Nervous about hiring a life coach? Here's what you can expect

First things first! I’ll have 3 spots for new 1:1 life coaching clients in June! After that, I won’t have any openings until the fall. If you’d like to be next in line, you can join my waitlist here.

I’m curious: did reading that make you feel intrigued? Like: Maybe life coaching could be really helpful. 

But did it also make you feel fearful? I bet it wouldn’t actually work. Or: It’s too expensive.

Today, I wanted to share the fears I have when hiring a coach — which just so happen to be the most common fears I hear from potential clients.

I hope they’re helpful to you, too.

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Some common fears about hiring a life coach:

1. The coach will force me to do something I don’t want to do.

It’s scary to think about paying a lot of money for a coach, and then have that coach misunderstand us. Or try to force us to do something that doesn’t feel truly right for us.

I think it’s important to know: my job as a coach is to understand you as deeply as I can, and then to show you your own mind — so you can understand your reasons much more clearly, and make a decision that serves you best. We all have blind spots that are simply impossible to see on our own. And we all would benefit from being offered new ways or models for thinking about our current problems.

In other words: I don’t care what choice you make. You can leave your partner, or stay. You can leave your job, or stay. You can dye your hair blue, or leave it the same.

I just want to make sure that you know your reasons, and like your reasons.

2. I don’t have time or energy for coaching right now. 

If you don’t have time or energy… you need coaching more than anyone.

Here’s why: most of us are contributing, in a significant way, to our lack of time and energy.

Of course, this isn’t to say that life circumstances don’t also contribute. Of course, they do — you’re busy! You have kids! And a big job!

But I will say it again: most of us are contributing, in a significant way, to our lack of time and energy.

I think that’s actually great news. Because if we’re contributing, then we can help ourselves get more time and energy. I help clients with this nearly every day of the week.

3. I’m worried that this coach isn’t absolutely perfect for me.

Fit absolutely matters, and it’s worth your time to research the coach you’re considering working with — do you like what she writes about in her blog or on social media? When you have a consultation together, do you resonate with what she says?

But also: your coach doesn’t have to feel like your soulmate to get you transformational results.

I don’t say that to be harsh; I say it because I have to remind myself of it, too.

Plus, you’re not going to know her as deeply, in your first interactions, as you will by the end of the coaching engagement. My affection for my coaches always grows over time.

4. It’s too expensive.

Good coaches are expensive. It’s true. I’m expensive, too.

And yet: the outcomes of coaching are, in my opinion, the most valuable outcomes that you could possibly achieve. Is there anything more valuable than feeling genuinely happier, more fulfilled, calmer, more successful in the work you want to do, and more connected to the people in your life?

And this is to say nothing of the genuine dollars-and-cents-in-the-bank-account outcomes that I frequently help clients achieve (which are often significantly in excess of coaching fees): promotions, raises, books written, fellowships earned, gigs booked.

Then there are the clients who avoid burning themselves out and then quitting their jobs to live in a van by the sea for a year. That’s significantly more expensive than my coaching fees. (Plenty of my clients choose to take time off, but it’s because they want to, not because they have to.)

My goal is always that my clients think that the money they spent on me was the best money they’ve ever spent.

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As always, I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this.

Katie





p.s. one last thing: sometimes, there’s a bit of a jumping-off-the-diving-board feeling to hiring a coach. I’ve felt this every time I’ve hired a coach. And I’m a coach myself! 

I think that making a big investment may always feel like jumping-off-a-diving-board to me, and that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision.

So I’ll offer one last time:

If you’re interested in working with me 1:1, you can learn more here.

I have just a few spots available in June, and several more in October — and I fill the spots on a first-come, first-served basis, starting with folks at the top of my waitlist. If you’d like to work with me this year, I’d recommend getting on the waitlist ASAP.

Here’s the link to learn more or join the waitlist.

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What elite athletes can teach us about the "value" of hiring a coach

 LeBron James, one of the best basketball players in the world, spends $1.5 million each offseason on professional maintenance and development. Much of that expense is on people who help him identify weaknesses and design and implement new routines in his workouts, nutrition, hydration, physical therapy (cryotherapy, hyperbaric chambers), and more. And it’s working — he’s a 34-year-old athlete who is still at the top of his game.

Tiger Woods, one of the best golfers in the history of the sport, has changed his golf swing not once but four times. These aren’t microscopic changes that no one but the golfer can see; one golf publication compared each change to “razing Buckingham Palace and building the Kremlin in the exact same spot.” He’s done so by working with four different swing coaches.

Tom Brady, still one of the best quarterbacks in the world at 41 years old, has an extreme devotion to his “body coach” Alex Guerrero, who advises the elite athlete on workout routines, nutrition, spirituality, his mental attitude and more.

So many people I talk to feel bashful for embarrassed about admitting that they might need help. But does LeBron James feel embarrassed? No. He knows that getting help is the only way that he will stay at the top of his game. I would assume that Brady and Woods are the same.

If you aren’t an elite athlete, the type of coaching or support you need may be different. And, obviously, your budget won’t be as high as James’, Woods’, or Brady’s. But if you want to keep growing, get past roadblocks, attain mastery, and prevent burnout or breakdown, why not follow the example of people who are at the top of their game?

Why not see asking for help as a sign of strength, or vision, or ambition?

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And, of course: if you'd like some support to grow more or feel better than you do, hiring a personal coach can be a great choice.  If you’re curious about working with me, here's more about my approach, or you could schedule a short, free call with me to ask any questions you have.

You’ve got this.

Katie