Last summer, I was in a bit of a rut. I was feeling stuck in a few areas of my life, from my romantic relationships (which were kinda non-existent) to my work (which plateaued since I seemed to be doing the same projects with the same people) to my health ( I wasn’t feeling better after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, even though I was trying things like clean eating, no alcohol, energy healing, and so much more).
I started to explore different ways to get out of a funk because I’m a firm believer in taking action when things don’t feel right, instead of staying complacent. But it felt like I couldn’t do this on my own because after two years of trying, I didn’t seem to be moving forward. I wanted support.
I decided to work with a life coach. A life coach is someone who helps you identify areas of your life you want to improve upon—and then coaches you on reaching your goals, kind of like a sports coach, but for my life. I was aware of a common stigma that life coaches are sometimes not seen as the most authentic sources of help. But as with any profession, some coaches are amazing at what they do and others are not so wonderful. Ultimately, I decided to pursue it because I really needed to have someone focused on supporting me in moving forward in my life.
As I was on my quest to find a good match through research and asking for referrals, I got a direct message on Instagram from a connection I’d made a few years back, a woman named Aurora. She was completing her life coach training and wanted to know if I’d be interested in doing a coaching package with her—both so I’d get the benefits and she’d get the experience. It seemed serendipitous, so I replied back with a big YES. We worked together over a period of three months.
During our first meeting, Aurora and I talked about where I was in life and picked the areas of my life we would focus on, like my career, relationships, and physical well-being. Then, it was time to set goals. I came up with ideas and she helped me push and stretch my goals further than I would on my own. When I told her about my goal to get more exercise, she encouraged me to try a 30-day yoga challenge and really commit to taking action.
The best part was the accountability. We had weekly check-ins for three months where we’d review my goals, what was working and where I was still resisting moving forward. Because I knew I had to report to her, I actually did (most of) the things I promised I’d do. If I’d just been setting those goals alone, I most definitely wouldn’t have been so quick to follow through. When checking in with a friend, they’re likely to give me support, but not as likely to hold me accountable and call me out if I’m steering away from my goals. But with a life coach, I had to report back exactly what steps I took and explain why I slacked off.
Outside of accountability, she helped support me in other ways by using alternative healing methods like EFT Tapping and NLP work to help me look into what was holding me back in a whole new way. She also helped me understand who I am and encouraged me to embrace being a highly sensitive person. She explained that my need for time alone and quiet didn’t make me anti-social, but it did refuel me so I could be more social and show up more fully for my loved ones.
At the end of our time together, I felt more confident in my own skin. I was working with better clients, raising my freelance rates, and finding more overall balance in my life. It was truly amazing to see the transformation that took place in my life in such a short period of time. Working with a life coach can be a helpful experience if you’re feeling stuck and want to get to the next level in life. She helped me get where I wanted to go faster, and I’m not sure I could have seen the growth in my life without her support and coaching.