Transformation is Not the Goal, What the Coaching Industry Gets Wrong
Transformation is Not the Goal, What the Coaching Industry Gets Wrong
One of the things I have the hardest time with in my industry as a coach is hearing fellow coaches market their work by saying “this experience will transform you” or “this experience will be life-changing”. I have created courses and programs and experiences that people have called transformational or groups that have changed lives for the better, but in my opinion that is not the goal of my work at all, and marketing it in that way in my opinion is harmful.
In coaching or in the group experiences I create for my clients my goal is to amplify what is there, what is already inside of you yearning to be seen, waiting to come out. All of us have hopes and dreams within, all of us have our own special magic, and sometimes in life, we hit a point where we don’t know how to make our dreams happen. All of us hit a point where we are so far into the forest that we don’t know where the trail is leading, or sometimes we’ve wandered far off our trail and we are on someone else’s trail and we need to be reminded of who we are and pointed back home to ourselves. That’s where a coach comes in. It’s not a coach’s job per se to help you transform, because the truth of the matter is you are whole, you are worthy, and you are enough as you are. Your current self is beautiful.
This is why coaching is a squishy thing to market honestly and truthfully about the experience clients will have. A skilled coach is there to ask you poignant questions, lead you to look at your blocks, to address what is holding you back, to help you navigate difficult life transitions. I would love to tell you there is a neat little bow at the end, a tangible outcome that can be delivered in a beautiful box but the honest truth is that in coaching there isn’t a tangible outcome.
What I do as a coach is help you zoom out, I help you see where there are blocks like downed trees or washed out trails. Together through exercises, and homework, you do the work, you clear the debris, you re-route the trail back to yourself. And it is a lot of work! Your time with me as the coach is probably just a quarter of the experience because we are identifying the work and then you have to go do it and apply it to get an outcome. And sometimes you will think about a coach’s questions and the experience you had with them for years to come.
You don’t need to transform, you don’t need to change your life, but you do need to know what your own magic is, you do need to know what lights you up, and you do need to live your light and your magic. When you are willing to look at the blocks and actively work to remove them, if you want to call that end result transformational and life-changing that is completely up to you, but a coach isn’t here to change you, as a coach I’m here to help you see the beauty of who you already are and what is already there and use it!
Do you want to learn how to change your mindset? Are you ready to embark on a love affair with your most creative self? Do you need a guide as you navigate a tough life transition? Then schedule your free discovery call with me to see how coaching could work for you.