What Is a Life Coach: Goals, Skills, and Certification

People can hire a coach to advance in pretty much any area of life. If they want to excel in their career, for instance, they may decide to hire a business coach or executive coach. If they want help with weight loss, they might seek the assistance of a nutrition or fitness coach. Yet, some people would benefit most from hiring a lifestyle coach.

What Is a Lifestyle Coach?

Sometimes referred to as a life coach, a lifestyle coach is a professional who has the skills and strategies needed to help clients reach a desired goal. Usually, this is a goal that the client has tried to reach on their own but has been unable to achieve. In some cases, they aren’t sure how to overcome their obstacles. Other times, they don’t have the motivation to stick with the process long enough to get results. This is where a life coach comes in.

The goal changes from one client to the next and can be in any area of life. Some people hire a life coach because they are unhappy with where they are personally. They don’t feel as if they’re living up to their potential as a person or within their relationships. Others find that their greatest challenges have to do with their career. They might feel ‘stuck’ and unsure how to bring more satisfaction into their work life.

A life coach can help clients in all of these areas. It’s like being a personal coach and career coach all in one. This is important because people are complex human beings. As such, the choices they make in one area of their lives impact other areas. Making lasting changes often requires delving into each of these areas, calling for a more holistic approach.

That said, some life coaches do specialize. This enables them to work with clients who may have a specific obstacle or are trying to reach a specific goal. For example, you could position yourself as a life coach for marathon runners or new parents. This helps potential clients better understand whether you are the coaching professional for them.

The Goal of Lifestyle Coaching

People hire a life coach for one reason. They have something they want to achieve but they need help achieving it. So, one goal of life coaching is to help the coaching client become crystal clear about what it is they want. It is also up to the life coach to help the client understand why this achievement is so important to them. How will their life be better, easier, or feel more complete once they obtain the result they want?

A life coach is also tasked with helping the client identify their obstacles, then finding ways to overcome them. This requires recognizing whether the obstacles are self-imposed (like a limiting belief) or imposed by others (a boss who will never promote you because they don’t like you). The next step is to create an action plan for working through the obstacles so the client can emerge victorious on the other side.

Life Coaching Process

The first coaching session involves getting to know the client. Why have they sought out coaching? What have they tried in the past to reach their goal? What are they looking for in a coach?

All of this helps you set expectations for the coaching relationship. It provides the opportunity to let them know what you can do and how you can help. It’s also a good way to start establishing their trust in you as a life coach. This trust is critical because they’re not likely to open up if they don’t feel safe to do so.

Once you’ve identified their reason for hiring a coach, the next step is to identify exactly what it is they want. It’s not enough to say that they want to quit smoking, for instance. Instead, what would it mean if they gave up cigarettes? Would it mean better health? Would it make their family proud? Would it free up the cash they spend on this habit weekly? What is it that makes them want to achieve this goal?

This clarity can then be used to create an action plan. This starts with defining a goal, with some coaching professionals preferring the SMART goal method. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-sensitive. A goal that meets all of these standards is thought to have a greater chance of being achieved.

Each subsequent life coaching session is used to explore the obstacles the client faces and find ways to overcome them. During these sessions, the life coach continues to motivate the client. The coach also holds the client accountable, encouraging them to do what they’ve said they would do.

Skills of a Successful Life Coach

Having certain coaching skills can be beneficial should you decide to pursue this type of career. For instance, strong interpersonal skills make you more relatable to the client. These skills involve being a good listener and having empathy. If the client feels that they can talk to you and be honest with you—and that you’re truly listening to them—they’re more likely to share the struggles they face.

Another skill that can make you a better life coach is understanding boundaries. People drawn to life coaching are often natural helpers. They want to see clients succeed in all areas of life. Yet, it’s important to know when you can help and what is outside your scope of practice. If a client appears to have a mental condition, for instance, it’s best to refer them to a mental health professional. You can help them gain the life skills they need to better manage their condition, but it’s up to the other professional to diagnose and treat their specific issue. (It’s similar to understanding what nutrition advice you can and cannot give as a personal trainer.)

Do You Have to Be Trained and Certified to Become a Lifestyle Coach?

While coach training is not required to provide services as a life coach, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that “training and certification may make you stand out to future clients—especially as the occupation gains popularity among career options.”

Put another way, obtaining life coach training sets you apart from others in the field with no formal education. It says that you have the coaching skills and techniques needed to help clients achieve their goals.

Being a certified life coach provides an even higher level of credibility. If no formal training or certification is required, anyone can call themselves a life coach. Your certification is proof that you have a specific level of knowledge and skills. This makes you a more sought-after coach than someone who lacks this type of evidence.

Building a Life Coaching Business

If your goal is to build and grow a life coaching business, you’ll need to create a few forms to use with your clients. This includes a coaching agreement that outlines your responsibilities as a coach and their responsibilities as the client. It’s also helpful to come up with worksheets that can assist the client throughout the coaching process. A goal-setting worksheet, for instance, is a form you can use with each of your coaching clientele.

Also consider what type of client you want to work with most or what goal you want to help others achieve. This will tell you who your target audience is. It also tells you how you need to market yourself to be more appealing to your desired demographic. Will you focus more on fitness coaching, for instance, or career coaching?

Another option is to help people create more healthful lifestyles. You can do this as a wellness coach or health coach. In this coaching role, you will help your clients make positive lifestyle changes to better advance their physical and/or mental health.

If this coaching career sounds good to you, ISSA offers Health Coach Certification. This course teaches the coaching skills necessary to help clients with health conditions achieve optimal wellness. You’ll also learn how to best motivate your clients, leading to positive and lasting life changes.