What to Expect when You Hire A Life Coach Online

Can you really find someone to provide effective life coaching services online?

Unsplash photo by Chris Montgomery

Have you ever wished for someone you can talk to - someone you’re NOT related to; a detached, neutral, yet empathetic stranger; someone not invested in the outcome except that they want you happy and your goals achieved.

I just described a life coach. Someone who will listen. Someone who has no history with you but who is willing to coach you past your past, help you set goals and hold you accountable. Someone that might offer a different view without judging you. A person totally invested in your happiness by taking your life more seriously than you do!

Characteristics of a Life Coach

Once you decide to see a life coach, you must choose which one. It may seem like a daunting task. Fortunately this is one case when going online may be helpful. You can search for a life coach that works for you.

If gender is important, add that to your search. Maybe lifestyle or areas of concentration (e.g. couples, goal-setting, trauma, etc.) is important, add that to your search.

But I want to caution you here. Don’t stereotype your image of the life coach you want too much. It may exclude wonderfully insightful people who will have great feedback and empathy for you.

If you’ve had a bad breakup with your boyfriend, it may feel natural to seek a female coach to help you through this traumatic time. But sometimes a male coach could give you thoughts “from a male perspective” in a way a female counselor may not be able to do.

The choice is always yours, of course, and your sense of safety is of utmost importance but I do encourage you to consider ALL options and to guard against eliminating options out of hand. My husband, Skip, for example, has worked with hundreds of clients over the years and is one of the most empathetic men I know.

Skills to consider

What other skills/traits should be considered when choosing a life coach?

Experience and/or specialties are important things to consider. Many coaches/counselors have a particular area of expertise - addiction, marriage, childhood trauma and so on. If you have a specific issue or concern you want to work on, then you may want to narrow your search to coaches that specialize in that area.

Many years ago, a moment of clumsiness resulted in a personal accident and, by chance, activated a childhood trauma for a client of ours. We helped her deal with the experience and what its resurfacing meant in her present and she was able to integrate the episode, acknowledge the lessons learned and let go of it effectively. It didn’t happen quite as quickly as my description makes it sound but within a couple months she felt like she was no longer a victim of her memory. It was most freeing.

Location

One of the greatest advantages of life coaching online is that you can choose someone you think will provide the right rapport to be the best coach to help you get the results you want.

The lack of concern about location is a real plus. For rural clients, it may mean you don’t have to see your cousin’s friend’s sister (unless she is a great match) if you don’t want. For big city clients, it may mean you don’t have to invest an afternoon each week of fighting traffic roundtrip, finding a place to park, sitting in a waiting room and investing 4 hours for a one hour appointment.

Instead you get your coffee ready, sit down at your laptop a few minutes before your appointment, in your fuzzy slippers if you want, and see our smiling faces on your screen. “What was great about your week?” or “What do you want to change about your life today?” And your coach could be 2000 miles away in a different time zone!

Now what?!

OK. You’ve decided you want to see a life coach. Wonderful!

You decided to keep an open mind about choosing a counselor and realize that location is not a critical element of your decision. Good idea!

Use your search engine and browse life coach choices. Many coaches provide an introductory session at low or no cost so you can both gauge whether you complement each other. Most will have bios included online as well. This will help you learn about special skills, length of experience, coaching style, etc. Valuable information in these biographies. You can often find out about session costs to help you make financial decisions.

In conclusion

If you have decided to talk to a life coach, I applaud you. Working through life’s obstacles is key to each of us reaching our most joyful potential and being the best version of ourselves we can be.

I hope you have found this post beneficial. If you have any questions about this post or finding yourself a coach, let me know - I’ll be happy to help. Email swieslifecoaching@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you’d like to make an appointment, please call/text the office 512-589-3422 or email swieslifecoaching@gmail.com