Why should I work with a life coach?

A digital collage I made after 2 glasses of wine this past weekend, featuring my pets Winona (bottom left), Cordelia (bottom right) and Tulip (up top)

I would like to tell a story.

Three years ago, someone I trusted told me I should work with a business coach. My response was, “Pff, I don’t need that.” I had figured out how to make a website, I had multiple offerings on the website, and I did not want to pay someone else to help me with shit I could figure out on my own.

I spent about two weeks thinking about it. My life was . . . fine. I had assumed, before my trusted friend made her suggestion, that I could continue at Fine indefinitely.

Here’s some stuff I was ignoring:

• I felt increasingly bad about myself the longer “fine” continued, because I was watching myself not do anything to improve my situation

• I had plateaued so long at “not how I want things to be long term” that I was accepting a mediocre quality of life

• Someone else might have experience and solutions I couldn’t arrive at alone in my mind

I really didn’t want to hire a coach. I believed doing so would be irresponsible - putting money and time into something I could solve by myself if I just tried hard enough. I was mistaking being hard on myself for “being determined and self-sufficient.” The standard to which I was holding myself ironically kept me stuck in the same place, which was, as we’ve covered, “fine.” (AKA not that great.)

A few weeks later I “caved” and started working with a coach, who helped me unpack all the confusing resistance I had around different parts of being a small business owner. Moreover, that coach was the first stop on a journey of consistently discovering a little more about what I want, and how to get there. If I hadn’t taken that first step, I’d still be stuck - and while I’m really good at making “stuck” look like movement (I can start new projects like nobody’s business), it’s still stuck.

You can probably see what I’m doing here: I’m a coach. I’m showing you why it’s a good idea to work with me. If that’s going to get you un-stuck from “fine,” and bring you meaningful transformation, then that’s what I want to do.

I’m not the right coach for everyone, but I AM a good coach for people who fit one or more of these descriptors:

• Are ready to make an important transition happen, but haven’t figured out the details or how to start

• Feel like they’re working their ass off but can’t get meaningful change to stick

• Are drawn to the unusual, the mystical, and the creative, and are ready to make these things central to their life

• Crave accountability, support and structure in self growth, without feeling boxed in

It’s a bummer that we often think it’s irresponsible to take care of ourselves or spend money on an investment in our own growth. It makes me angry at capitalism that we have these internal narratives. Whether you work with me, or someone else, or do something else entirely, I hope you put caring for yourself as a priority. 

If you’re like “Yep, this describes me, and I’d like to hear more about how to get some support,” then I’d love to have a conversation. Click below to schedule a little zoom with me.

Happy August,

xox

Isabel

Village Witch’s Corner

My intention this week : 

Get closer to the truth, inside and outside of myself.

Question(s) I'm asking this week:

Do I think X is true? If not, what seems more true?

What I’m reading:

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan, a wonderful (anticapitalist . . .?) romance novelist that a friend put me onto a few years ago.

Tiny Spell of the Week:

Get outside for at least a little while every day.