#28: Life Coaching Q&A – Plus Free Sessions

TRANSCRIPT – edited for clarity

INTRO: Hi friends, I’m Suri Stahel. Welcome to Episode 28 of Doing Things on Purpose – the podcast that empowers women to take charge of their time, health, relationships, and money by doing things on purpose.

Today is a very special episode as you can see from the title. As a life coach in training, I have now been approved to start working with 1-2 pro bono clients starting from today. Yay!

So if you’re a mom, a parent, or just somebody who’s feeling uninspired, lost, overwhelmed, and misunderstood right now, and you’re tentatively ready to start owning your life story – then I warmly encourage you to reach out to me at suristahel@gmail.com or go to the contact form on website at suristahel.com.

Again this is on a pro-bono basis which means it’s free. It includes six one hour, bi-weekly sessions on Zoom, with unlimited in-between personal support from me all the way. 

So that’s about 3 months of coaching together, to complete a whole series. Which believe it or not, WILL BE enough time for you to create a meaningful shift in your life. 

So are you up for it? If so, I’d love to hear from you.

Just one disclaimer: Because I’m still a trainee life coach, I am unable to coach anyone who is currently seeing a counsellor or therapist for any reason. 

1. What can I expect from coaching?

So maybe you’re asking yourself, “Suri, what can I expect?”

I want you to know that coaching isn’t about convincing you to do anything you don’t want to do. Far from it. But it does require you to trust yourself, trust me, and embrace the process.

I am fully aware that trust has to be earned, so once you reach out and before you commit to a coaching series with me – we’re just going to take things slow, get to know each other, and figure out if we’d even make a good fit.

What if we don’t fit? Don’t worry! We’re free to part ways at the beginning of the series.

And here’s an extra bonus for you: If you are clear about the specific type of coach or goal that you’d like to work on… I would be more than happy to recommend you a more suitable life coach trainee, who is also currently looking for pro-bono clients. 

Sounds good?

2. How do I know if life coaching is for me?

If you, like me, think that every once in a while, we could all use a big dose of inspirational support, to feel deeply heard and championed, so that we can finally map out and take action towards the things that we truly want in life – then yes, life coaching is absolutely for you. 

To put it simply, life coaching to me, is really for anyone who craves more out of life. More meaning, more direction, more love, more acceptance, more growth, more clarity and more connection in their life. It’s for people who feel ready to do the work and to truly own their life story.

Now some people can go straight off to planning and action-taking mode all on their own – which is amazing! Go for it.

But there are many more of us who can get stuck in some way. And if you’re sensing that you might be that kind of person who just needs somebody there to help support you, to brainstorm with you, to hold you accountable to your highest self, and of course to cheer you on through both small and big wins along the way – then why not explore being coached?

3. What do life coaches actually do?

Life coaches are people who make it their business to get paid doing what they love, which is:

• Supporting others to lean into who they truly are, and what they truly want.
• Grow into their own power.
• Find the confidence to express and live out their lives more authentically and expansively. 

So even if you’re just working on just one area of your life with a coach, you’ll definitely find that it starts to affect other areas in your life positively as well. 

4. Why are there so many different types of coaches?

From business coaches, social media coaches, confidence coaches, spiritual coaches – why are there so many types of coaches?

Let me ask you: Why are there so many different types of trees in the forest? Why are there so many different types of people and so many different types of dreams?

The reason why there are so many different types of coaches is because – coaches are all unique. Just like you, and our clients. 

The good news is that you get to choose a coach that speaks your language. 

Some coaches work in generalized life areas, but many coaches choose to focus on specific themes. It depends on the coach. It can be influenced by their past lived experiences, their past education, and of course the topics and types of clients that they love working with. 

5. Why are there coaches who coach coaches?

The reason is because not unlike you, coaches are also human beings. We can come with our own traumas, blocks, biases, triggers and areas that we need support in. Ethical life coaches make it their priority to be self-aware enough to work on areas within themselves, that can negatively affect or influence how they show up for clients. 

And because life coaches believe in the power of coaching, many of us simply choose to seek support from more experienced coaches to guide us. It’s actually the same way that therapists will usually have their own therapist to support them. 

So of course if a coach has deeper or more specific issues that need to be addressed, they will likely have people like counselors, therapists, doctors, or other certified professionals to help them work through that. And in my view, this is actually a good sign – when a coach models continued learning and empowered growth.

Lastly, sometimes coaches work with other coaches simply to learn something new and expand into areas that interest them or that their curious about.

Now let’s talk about certification.

6. Is certification necessary?

Yes and no. Good life coaches are always committed to a life of self-development and continual learning. Which can mean coaching certifications or many other formal and informal pathways of learning a specific skill or subject.

They want to keep growing, and get better at what they do. 

Certification bodies such as the International Coaching Federation for instance, do provide an official seal of approval, ensuring that coaching schools and also individual coaches, meet certain guidelines and standards. 

While this coaching certification is certainly not a bad thing, it can be a long and very expensive process, just to get a box ticked. 

So you can imagine how this can sometimes be an unrealistic and unaffordable pathway for many life coaches just starting out, those who started coaching later in life, or those who are not in a financially privileged position. 

Having said that, many coaching schools do offer their own certifications based on the tenets and values of their school. The one I’m attending, for instance, is an International Coaching Federation certified academy, which also offers its own certification, for graduates who choose to continue on that pathway.

In my opinion, having a certificate is certainly worth pursuing, but after all is said and done, you and I both know that having a certificate, in no means guarantees that you will get the best level of life coaching service and care. 

So I say, if a coach can successfully help their clients move from where they are, to where they want to be, in a trauma-informed and client-centered way, then “no” they don’t necessarily have to be certified to prove that. 

They don’t need to even be a certain age, to be a good coach.

I think their client results and recommendations should speak for themselves. 

But as I said, since coaches are life-long learners, they will often end up picking up a few certifications under their belt even if they don’t publicize them. 

Just feel free to ask if it’s something that’s important to you!

So that’s it, all of your questions done and answered. 

I suppose the only question left is to ask, “What do I get out of coaching you on a pro bono basis?”

Why am I offering coaching for free?

As a coach in training, besides the pleasure of your company:

•  I get to practice expanding my heart.
• I get to learn from you, and build up my listening and coaching skills in real life situations, so I can both serve you, and get better at serving others in the future. 

Although this pro bono offer is financially free, I would love it of course if you would share a positive shout out to spread the word, and to help me help more people. 

Because I already know, you’ll love telling me who you are as a human being, and I will love supporting you with your goals, and celebrating you along the way.

So let’s do this!

So if you or someone you know is ready to shift from where you are now, to where you want to be, or who you want to be – then drop me a note at suristahel@gmail.com. 

There’s nothing for you to lose, and everything for you to gain. Because you are one-of-a-kind, and you are worthy. And I would be so honoured and excited to support you. 

OUTRO: As usual you can find the show notes on suristahel.com/28 for this episode 28, and you can always find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.

I’m sending you all my love and have a great weekend ahead.

This is Suri Stahel and you’ve been listening to the Doing Things on Purpose podcast.

I look forward to hearing from you, and I’ll catch you again next time.