Trained as a life coach and practicing as a wellness coach, I have a unique opportunity to ask the question of whether or not life coaching is truly compatible with wellness coaching - particularly in a corporate setting.  Last week, I had a particularly challenging client that spawned some self inquiry on this very topic.  At the root of my own self inquiry were the questions - what is a life coach, and what is a wellness coach - or at least what are the expectations in these professions.  For those uncertain of what a life coach or wellness coach does, please visit the related articles.  If you are familiar with these branches of coaching, you may have wondered similarly what are the fundamental differences and similarities and are the two fields really compatible.  

What a Life Coaching Session ‘Should’ Look Like

When I began coaching, I was challenged by my mentors in a way which forced me to examine my personal beliefs about what coaching was.  In the life coaching model, the fundamental principle is that the client knows what is best for themselves and that rather than leading a client towards a certain outcome, one should allow the client to find and embrace the outcome they would like to achieve.  The topic can be anything in life (yes, I know that seems pretty broad and is the root of of many ‘knocks’ on life coaching).  

The challenging concept for me was unlearning what I was being taught during the whole coach training process.  Sound confusing?  A coach is learning a skill, the skill is listening and truly hearing a client, letting them lead, and learning how to be willing to lay down your own agenda such that the focus is on what is most appropriate for the client.  What does this mean?  It literally means that no two coaching sessions will be the same.  No two discussions will be identical, anything is game, and the coaches skill is in allowing just that to happen while having focus to support the client in moving forward. 

For me, that meant letting go of what one is ‘taught’ as a coach, letting go of the ‘knowledge’ that was learned during training, and being willing to accept that there is no right or wrong way to coach - so long as a client is moving towards their goals.   Unlike other professions where there is a right and wrong way to do something, coaches are challenged to continually work in an environment in which there is no process that works for everyone.  Furthermore, its difficult to gauge one’s own talent as a coach!  If you examine that statement closer, thinking that there is a right or wrong way to coach and evaluating oneself turns the focus inward on your personal performance rather than outward to what the client needs.  Conceptually - this focus is distracting and is less likely to serve the client.  Coaches need to let go of what is important to them.

What about Wellness Coaching?

When I began wellness coaching, I struggled some with the more directive approach towards coaching.  Giving a client information regarding health and wellness, limiting discussions to a more narrow aspect of life (however a loose definition of ‘wellness’ can actually be quite comprehensive), broadly speaking there was an agenda to follow whereas in life coaching - anything went.  With all this structure, was wellness coaching truly compatible with life coaching?

A life coaching purist may say that wellness coaching is fundamentally a different model.  There are aspects of wellness coaching that are very much consultative as  client directed.  Being a consultant is not the same as being a coach and this is a clear distinction of giving advice, or seeking solutions internally. 

I have found that in the real world (outside the context of the classroom), the difference between coaching and consulting (whether it is in terms of health and wellness, business, relationships, or finance), is not so black and white.  There are shades of gray which separate the two and in my personal opinion a client will get better value out of a coach with professional and personal experience to share as opposed to a coach that only allows a client to lead.  Its very possible for a consultant to learn the effective communication, listening, goal setting, and empowerment tools that a coach implements and thrive as both a consultant and a coach.  This is the true environment in which wellness coaches exist. 

Wellness Coaching Challenges in a Corporate Environment

In a corporate environment, particularly one which pays incentives for clients to participate in a wellness coaching program, a coach must be very willing to break down their preconceptions of what coaching looks like.  Some clients will come into a program excited about coaching, motivated to make change, and ready to take action.  Others will come in wondering why they need to do this to earn an incentive.  Some employees may be extremely healthy, and others may have serious health challenges they are facing.  Some are ready to open up, while others prefer a surface level conversation and are uncomfortable to discuss the real challenges which are holding them back from accomplishing their desires.  Someone trained as a life coach or wellness coach can err by expecting a a client to be ready to discuss deep rooted challenges if they do not truly listen up front to what a client is looking for to move them forward (and yes, I am not perfect and have made the mistake of trying to get client to open up, only to find them closed, guarded and defensive when I ‘prodded’ too deep). 

Now, when I meet with a client as a wellness coach or a life coach, I have no idea what to expect.  My experience has taught me that all the previous experiences do not apply.  So what does one do?  Simple enough - listen first.  I process the words they are saying, and do my best to hear what they are communicating.  And while I may or may not choose to provide them with ‘information’, my choice to do so lies on the fundamental coaching principle that I will say what I feel will do the best to move them forward towards their vision and goals. 

To answer the question - is life coaching compatible with wellness coaching, I believe I’ve answered it pretty clearly as I’ve even cleared it out moreso in my own head by writing this blog.  In a world which that is peppered with shades of gray rather than the single hues of black and white, wellness coaching and life coaching are perfectly and beautifully compatible - even in corporate environment.  To embrace this understanding we must fundamentally realize that there is no right or wrong way to coach, and that coaching varies based on the clients perception of what they’d like to create.

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Be Well

Related Articles:

• What is a Life Coach?
• The Who, What, When, Where and How’s of Wellness Coaching
• Breaking Down Limiting Beliefs

Written by Doug Nau, The Wellness Coach, i-grow.net