Life coaching is a hot profession in the UK. The trend was born in America more than a decade ago and describes a particular kind of instructor, also known as an executive coach.
They help individuals meet career goals or overcome personal struggles. A life coach can charge anything from £60 an hour to £500 for the top professionals.
Life coaches have found a growing niche within corporations seeking to offer their people extra help at work. According to Henley Business School, 83% of organisations intend to make use of coaching to help staff develop skills.
This year, the Coach Masters Academy even launched its own life-coaching certification, adding kudos to the profession. But being a life coach is a complex and demanding career, explains Lydia Amoah, or “Coach Lyds” to her clients.
“Not everyone is born for coaching,” she says. “You have to really love people, because this is a job that involves a lot of giving. You have to be there for your clients, listen to their challenges and help to overcome them.”
Amoah, who has been life coaching for 20 years, with clients including ITV presenter Jeff Brazier and UK rapper Ms Dynamite, says that in the early days, it can be hard to switch off. “You have to learn to develop healthy boundaries, otherwise you can’t live your own life. You have to practice what you preach.”
Clients facing difficulties can call and send texts throughout the night and at weekends, she reveals. “I love my clients to feel that they can reach out to me, but I’ve had to look after myself, and instill in them that Sunday is my day and that I turn my phone off at night”
Amoah also has a ritual she follows after a long day’s coaching to help shrug off its stresses. “I go and shower the moment I get home and imagine washing the day off,” she says. “Sometimes you hear upsetting things and sessions can get very emotional. I rinse off everything I’ve listened to.”
As a one-woman business, Amoah has other challenges: it can be tricky to go on holiday and there is the constant worry about sickness or an accident, which could prevent her from working. “It’s something you can’t escape when you work for yourself,” she says.
This is an instance where insurance can help, according to Sean Carney from Hiscox, which specialises in insuring coaches and trainers.
“If you ask: ‘What would you do if you were injured and couldn’t go to work?’ the answer is always, ‘I don’t know’,” he says. “But personal accident cover can provide money each week to cover expenses, which can help provide relief if the unexpected does happen.”
Carney also recommends that coaches have a good network of people around them who can step in to fulfill a contract in an emergency.
Amoah advises building up a rapport with clients so that both sides feel comfortable asking to reschedule appointments. “But I have a coaching agreement that asks for 24 hours’ notice,” she adds.
Budding life coaches also have to consider one further issue: what happens if the client doesn’t feel the coaching has helped them achieve their goals? “I have guidelines that explain to clients that they are responsible and accountable for their progress,” says Amoah.
“And when we start the coaching, we always work out what success looks like. If it’s something like, ‘I want more self-confidence at work’, then we work out what goals would make sense for that – a promotion, maybe?
“Then we talk through how they get that promotion,” she continues. “And what they want to achieve by the end of the session – a strategy to get that pay rise, perhaps? You create the space for them to work out their own goals and how to get there. I get them to write things down – this way they write their own coaching agreement.”
It is also important to put timelines against everything, she adds, because it creates a sense of urgency.
“Life coaching can be the most rewarding job in the world but you have to be careful not to become a martyr,” Amoah warns. “Empowering other people also empowers you, and it’s the best feeling in the world when you see clients turn their lives around – you just must be careful not to lose yours in the process.”
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Hiscox, sponsor of the Adventures in Business hub on the Guardian Small Business Network.
