with things that came up in my current job. I wasn't as stressed out by everything. I could handle issues that came up with more grace, more positivity.
Then I got better at making time for myself, at following my own inner guidance.
Finally, I realized that the time I was waiting for wasn't coming. The "perfect" time to start my coaching business wasn't going to appear. I talked to my husband and quit my job. And jumped.
Joanna saw me through that transition, and a few months later we stopped working together. I remember her saying something to me like "you've mostly been coaching yourself for the last few sessions".
P.S. Joanna now focuses on coaching mothers on how to be more present and enjoy motherhood more and I highly recommend working with her!
Since then I've worked with 2-3 different coaches for different things.
And each one has helped me grow in ways I didn't expect. I love and appreciate them all.
And I cannot BELIEVE I got my first coach for $175 an hour. It was worth so much more!
I know that, like I did, you probably have a lot of questions about how (and if) coaching will work for you. I'd love to chat with you about it!