Dear unfettered –
I am new to the coaching profession and I’m wondering if you could answer some questions for me. Why did you choose to become a life coach? Are you able to make a living coaching people? Do you have any tips for someone like myself who is new to the profession?
Signed,
Newbie
[hr]
I am always happy to answer questions like these. Thank you for reaching out.
My introduction to life coaching came when I volunteered to be a coach to an under-served child in Harlem through an organization that used to be in New York called Future Possibilities. I began volunteering right after 9/11 because I was in New York that day and it had a great impact on me. I trained the following year with Results Coaching and have been practicing ever since.
I make a partial living writing and a partial living coaching and sometimes the two intersect. I’ve been a journalist far longer than a coach (25-plus years vs. 11 years).
My tips for you: Always be coaching, even if it’s pro bono or for barter at first. Doing is the best way to really let it seep into your soul and grow. Get trained and jump in. As with anything in life, give back. I have been giving an hour a week of volunteer coaching for four years now and it feeds both the client and me.
