What comes to your mind when you think of a coach? 

If you’ve participated in sports, you are probably thinking of someone who gives direction, instruction, and training to the players so they can perform at their best. Within the business world, you might picture a coach as someone who assists and guides the business owner by aligning the vision of their business with their personal goals.

Either way, coaching involves guidance, instruction, training, assistance, and making you the best you can be. 

You may or may not know that I work with a coach weekly. I actually have multiple coaches that I’ve worked with over the last few years.  And I've always been grateful for the progress I've made with them. 

How do I find the right coach for me? 

I’ll be the first to admit, it isn’t easy to take that initial step to reach out to call them to sign up for their programs. Maybe you’re feeling the same way? You know you’d benefit from a coach, but you are overwhelmed with the process. 

It’s understandable because there are a million coaches out there. While most of them are probably very good at what they do, there are likely some who are not. So it becomes a nerve-wracking experience to consider hiring a coach. 

What kind of coach do you need? 

Is their messaging aligned with your mission and values? 

When I was looking at hiring coaches, specifically, the last two that I've worked with, I stalked them a little bit. I got on their email list. I listened to their podcast. I joined their Facebook groups. 

Why? Because I was really trying to get a sense of who they were. What was their messaging? What could they offer me? Would their process work for me? I also wanted to know if they were the real deal. I think it is so important to get to know a person through their content to make sure that they're going to be the right person for you. 

Can you be authentic with them?

Trust is another important factor. A big part of the coaching process is trust, isn't it? It can be scary to put your trust in someone, not just because you're not sure if they'll do what they're going to do (hopefully you figured that out by following them), but also because it's scary to be vulnerable. It's scary to admit that you need help with stuff. Especially if you're like me and you're very proud of how much you can do on your own without anyone else's help. 

It's also scary because you could be afraid that they're going to judge you. We are hard enough on ourselves. We judge each of our flaws and our opportunities for growth. It's even harder to have someone that you think is going to judge you. 

I can assure you, I've never been judged by my coaches; I've only been helped. Also, I've never judged a client or a friend. So when my friend’s and I are out for the afternoon and one of them is craving a cheeseburger, and she orders one and enjoys it. I am not sitting there in judgement. Instead, I am cheering her on because she’s doing whatever she wants to do for herself. I treat my clients the same way. I'm happy to give advice and I'm not going to judge you.

What my coaching process looks like 

When I sit down with a client and we start going into the deep stuff of why they may be emotionally eating or why they're in the situation they're in, the very last thing I'm going to do is judge. I am here to help, to love you through it, and to help you love yourself through it. That's the important part. 

In my own experience of working with coaches, I remember how scared I was that they were going to tell me what I was doing wrong. That sounds silly, right? Our pride is a tough one, and our egos can sometimes get in the way. But when you choose to work with a coach, you have to take your pride and put it aside or you're not going to get anything out of it.

After all, we hire coaches because we want to improve, and sometimes that means letting go of things that aren’t serving us. 

I also remember that when I decided to sign up to work with the coaches I drafted out a message and then deleted it a couple of times. Resistance and fear were still coming up for me. What changed? Through our conversations, they reassured me that it was going to work. They calmed my anxiety and said if I did what they said to do, I would get the changes I was seeking. 

This meant so much to me, it’s something I've passed on to my clients. I always guarantee my clients that if they do what I say, the way that I say, they will get the results. If not, I will continue working with them until they do. I understand sometimes we don't get it right the first time. Most of the time we do. If you do the work and you do it consistently, you will see the change. And if you don't, I'm here until you do. 

I coach my clients the way I like to be coached. I have created my program built on trust and reassurance. With my own coaches, I knew I could believe in their system, and that they wouldn't let me fail. 

Are you ready to hit send?

I understand one of the reasons you may not be hitting send on that inquiry message is because you might be scared to fail. But if you have a coach reassuring you, they will not let you fail, it's so much easier. So that's what I'm telling you. I'm telling you, I will not let you fail. I've got you. 

If you’re finding yourself in this same situation, you’ve got to hit “send.” Nothing changes until you hit send. Hitting “send” never gets less scary though. The only time it gets less scary, is when you remind yourself that the last time that you took that big step, the last time that you dove into a program of any kind, you did the work, and you found success. Then it gets a little bit easier to take that step. 

So don't wait until you're not scared anymore, because you're still going to be scared. You're going to be scared to do the next thing, even after you have success. That’s how our brains work; they try to protect us from risk by keeping us in our comfort zone. It’s just how we are wired. I’m asking you to ignore that part of your brain.

Embrace the nervousness.

If you've been stalking and watching for a little bit, it's time to type the message.

It's time to hit send. It's time to reach out.

And it's time to get going.