What’s a Coach?

Twenty-four years ago, I attended a meeting where someone in her introduction to the group said she was studying to be a coach. I remember thinking to myself, “Funny, I never thought of her as athletic.”

That was not the kind of coach she was studying to be even though that might be the first thing we think of when we hear the word: coach. When I think of an athletic coach, I think of someone who stands on the sidelines of a game barking out orders. They also teach players skills, strategies, and teamwork.
It turns out that this then aspiring coach was learning coaching skills and competencies. She eventually became a coach who works with aspiring writers. A leadership or life coach, walks with someone as they seek to navigate changes in their life or reach a particular outcome. They are not directive, but are thought partners.

Although I’ve been coaching in some form or another since 2009, I finally became a coach credentialed with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 2018. I learned that coaching was journeying with a client while practicing deep listening to their aspirations and asking powerful questions to help them achieve their goals.

A coach recognizes that the client already has all the resources they need to achieve their goal. They just need to have someone to think out loud with. I’m here for that purpose. And, I am always grateful for the opportunity to be invited into someone’s journey to accompany them.