Positive Presence Life Coach
One of the most common questions I receive from parents and young adults is, “What is a life coach?” The writers at The Oprah Magazine said it best: Think of them like an action oriented mentor who can help you reach your goals (The Oprah Magazine, 2019).
It’s not surprising that there are so many different definitions, approaches and concepts of life coaching, considering that it has roots in ancient history. In fact, it has been around so long in one form or another that we can say it is an essential human need. Nonetheless, it is an experience which many young adults today are missing out on.
Let’s talk about how we approach life coaching here at Positive Presence Global.
What Positive Presence Coaching Is NOT
First of all, a life coach isn’t the same thing as a counselor or a therapist, though the roles do overlap in some respects.
For one thing, therapists diagnose which is NOT something we as coaches do. We are NOT here to tell you if your child has depression, anxiety, or another condition. We are here to provide tools and support for the everyday challenges life throws at our students.
The other major difference is that both therapy and counseling are intended to be short-term solutions, which are structured around solving a specific problem or diagnosis.
A therapist or counselor helps to identify a specialized life problem, offer a solution, and act as a sounding board, while a life coach becomes the student’s ally through a broad range of struggles.
Life coaching is intended as a long-term, consistent relationship which is structured around the student.
The goal is to support, validate and sometimes challenge our student’s efforts toward self discovery, confidence building, and overall character development.
What Coaching at Positive Presence IS
Most adults reflect on their younger years as a time when they simply needed someone to talk to about everyday problems that were faced with. Just like young adults today, I’m sure the last person you wanted to talk to was your mom or dad.
Parents, friends and teachers all provide vital support and guidance, but sometimes, there is a need to turn to someone who can offer support and trust without judgments, expectations or pre conceived narratives.
I heard a great metaphor once that life is like a painting. If you are standing too far back, you miss the details, but if you are standing too close, you get lost in a sea of colors and miss the bigger picture.
Our coaching methodology takes this approach. Our coaches and I understand that as a parent, it is hard sometimes to pull back and see—or offer—the perspective your young adults need at times.
We are always standing close whether we want to admit it or not because that is where we are needed as parents.
But sometimes our young adults also need someone who can stand back and offer a broader perspective…
And that is where a life coach comes in.
A life coach is able to stand far enough back from the painting to help make sense of a particular challenge, struggle, or vision—but is also able to stand close enough to empathize and provide unwavering emotional support. The beauty of this type of relationship is that we can switch as needed without skipping a beat in the growth and life of the student.
Our Coaches Show Up the Way the Student Needs Us To
I believe deeply in a client led approach to life coaching, but I also believe that sometimes we need to lead those we coach down a positive path they might be unable to navigate themselves.
Different personalities call for different coaching styles, sometimes, different situations do as well.
Even on a day-to-day basis, what a client needs can change.
In every instance, each of our coaches strives to offer a secure base and truly be a pillar of strength for a young person.
A life coach is someone to talk to, to bounce ideas off of, to learn from, to challenge
assumptions, to reflect on a client’s highest potential, and to serve as an emotional
protector.
But the shape that takes is entirely up to the client.
A life coach can …
Listen like a therapist
Advise like a counselor
Motivate like a sports coach
Provide structure like a teacher
Be there like a brother or sister
Laugh, cry, and share like a friend
With the right match a life coach can be there for a client over the course of many years—a constant in a sea of ever-changing life variables.
Our coaches come from all walks of life and have diverse educational backgrounds and professional experiences. They also each have faced their own unique challenges and bring those diverse personal experiences to the table in the support of their students.
Through that diversity and by having the client determine the role the coach will take, we offer a best-of-all-worlds experience to help a young person grow in a way which is right for them.
Could Your Teen Benefit from a Positive Presence Coach?
Whether your teen is the over-achiever, the master slacker, the lonely girl, the cool kid, the teen mom, the young entrepreneur, or anyone in-between, we believe that every teen deserves this type of constant support. I truly believe that life-coaching is no longer a luxury for our youth, it’s a necessity. As a mom of an elementary student, I would give anything to have a positive, uplifting role model and mentor for my daughter especially as a teen growing into adulthood. I hope that you can see the benefits as well.
If you think that your teen or young adult could benefit from a life coaching relationship, I would love to talk with you. Schedule a free consultation HERE. During our chat, we can discuss your daughter’s / son’s obstacles and goals and brainstorm how we can help.
In the meantime, access our parent page for free articles, tools and resources. I hope you find them to be valuable. Enjoy!
In love and light, Michelle Marie King
