Making Life a Hit -- With a Coach

Jan. 22, 2002 -- If life is a game, will getting a coach help you win? Yes, say the growing number of people who promise to help you be all that you can be -- for a fee.

 

They call themselves coaches. Most have credentials from coach-training organizations that offer extensive training, usually by telephone or computer.

 

What they offer is to make your life better, says Cheryl Richardson. Richardson, a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, is author of the best-selling book Life Makeovers. Her new book, Stand Up for Your Life, will be released in March 2002.

 

"The goal is for people to improve their quality of life," Richardson tells WebMD. "Some coaches primarily help with one's personal life, others focus on one's professional life. Many do both. Coaches get to know the clients' needs. They support them in finding what they want to do with their lives and in how to make it happen. The primary goal is to keep people in action."

 

A life coach is a lot like a personal trainer. You know you're supposed to exercise and eat right. A personal trainer helps you do this. A life coach goes even further.

 

"Most of us know what to do -- doing it is the problem," Richardson says. "A coach first helps clients unlock their own wisdom. Second, they provide their own wisdom and experience. Then they help you be accountable for what you do and offer ongoing support."

 

Psychologist Ben Dean, PhD, heads MentorCoach, in Bethesda, MD. He trains mental-health professionals to become coaches.

 

"Coaching is helping high-functioning people move forward and create the kind of life they want," Dean tells WebMD. "It is done with executives, housewives, people who want to write a book or start a business. It is for people with any kind of goal."

 

"We're a combination of nuisance, cheerleader, support team, and organizer," Atlanta-based coach Larry LaMotte tells WebMD.

 

What happens when you call a life coach? That depends on your goal. Many people want help being better at business -- their goal may be to become a more effective manager, to make their businesses more profitable, or simply to find a new career. Other people have dreams they would like to make real. Still others feel stifled by the hectic pace of their lives and want more satisfaction.

 

"When I was coaching, my process was to have clients write their life story," Richardson says. "I'd have them identify three goals for their next 90 days. Then I'd have them list 10 things draining their energy so that there would be more energy available for them to do what they needed to do."