A few years ago when I made my own shift from ministry to coaching, I realized I had no real idea, no real proof of what it was that people might need as I ventured into my new adventure.
Full disclosure this wasn’t from a brilliant thought, it was from having a really tough time finding coaching clients once I had exhausted who I thought would be good to work with. 😅
So, I did a survey finding out how people were really doing and if having a coach might be helpful.
I did my best to find people who were either going through some life change or at least thinking about it.
As I reflect now, I can see I understood the concept and purpose of coaching but I didn’t really know how I fit into it all.
The survey was part of a process I needed to go through to truly understand the challenges of those who were a few years into their 'adult' lives, in their chosen career, and how they were feeling about it all.
I ended up inviting others who were further along and even in the golden years of their careers, mainly because I became addicted to finding out how people were really doing.
It was such a range of responses from such a range of participants.
New mommas, engineers, electricians, non-profit directors, Forbes 30u30's (not the scammer ones lol). Founders whose startups launched and those who needed to abort. There were those who took the early retirement packages from big tech and there were those in their 50's who had been looking for a new role for 2~ years.
There were hotshot engineers (my words not theirs) and those who had fallen into that world because everyone else was doing it. There were research doctors, Pediatric doctors, mental health nurses and more. There were successful artists (from bands you might have heard of) and some who have been hitting it for many years.
There were creative directors, CRO's, CEO's, retired accountants (amongst the happiest lol) and pastors. Teachers, Grad students, Bible scholars and more.
And it was just me with a little Typeform survey, collecting as many responses as I could. The cool thing was, except for a few random shares, I knew almost everyone who took the survey. Some people didn’t take the survey so there were a few conversations around the fire and on the phone.
Never underestimate the gold you can find in your circle of influence.
During my career change I tried a lot of things. Some fit well and others didn't.
I wrestled with my identity a LOT. Kinda weird to say that as someone in their mid 40's with adult children, but I found I wasn't alone. So many of us have major identity crises at ages when we're supposed to have it figured out.
The reality is that none of us do.
I did things I felt like I should do. But those options never really gained enough steam.
It was such an honor to read the responses. It was so surprising too. People who I thought must be doing well, their lives were a train wreck. There were incredible people who had blown their marriages up. There were others whose children didn't speak to them anymore. There were others who had cut off their families. Others dealing with grief, the kind of grief that may never leave.
I learned during this process that what we see, more often than not, isn't what's under the surface. Yeah, I know, of course this is true. But to see into the mirror how deep my prejudice and bias goes was hard to see.
So I started to build a coaching process that felt very true to me and my journey. Think choose-your-own-adventure, loaded with analogies and a little whimsy.
I had tried the more corporate executive approach and I didn't like it. I felt like David trying to wear Saul's armor (a little biblical story for ya). I really wanted it to work but it wasn't true to me.
So, I shed it and started reaching out to some of those who took the survey, seeing if they would be willing to humor me and see if it helped.
I was terrified, still kinda am, of sharing what I’d come up with to the world. As someone who has always cared a lot about what people think about me this was the final boss. I quickly came to realize that one yes overwhelmed several no’s. And so lil’ bird was born.
It went better than I expected.
What I’ve realized too is that I really want coaching to be accessible for everyone.
I remember hearing about the trend of getting a life coach years ago but there was no way I could afford it at the time. But looking back that was actually the season I desperately needed it.
So I tried a few things. I tried a pay what you can approach, but I think that made it awkward for everyone. Everyone wanted to pay the typical rate.
I still don’t fully know where I’ll land with it but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
One of the things I’m doing is gathering together a little network of coaches and guides who resonate with what I’m talking about. You can express interest here. Not ready to launch anything yet but would love to connect.
If you are wanting to see if coaching might help you where you’re at I’ve come up with a little assessment. It doesn’t have the depth of the survey which was essentially for me, this one is specifically for you. You can find it here.
If you’ve read the whole way through my high school educated English then well done.
Appreciate you and I’ll see you around.
Luke