For Brown Girls Who Are Considering Coaching: But Don't Know Much About Coaching

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, you do better."-Maya Angelou Coaching is an interactive and powerful way to call you to your highest purpose and helping you to break through to your life's passion and purpose. Coaching is a safe place in which you can remove yourself from the daily distractions, remove your mask in a safe and loving environment. Coaching also provides people with regaining your voice, hope, and power to a better YOU! Coaching is what you make it, fun, tough and empowering. You will be in your feelings, you will be held accountable and possibly do the ugly cry, but you are on the road of healing. I discovered that coaching is the new phenomenon, especially in the community where ethnic diverse lives. Coaching been around for at least 25 years. Within the last decade, coaching exploded as the new and improved field. Whenever I write, discuss and blog about coaching, I have a lot of people give me the side-eye or seem to hesitate to ask in-depth questions about coaching. Many are fearful due to lack of knowledge of coaching, unclear of what they want to work on, uncommitted to the coaching program, and the list continues. Are my brown girls and beaus fully understand coaching? And the amazing transformation process that takes place? Culturally and historically, women of color, especially African-American women dismissed anything therapeutic/clinical such as seeking a therapist, counselor or social worker because they didn't want labels place on them such as "Cray Cray" or weak. Usually, women of ethnic diversity, especially African-American women suffer in silence or try to pray it off. Also, as an African-American woman, we have been programmed and browbeat into not "telling our business to outside folk." My questions to those who are suffering in silence and distrustful of others: How is that working for you? It is time to break the generational curse of being strong, independent and able to hold it together. Honestly, we as women of color are not able to hold it together because many of us are suffering, struggling and stressed. Stop going through life on autopilot. As a Social Worker and Life Coach, I understand the true value of seeking a coach. I also understand that it takes courage and vulnerability to admit to yourself that you are "sick and tired of being sick and tired" and you are ready for a change. Not only do I coach women of ethnic diversity to live out loud, boldly, fearlessly and unapologetically; I coach women who are looking to start/restart their business. I coach women to start their business from start to launch and it is such an amazing thing. Coaching vs. Counseling It is important to me that you have clarity about the difference between coaching and other types of professional services such as therapy or counseling, consulting and mentoring. Coaching focuses on where you are presently and where you and where you are going, with a goal of helping you gain clarity about your vision, eliminate obstacles to your success, accelerate the pace of personal and professional growth and do results that allow you to live your best life-professionally and personally. We can focus on any area of your life: Relationships, Finances, Spiritual Life, Work, and Business, or Physical Health and Environments. While coaching is a forward-focused, counseling tends to deal more with past issues in which you may find yourself stuck and struggling. We may occasionally discuss something that has occurred in the past, for clarifying the present, but your coaching will not focus on resolving the past. Do you need coaching or counseling? If your past is an issue, counseling is your best option. If your past is simply a fact (regardless of whether the circumstance were difficult or negative), you are probably ready for coaching. If it seems that there is an issue for which you may need counseling, I will suggest it. With the support of a counselor or therapist, some people choose to engage in coaching and counseling simultaneously, but with a focus on different areas of life for each service. I also believe that women of color don't see other women of color offering their coaching services, nor feel that coaching is a necessity. Coaching is not only a necessity, but it's affordable. As a coach, I deal with the here and now issues such as achieving your goals and dreams. Coaching deal with celebrating the victories and improving the room for improvement. (Hence, I didn't say weakness because I don't like that term.) Coaching deal with celebrating your true essence and having someone to cheer you on to complete that unwritten book, relocating to another city, state, or out the country and just discovering your true greatness. Coaching is all about investing in yourself. Embracing your essence and being F.L.Y (First Loving Yourself)! Coaching isn't court mandated (thank goodness), we don't stay stuck with discussing the past issues which are keeping you from shining. If you find yourself stuck in your past issues or trauma, I would more than likely refer you to a therapist, who is educated and equipped with the clinical tools. Most importantly, coaching is a beautiful, growing experience. Brown Girls you are amazing and great! Do we have challenges and difficulties? Yes, we do. Can we be great? Yes, we can! Coaching Questions: What is holding you back from living your life loudly, boldly, fearlessly, and unapologetically? Do you know the value of life coaching? What is holding you back from pursuing coaching? We will love to hear from you! Comment in the comment section below. Sign-up for your 30-minute complimentary coaching discovery call! Thank you for reading Brown Girl From Boston! XOXO, Drea