I’ve been coaching people for over twenty years now. So when life coaching started to take off back in the 90s, I was right there. Yes—right alongside the neon, denim, and tongue piercings.
Some of us (along with denim) stuck. Some, not so much.
However, to this day I often find that the title “life coach” somehow still manages to garner an odd eye roll. It always leaves me wondering whether it’s the name or the need for one that’s met with so much skepticism?
Thousands of clients later, what I’ve found is when people get over their initial resistance and get a taste of coaching, they end up way more surprised than cynical. Take Haley, my new friend over at Man Repeller. Kudos to her for admitting she’s long been “skeptical” of life coaching and having enough curiosity to learn a bit more from me on the topic. I love how she describes the job of a life coach in her latest article: “to take something sticky and sharp and make it feel smooth enough to put in your pocket.”
Like Haley, my friend Jeff Burroughs had no idea what to expect from life coaching. But thanks to his curiosity and cool attitude, he approached coaching with an open mind and got exactly what he came for.