From stuck to unstoppable: How life coaching can propel your personal development

Coaching is not just about helping your clients dream big, set goals and then supporting them as they ‘smash it out of the park’. A great coach learns the subtle but incredibly powerful process of unpicking narratives and leaning right into the heart of emotion. They tune into challenges, so that their client can fully connect with what’s going on. A talented coach can help their client authentically grow. Not in a ‘high five’ kind of way. In a manner that is life affirmative, with a commitment to never turning back.

And that joy is immeasurable. When a question has opened a door to somewhere that a client can’t access alone, the feeling of achievement is something special. It’s worth more than a pat on the back or a high five any day.

Asking the right question

“So, who has changed Jane?” “Oh, me. It’s me. I have changed.”

This simple exchange was the moment that I realised the true power of asking the right question. And it was the moment that my client (*name changed for confidentiality) was set free from the pain of a deeply troublesome friendship. A relationship that’s lasted many years, through good times and hard. But, most recently, had been one that’s resulted in more pain than positive. The uncertainty and confusion had caused Jane many sleepless nights. It resulted in anxiety and self-doubt, and she’d lost her mojo for all the wonderful projects she’d strived so hard to cultivate in 2024.

Jane had been investing in her personal growth and moving towards the big things that mattered. Whilst at the same time, trying to stay loyal to her old self and relationships that didn’t align. Every time she spent time with her friend they jarred and triggered each other. They said regretful things and neither knew why. Both held fast to the fact that they were right, and the other was wrong. 

The truth was not that at all. Jane was shedding her old skin. Growing and flourishing. Her friend needed and wanted the girl she’d been. When I asked Jane who’d changed, she saw it all. She let go of her anger, her resentment. She stood back from her need to be right or control what was happening. Her incredible growth was also the very reason for gap between her and her friend. And the simple awareness of her truth held the power to set her free.  What happened from there was all hers and not mine, I never told her what to think, do or how to move forward. She had all the skills to handle it and most importantly was connected and accountable for her part. 

So, what could bring more joy than that?

Well, it goes far beyond the joy of seeing the transformation and progress of your clients. A career in life coaching offers a unique way of working, with you firmly in pole position, driving your own life forward. You have the freedom to choose your hours and tailor your own offering. You have license to creatively design your own way of working. 

Here are 5 more top reasons why helping others grow could actually be your unstoppable adventure too:

1.  The calmest culture in business 

Life coaching is by nature a calm and ‘mayhem-free’ career path.  There is one single agenda – that is the one of your client. Managing your client's agenda through effective contracting allows you to ensure that you know the boundaries of your relationship and are at ease with your client's communication preferences.   It’s a liberating way of working. It can offer a sense of freedom to those who’ve dedicated years of their career to professional environments that are rife with conflict and complex cultures.

2.  You won’t miss out on your own life

I ventured into coaching with four children, a myriad of animals and an already full cup. None of which has tempered my ambition, but it certainly threatened to crop some corners in terms of the windows I can work and the balance I hope to maintain. I want to be present in my own life. All of it. I want to be here to see my kids grow and be there for the sports events and school activities.

A couple of years into this now and I am confident that with coaching, you really can have it all. I am now extremely calm when looking at the upcoming calendar. I work out what I need to give to everyone including allocating some precious pauses for myself. 

3.  Compassionate peers 

Those who choose a coaching career are bound together by a fair amount of compassion and empathy. It comes with the territory. We’re all here for a reason, life events that have wound us up on the same path. We’ve all had the humble experience of learning our craft and coaching with limited, then some, then plenty of competence to make a career from it.

I love my coaching camaraderie and I genuinely think that the coaching network is second to none. People are ready to share wisdom, tips and techniques, but also to listen in and let you share your own challenges as you learn and grow.

4.  You get to incorporate your life wisdom

Coaching is a connective career choice. It allows you to bring all that you are and all that you have learnt into one powerful offering to clients. The lessons you have experienced in your own life can be used wisely when relevant. You can incorporate them in storytelling to help clients with contextual coaching questioning. By embracing and accepting all your experiences you can increase the incredible offering of compassion and client care.

I originally assumed my career in advertising was blocked off and packed away when I stepped in to coaching. However, I have realised now that coaching was a transition. That all my lessons, joyful, stressful, strategic and political, were preparing me for this chapter. I am continually tapping into this sweet wisdom to strengthen my coaching offer. It increases my credibility and gives me clients more.

5. You grow with your clients

Ah it’s magic. If you tune in and stay aware you will also grow with you clients. From both a coaching skills perspective but also as a person. You will grow taller with every client who reaches their goals, and you’ll shine brighter with every session and moving moment that changes someone's path forever. 

Incorporating a reflective practice process into your work ensures that you capture the things that opened clients' doors and can see where things could be improved. It takes the pressure off, and I’ve found it alleviates over thinking between sessions. There are many occasions now that I can reflect back on and see the miracle of the process and lean into the power of amazing questions and active listening. 

It’s a special career choice and few roles allow you to be so close to your clients' growth. It’s a joy and a privilege to be part of their journey as they lift off to unchartered territory in an engaged and unstoppable way. 

If you are feeling inspired and would you like to have a life coaching business you can run from the comfort of your own home, then join us on our Introduction to Life Coaching webinar - choose from available dates here. 

About Author:

Laura O'Shaughnessy is a Coaching Academy graduate, who now runs her own successful coaching business called The Good Vibrations Project. With a background in branding, she’s spent her career helping businesses develop their identity and communicate effectively through an understanding of what sits at the heart of their brand. Armed with these enriching skills and her coaching qualifications, she’s now helping individuals understand what sits at their core.  Laura is passionate about helping people connect with their authentic selves to build inner strength and lead fulfilling, purposeful lives.