6 questions to find a coach who’s right for you
I’m assuming that if you’re reading this, you are already thinking about hiring a life coach but you’re not quite set on one just yet, or you’re hesitating between a couple and you’re unsure who to go with.
Dilemma…
Finding a coach is pretty simple. A simple ‘life coach melbourne’ or ‘life coaches near me’ search on Google and voila! You’ve got about a dozen options popping up on the page for you to consider - and that’s only on the first page! (who actually looks at page 2 and beyond anyway? Realistically…)
The truth is, finding a coach is easy but finding the right life coach who’s right for you is the part you have got to get right.
How to find a coach
Beyond the obvious 4 things to keep top of mind when you’ve narrowed your search down to only a few life coaches, there are other things you should ask and understand before committing.
Here are a series of 6 questions you should ask your life coach of choice. How they articulate themselves and how it relates with you is important.
If you were to ask me, this is how I would answer those same questions from a 1-1 life coaching prospective client.
What can I expect from working with you?
That’s right, question the process to be crystal clear on what you’re embarking on.
Initially, we spend time understanding who you are at this point in time and how you got here. We will talk about your early years of life, not all the way back but far enough back to see if there are any childhood beliefs still impacting you to this day.
We then focus on the present, what is amazing in your life, essential and what really pulls you down. We start to cover what your first principles are and what your values are (many people don’t know their values).
Once the reflective part of our work is complete, we start looking forward and we create an aspirational statement for your life. That thing that’s going to make you get up in the morning saying “Yes, this is what my life is about. Let’s go!”
Beyond that, it’s all about setting habits and behaviours that will bring the incredible version of you that you want to be to life! I support you to find the accountability, motivation and discipline to push past any discomfort as you put all the work into action implementing new habits over the following weeks.
There is much more to the programs including journaling work, content recommendations, plenty of conversations and questions to shine a light on what matters most to you.
2. Why are you a good coach?
This is a really great question to test your coach of choice with because in an unregulated industry such as the self-help one, anyone can be a life coach (unfortunately!). So, once you find a coach, seek reassurance that they have experience and a proven track record of happy clients.
This is some of the things I talk about when answering this question:
My accreditation is globally recognised from the Jay Shetty school of Geniuses, I was (at the time) the 2nd person on the planet to pass the Board approval process unanimously (yep, I’m pretty happy with that!)
I have over 20 years experience working with people to achieve personal goals and business goals from my corporate career. Thousands of hours saying “tell me more?” “what’s holding you back?” “what can we improve on?”
My vision of supporting people be all they can be was shaped, and very much changed, the week I met Tony Robbins. A chance encounter that blew my mind on human potential and the power of taking action in life. A week of wow!
Working professional sports has shown me the difference between ‘ok’ mindset and championship winning mindset and what applying excellence can look like.
I also have read a heap of cool books and listened to thousands of hours of content over the last few years from experts in psychology, neuroscientists, behaviour professors, habit gurus, elite sports people, industry experts & thought leaders.
3. Who do you coach?
Not everyone is for everyone - assert whether or not you are in this coach’s right ‘target market’. Life coaching is a pretty ‘intimate’ process and you need to be comfortable with your coach and their style to get the best possible results. Find a coach who can articulate why other people have chosen them as their coach, before you.
I tell people who ask me this question:
I coach all kinds of people! But if you wanted to narrow it down to a certain demographic, people 28 to 48 years old seem to be my people; and about 65% are male.
My clients usually seek from me:
A strategy for life: day-to-day structure
Clear direction
Accountability and discipline to make change
Live authentically and share their voice (females)
Confidence in themselves
New healthy habits and break bad ones
Define values
Understand what joy in life looks like
Better work & life balance and behaviours
Better control of actions and emotions (males)
Better focus and be proactive with their actions
Fulfilment
Better communication and be present
4. What do your life coaching programs look like?
If you’ve gone that far into the conversation, it is a good sign that you found a coach you think can help. Understanding how your life coach has structured its programs, what is delivered in each program and which is one will be best for you is paramount.
Here’s how I would position mine:
I have a number of 1-1 life coaching programs over a few weeks to months periods, from life coaching with individuals, to executives and the next generation of leaders in corporate. Each of them serves a different purpose that fulfils different needs and results.
That said, I also do one-off sessions for people needing a laser focus on a specific issue!
5. What do past clients think about working with you?
You can’t NOT ask this question! That’s a great one when you find a coach because any serious (and good!) life coach out there would have some form of rating or public reviews system in place. The real question to ask though is - what kind of results have your past clients been able to achieve?
I ask all my clients to review me. Some do, some don’t. It’s 100% a personal choice but generally, people are happy to do it at the end of their program as they can see the value it would bring someone else. You can see for yourself what they have to say about me but here are a couple examples of real achievements.
6. Is the life coaching journey hard and challenging?
Yes, it can be for sure and every now and then, a client quits and just vanishes into thin air… never replying again to numerous calls, texts and emails saying “Come back, we have work to do”.
Change is hard.
Undeniably, you will be challenged on your current way of thinking and behaving. That’s what happens when you find a coach that’s good enough to gently push you where you don’t want to go. And sometimes, it can be confronting but it is also liberating and exhilarating when you see what could be. It is truly remarkable when you see the shifts begin to take hold of everyday life.
So yes, don’t think it’s easy. You will get out of it what you are prepared to put in.
If you want to be the best version of you, you need to find a coach that is aligned to your goals and put in your best effort to get there! I’m not here to do it for you, only to help and guide you.
ask your questions. find the right coach.
Book your 30min free no-obligation exploratory chat over Zoom
This initial video call is relaxed, it is for answering as many questions as you might have about how we can work together and focuses on providing you with an understanding about the techniques and strategies that will be used to help you. No pushy sales pitch, just more clarity for you about the methodology I use with my clients.
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If you’re at the stage where you know you want to make change and you’re committed to making it work, go straight to my coaching programs page and choose either the 21-day (Lightning), 50-day (Change) or the 90-day (Power) program.
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