What is a Life Coach? A life coach partners with a client to help them define and achieve a goal. It may be career based, like starting a children’s fashion store or publishing a cookbook, or work/life balance-based, like evolving your child care plan so that you can work more consistently. The Benefits of Working with a Life Coach If there is just too much on your plate, a life coach can help you prioritize your range of options. Together, you’ll determine what’s in line with your values; what you have to do, what you want to do, and what others want you to do (but you don’t want to do – that gets removed from the list first). The simple truth is, you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. A life coach helps you prioritize. Why Work with a Life Coach? Many people see working with a life coach as an alternative to a therapist. You feel mentally well, but you’re feeling stuck. You know a better situation is in within your reach, you’re just not sure how to get there. You want to get something done. As a life coach, I work on a project basis, so the work is targeted and specific. When you reach your goal, you can always work on another project. The work is not open ended; there are clear deliverables. How We Work Together During our coaching sessions, we sit at a table; I have a white board on the wall. We both take notes. There will be homework and pre-meeting prep. Life coaching work is not limited to in-office time. In fact, the bulk of the coaching work happens outside the office. I listen to what you say and how you say it. I summarize your thoughts and repeat them back to you. We talk about what’s most important, take the emotions out of the situation and move toward a solution. I rely on positive psychology and applied neuroscience techniques that will help you take a vacation from your current thought patterns, and breathe fresh air into your brain. You’ll begin to see your situation from a different perspective; solutions that weren’t apparent before will now become evident. I believe a person knows what’s best for him or herself, especially if the right questions are asked. You want to move forward. You know it’s possible, that you can do it and working with a partner can help it happen more efficiently and effectively.