Well-Being

Why Hire a Life Coach

A life coach can help you get unstuck if you're struggling to overcome an obstacle or achieve a goal  

By Carellin Brooks /

Credit: Flickr/alancleaver

Flickr/alancleaver

A life coach who listens can help you change your life

A life coach can help you address your life problems, relationship issues or career woes in just a few sessions

Are life coaches really so skilled that they can solve your life’s problems? Definitely, says life coach Gwen Gnazdowsky (she coached me), who calls her service One Conversation.

Life coaching can help with all kinds of issues. “Getting clarity about what you want, understanding patterns that aren’t working for you, creating a new opportunity to jump into, resolving a conflict with yourself or others,” Gnazdowsky says, are all things a life coach can help with. A tall order, perhaps, but she insists coaching can do them all.

Life Coaches Help You Achieve Your Goals

If you have a goal you can’t seem to make progress on, or an obstacle you that feels insurmountable, a life coach could be beneficial to you.

The most common issue people come to Gnazdowsky with: “They have this goal or dream and they’re not attaining it on their own,” she explains.

And does coaching fix that? “Absolutely. By helping to craft their dream life, articulating it, overcoming fears, obstacles and limiting beliefs so you can keep moving forward, you can take on challenges you weren’t willing to do before.”

Coaches Offer Ackowlegment and Appreciation

Part of having a conversation with a coach is also about empathy, according to Gnazdowski. “I think until the person is understood, they’re not ready, willing and able to move forward. So I’m a real believer –- they have to know the coach understands the problem or situation.”

People, Gnazdowski says, “want to be acknowledged and heard and listened to and appreciated.” At its best, that’s what coaching does – while moving you forward all the while.

I’ve written before on how to choose a coach, but this list can also confirm you in your choice. Listening, understanding, helping you to get unstuck and fulfill your dreams – four things a coach can do that lets you know you’ve picked the right one.