Meet Martha Beck, Oprah Approved Life Coach

Meet Martha Beck, the life coach who writes for O, The Oprah Magazine and has been a guest on Oprah’s show many times.

Currently promoting her latest book, Steering By Starlight Martha is a special type of life coach.

She has no formal training.

She does, however, have a Phd in sociology from Harvard University. While both of these facts are really neither here nor there, (as arguments can be made for both the need for coach-specific training hours or the natural ability of transforming higher education into a coaching strategy) it is interesting to note how Martha got her start, and in the process, was naturally “named” a life coach by her clients and peers.

According to an article in the Arizona Republic, while teaching at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, she answered the mounting requests for classes that focused on topics outside of the business-course curriculum by creating her own company which focused on helping her clients “create more joy in their personal and professional lives.” Through the development of this company, Life Designs, Inc, which would eventually be the company she owns today, North Star, Martha created and refined the tools and practices she uses to be a successful life coach and to train other life coaches.

The basis of Martha’s coaching is derived from the idea that “coaches are born, not made” and requires certain innate qualities in her coaching students like sensitivity, empathy and intuition. And Martha certainly practices what she preaches. Currently, how she lives revolves around doing what “feels” right, and not necessarily trying to think things through.  She encourages her clients to find what makes them happy and to pursue it, whether they know why yet, or not. Her mantra for 2009 is “Follow your deliciousness.”

So what does this tell us about life coaching? Martha Beck is an extremely intelligent professional who writes and often appears as a guest on the Oprah show. She recently spearheaded both a four-day luxury life coaching event and aid work in Londolozi, Africa and is also promoting her latest book Steering By Starlight. Her life’s goal is to eliminate suffering– for herself, others, even the planet.

All of her efforts and success are based on a desire to understand her own life, and to help other people understand theirs. And it all started by doing what she wanted and creating a fulfilling career from the pieces.

To learn more about Martha, her methods, books and advice, jump to her website here.

Even Life Coaches Roll With the Times

All of us have, at one time or another, stood in front of a bathroom mirror at 3 a.m. and asked our reflections:

• What am I doing with my life?
• Am I happy?
• How do I achieve goals x, y and z?

And while it often seems like these are answers only ourselves (or occasionally, bizarrely, our reflections) can answer, there is a solution that is less out there than you might think.

Life coaching is an accessible, practical way to find help answering these questions, as we see from this article by the Lansing State Journal. With the state of the recession and more and more people at a crossroads in their lives, “interest in coaching is higher than ever.”

I can hear you all say, “but life coaching is for executive types and people with large disposable incomes.” While some coaches might target these groups, there are far more coaches who are ready to help you with what you need right now using practical theory and offering reasonable rates.

The article to goes on to mention that life coaches are responding to the nation’s hard times by offering free workshops, group sessions and discounted individual rates.

Indeed, in true life coaching fashion, coaches are taking the lemony economic times and making lemonade. What better time to embark upon a new career, clean the cobwebs out of your current career path or just simplify and retarget your goals?

Skeptics 2: Life Coaches 0

I sometimes wonder how people can think that life coaching is “just for celebrities”, “a pyramid scheme” or any other type of hoax when it is such an accepted facet of the business industry… then I discovered  Nik and Eva Speakman. Advertised as psychotherapists and motivational coaches, the Speakmans boast of developing a “patented Visual Coding and Displacement Therapy” which can “cure most fears and phobias in under ten minutes.”

This is NOT what life coaching is about; I’m also fairly certain most psychotherapy is hardly this accelerated either.

When anyone talks of the pressures of “curing” people on live television and radio, it’s bound to make the general masses skeptical. Using a replica of the DeLorean in their therapy sessions probably doesn’t help either.

(Photo by: Kevin Abato)

Yes, that DeLorean.

So where does the crossover happen? Why are personalities like the Speakmans hailed as life coaches when their methods are so unorthodox, and, frankly, not at all what traditional life coaches do?

While I suppose it’s fair to argue that the “motivational coaching” part of their services covers their title as “life coach” and the “psychotherapist” title enables them to dole out “therapy” it surprises me that they are often referred to as “life coaches” versus “therapists.” Indeed, their tv show in the UK is entitled “A Life Coach Less Ordinary.” So how does this work? Are they legitimate life coaches, or are they using the life coach industry name to create certain expectations?

My feeling is that this type of “therapy” is largely a placebo effect with a sweet car from a classic 80′s movie…what do you think?

Five Life Coaching Myths Explained

Despite being a relatively new industry, there are already a lot of rumors, myths and misconceptions about life coaching that people suffer from. Have you heard of one of these?

1.Life coaches are only for celebrities and top executives – while both of these groups are known for employing life coaches, they aren’t the only ones by far to do so. Life coaching is applicable to almost anyone with a goal or issue that they can’t quite solve on their own: from organizing a closet, to training to climb Mt. Rainier, life coaches can provide the support, motivation and accountability to help anyone succeed.

2. Life coaching is a pyramid scheme – this one baffled me when I first saw it; apparently, there are those who believe life coaching is a get rich quick pyramid scheme because the field is open to a broad range of backgrounds, and life coaches often have services specifically to train new coaches. While I suppose it’s true that anyone can say they are a life coach, in reality, it won’t take long for a client to know if they are getting their money’s worth or not, and lack of clients will stop any coach’s success short. Coaches provide a service, and because coaches and clients work together to determine personalized goals and strategies, there isn’t really a way for coaches to fake results with their clients.  As for coaches training more coaches, it’s one of the more hands-on aspects of life coaching about the field. Practical experience is a must, and what better way to learn if you want to be a life coach, than to meet and work with one.

3. Life coaching is all about touchy-feely issues and emotions – again, as an industry so broad, with the majority of its popularity in the business sector, it surprises me that this is still a misconception about life coaching. While some coaches do specialize in personal issues like relationships, inner peace, spirituality and the like, these factors do not by any means define the profession.

4. Life coaching is a replacement for counseling or therapy– now this one is tricky. While life coaching can replace counseling or therapy in a person’s life, it does not provide the same services as counseling or therapy. Life coaching focuses on the present and the future, not the past, as these other disciplines do. While coaching does help facilitate breakthroughs and the improvement of the quality of a client’s life, it is through a much different way than either counseling or therapy.

5. There’s no government regulated certification; anyone can say they’re a certified life coach — as many life coaches do much of their marketing and networking online, it’s easy to see how this one started, however, just do your homework folks. While it’s true there is no single approved source for coaches to receive certification, this does not excuse potential clients from using common sense. There are multiple national and international organizations that offer respected professional designations in the field.  Check references, go through referrals, request a trial appointment if you’re not sure.

In short, there may be people out there claiming life coaching is like therapy, or it’s the last secret of the stars, or what have you, but if you do a little research, and keep an open mind, you’ll get past the fluff and find out if life coaching can help you with what you would like to achieve.

12 Problems Life Coaches Can Solve

Okay, so you expert life coaches got me; life coaches don’t actually solve problems, but they do facilitate goals, and motivate individuals and teams by providing an impartial ear and accountability to their clients.

Life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, spiritual coaches–whatever name they go by, provide an opportunity to anyone who needs a little boost in an area of their life. Here are 12 situations in which a life coach can provide insight:

1. Reducing job stress and increasing job satisfaction – many life coaches operate solely in the business world, helping people pick apart and remedy what frustrates them at work. These breakthroughs also generally lead to increased productivity and better time management.
2. Increasing job performance, and working towards a promotion – coaches help their clients target their work goals and map out steps to help them move up to the next level.
3. Changing jobs or careers all together – life coaches work with newly graduated high school or college students, and established professionals looking for a change.
4. Team cohesion in the workplace – some coaches work with teams in the workplace to make them as strong and productive as possible; coaches help keep communication open and develop systems and strategies to maximize the team’s success.
5. Developing leadership skills – leadership coaches specialize in leadership management and can help their clients develop the tools and skill sets of,well, a leader.
6. Finding a good balance between work and life – this goal is common with clients who hire a life coach for either help with their work life or their home life; often one is so closely tied to the other, it is the need to strike a better balance that becomes the solution.
7. Starting a business – coaches can help with generating ideas, forming a step by step plan, and keeping motivation up to help their clients achieve this major goal.
8. Encouraging creativity and helping artists maintain focus – many artists turn to life coaches to assist them in giving structure to their creativity and process.
9. Setting and achieving personal goals – want to organize that closet? how about bungee jump off a bridge? Feel like life is just too busy as passing you by? Life coaches are trained to help you breakdown life’s more complicated issues as well as the seemingly little ones and find ways for you to feel in control and back on track again.
10. Seeking spiritual goals- two niches in life coaching include spiritual coaching and christian life coaching. Both aim to help people with personal spiritual questions.
11. Health and wellness goals – unlike a trainer who is only there at the gym, a health and wellness coach keeps you accountable 24/7. Whether it’s a healthier diet, losing weight, toning up, or training for an event like a marathon or triathlon, there are coaches ready to help you work.
12. Relationship goals – whether with family, a significant other, children, or even friends, life coaches can help you explore and strengthen these relationships.

Notice a lot of goals in there, did you? Unlike couselors, therapists and even mentors, life coaches work with their clients to focus on facilitating the formation of objectives and plans to achieve them. Life coaches do not deal with the past, but rather work with their clients’ present and future. Now what do you think a life coach can help you with?

What draws us to life coaching?

Whether as a coach or a client, what draws us to life coaching? Life coaches are largely facilitators, helping those with either too many options or too many obstacles narrow their focus and stay on top of their objectives; so what is it about an outside source that makes them so valuable to life questions, business roadblocks and everything in between?

These are just a few questions we’re looking to answer here. It’s not going to be a simple one paragraph solution either. We’re eager to delve into what makes life coaching so popular and a growing must-have in the workplace. We’re excited to learn about new techniques and how successful coaches remain at the top of their game.

What interests you about life coaching?