Life Coaching: How it Can Change Your Life

By: Carly Tino & Jake Hreha

“Life coach” is a common term in 2022. Different from career coaching or relationship coaching, life coaching focuses on you reaching your best. We continually hear of people becoming life coaches or hiring them for themselves. Despite the increased awareness of the profession, I am convinced that many people still do not fully understand what a life coach does and how much value they can add to a person’s life. As a coach myself, I’m sharing insight into this unique and transformative career so that you may:

A: Consider whether you may be a good fit for this profession
B: Understand that life coaches are readily available to you as a resource in your personal and professional life
C: Appreciate the role of life coaches in today’s society

A friend and fellow coach, Aubrey Ghafari, defines coaching this way:
Coaching is a method of getting from where you are now to where you want to be. Coaching at its core is about deepened learning, new habit creation, and new insight for the sake of living a life that is whole, full, and resonant. A coach partners with clients to unlock and unleash the truest version of themselves. Throughout a coaching relationship there is exploration of foundational values, there is a challenge to make decisions from choice rather than expectation, there is a definition of balance, and space to process what is present and true in one’s life.

There is a lot to unpack here, so let’s break it down. 

Coaching is a method of getting from where you are now to where you want to be.
Many of us find ourselves at a place in life where we know where we want to go, but we are not sure how to get from point A to point B. Or, perhaps you are one step further removed, and you don’t know where point B even is. A coach’s job is to help draw out your truest desires and then partner with you to create a clear plan on how to get there through coaching sessions. A coach is not there to tell you what to do or where you need to go. We simply come alongside you with personal coaching to empower you to bravely set out on a course of action.

Coaching at its core is about deepened learning, new habit creation, and new insight for the sake of living a life that is whole, full, and resonant.
In my opinion, this is where coaching gets its (for lack of a better term) magic. Coaches get extremely curious about you and what makes your heart want to leap out of your chest. Together, we dig until we can carefully articulate what you desire for your life – what will make you look back on your life and say, “I lived out my calling and was deeply fulfilled.” It isn’t enough just to identify this; we must create a plan, establish habits, provide accountability, work on your personal development, and commit to a lifelong journey of learning to lean into our heart’s “nudges.”

A coach partners with clients to unlock and unleash the truest version of themselves.
We are not interested in helping you pursue what you think others want for you. We want to see you live out a life where your passions align with your actions, and you are the freest, most authentic you.

Throughout a coaching relationship there is exploration of foundational values…
What is at the core of what you hold close to you? If you value family, for example, how is this evident in the way you are living out your day-to-day life? How do your priorities reflect this? If they do not reflect this, how can we shift the way you live? A personal life coach works to help your personal and professional development with a focus on your values. The right life coach will take time to learn about you to provide the best life coaching services.

… there is a challenge to make decisions from choice rather than expectation…
A fulfilled life does not involve making decisions based on what others expect of you. If you are constantly doing this, does your life even reflect you and what you want? Say, for example, you’ve been at a job you hate for several years because it makes your family proud. You’ve convinced yourself that “it’s just the way it is,” and perhaps you need the high-paying salary anyway. The truth is: You choose this for yourself. Each and every day you show up to this job, you make a choice to value outside voices over your own. Don’t complain about the job; accept the gift of choice, and make a change.

… there is a definition of balance, and space to process what is present and true in one’s life.
When you work with a coach to begin living free, you experience a resonance and inner peace that comes from being present and true. You can even improve your mental health through personal life coaching. You get to be fully yourself. Whether you are looking for personal growth or have professional goals you are trying to achieve, a life coach can help you make positive change and improve your life.

If you feel like you’ve been gifted with the ability to connect with, challenge, and empower others, consider a life coaching career. IWU offers an Online B.S. Human Services Life Coaching program, as well as an online certification program. Enroll today! If you’re interested in partnering with a coach, take the first step here.

Carly Tino

Social Media Manager, IWU-National and Global

Carly Tino grew up in Northeast Indiana and graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2020, where she studied Strategic Communication and Media Communication. Carly’s favorite pleasures of life are morning pour-overs, traveling in her soon-to-be-finished camper and going to the lake with her family. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her husband, two cats, and dog.

Jake Hreha

SEO Copywriter, IWU

Jake Hreha is a graduate of Ball State University, where he majored in advertising with a concentration in media presentation and design. He is passionate about design, and in his free time he enjoys cycling, traveling, and reading.