fbpx

What Type Of Life Coach Could I Be And How Do I Get Started?

what kind of life coach how get started blog

What Type Of Life Coach Could I Be And How Do I Get Started?

When you’re just starting out on your journey as a life coach it can be a confusing time. What is the right avenue to go down? What type of life coach do you want to be? How will you win coaching clients? And which life coach qualifications are worth your time and money?

What type of coach should i be?

Before looking at which life coach qualifications are most appropriate for you, it’s important to gather some understanding of the type of life coach you want to become. You don’t need to be specific at this stage, this will be refined as your journey and experience progresses.

This is because ‘life coaching’ is an extremely broad umbrella term encompassing a broad range of approaches, methodologies, and practitioners. There is no clear, set and concise definition even of exactly what life coaching is.

Even at it’s most general break down, life coaching typically can be split into a good handful of types. A relationship coach, a career coach, and a health and wellbeing coach are all life coaches with distinct approaches for example. Can one life coaching qualification bring you the skills needed for these different scenarios?

Transformational coaching – life coaching for all

This is where transformational coaching comes in. Whilst transformational coaching is still gaining ground, we could liken it to the solid foundations for the umbrella of life coaching types.

At Animas we define transformational coaching as:

Coaching which seeks to bring about increased awareness of a person’s model of the world in order to create new possibilities for how ones see’s oneself, other people and the world.

It is, in essence, the core approach that makes the different types of life coaching possible. For example, success in relationships hinges as much on an individual’s understanding of their core attitudes and beliefs as success in career – yet both can be facilitated by a life coach. More importantly, sustained change which will drive future success in the coached area rests more on this transformational approach than on the specific kind of coaching.

Transformational coaching takes a deeper approach than old-school names for types of life coaches. This is because it looks beyond the surface of change, and instead focuses on (and challenges) the beliefs, attitudes, expectations, and values which affect every single facet of life. Thus, it is both broad and specific in its very nature. It, therefore makes clear sense, when you’re just starting out in coaching, to seek a transformational coaching life coach qualifications that gives you these deeper foundations. These foundations can then be your Launchpad to success with coaching clients.

Transformational life coaching qualifications in the uk

Unfortunately, having understood why you need to seek a transformational life coaching qualification over a generic, or specific, life coach qualification, you’re going to run into a few difficulties. Precisely because transformational coaching is an approach which is still in its early days, you don’t have a huge range of options.

Mostly, you will be faced with online transformational coaching courses. However, coaching being of the nature it is, doesn’t lend itself to solely online learning. Ideally, you need a mixture of training approaches, including online, but also including face-to-face and practice-based opportunities to get the breadth and depth of experience you need.

Additionally, it is beneficial when starting out as a life coach to have accredited life coach training certifications, accredited by either the International Coach Federation (ICF) or the Association for Coaching (AC). This will ensure you have a recognisable and professional qualification which enables you to stand apart from the crowd.

At Animas we offer a transformational life coach certification which meets all of the above requirements, which will give you the firm bedrock for your future success as a life coach, even if you choose to specialise in a particular coaching niche in the future. The Diploma in Transformational Coaching is accredited by both the ICF and AC and is delivered through a range of mediums including both online and offline. It will be the springboard to your success as a life coach.

Author Details
Justin is a professional writer and researcher and explores topics of coaching, coach training and personal development.
Justin Pickford

Justin is a professional writer and researcher and explores topics of coaching, coach training and personal development.

Receive a Monthly Roundup of our Best Articles Direct to Your Inbox.

Attend a FREE Online Introduction to Transformative Coaching

To find out more about the Animas transformative approach to coaching, why not book a spot on our FREE introductory training session where you can get all your questions answered.

Latest Blog Posts