Coaching the Whole Person: Why Partnering is More Powerful Than Problem Solving
- Feb 23
- 4 min read
As I continue my journey in the world of professional coaching, I am consistently asked one very interesting question: "What type of coach are you?" Am I a career coach? Am I a leadership coach? A life coach, a relationship coach, a financial or business coach? It’s a fascinating question, mostly because of how differently we all define the word "coaching."
Often, people think of a career coach as someone who will sit down and complete aptitude tests with you, prepare you for interviews, or advise you on how best to update your resume. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if that is how the coach defines their work. But from my perspective, that sounds much more like a career consultant. You have a specific problem (your interview technique, your resume, or not knowing what you want to do next), and you go to them and pay them to tell you, based on their expertise, what you should do.
For me, a career coach is something entirely different. A career coach is someone who will partner with you to figure out what kind of career truly aligns with your core values and will bring you authentic fulfillment. We look at the saboteurs that are actively turning up the volume on your self doubt during recent interviews. We work together to understand your current perspective on your resume, and explore what an empowered, confident perspective of your life's work would actually look like.
Did you notice the difference? In the latter, the coach is not giving advice. They are partnering with the client to understand what truly matters with respect to their career and to them as a whole person. That is what I do. So, in this respect, yes, I am a career coach.
Instead, I partner with them to figure out what is truly important to them about this business idea. We brainstorm so they can make an empowered choice grounded in their own values, and we open up different perspectives on what their business plan could look like. From this place of deep alignment, the possible solutions become expansive. Now, if they truly want me to advise based on my own past experience, I can occasionally take my Co-Active coaching hat off and share my thoughts, but I always prefer to do this secondary to the coaching itself. So, in this respect, I suppose I am a business coach, too.
The truth is, nothing changes with the other examples either. Whether you are looking for a leadership coach or a relationship coach, regardless of the topic my clients bring to our sessions, I employ a key cornerstone of Co-Active coaching: Coach the Whole Person.
Your career, finances, health, relationships, and self care are not isolated compartments; they are all deeply interconnected parts of who you are. You see, if we only "coach" the topic or just one fraction of the person, rather than the whole person, we quickly slip into problem solving. And problem solving, in essence, is consulting rather than coaching.
There is a place for each approach, and they can beautifully complement one another, but it is incredibly important to be clear about what it is you are seeking.
Do you want someone to show you how to perfect a particular skill? (Mentoring)
Do you want to pay someone to solve a complex issue you’re facing? (Consulting)
Or do you want someone to partner with you to help you uncover your own answers and make your own empowered choices in a situation? (Coaching)
Once you realize that pure coaching is exactly what you are looking for, the next step is finding a coach whose focus aligns with your current season of life. Because I am committed to coaching the whole person, I have built my practice around a very specific and profound human experience rather than a single corporate or life topic.
This is where my positioning as a coach becomes deeply intentional. I work with people who are standing on the "cusp" of a transition in their lives.
It could be a career shift, a relationship change, a geographical move, or stepping into a new stage of life. They know they need to make a change. There is a sense of unrest in their body and a quiet yearning for something different. They may have some of the puzzle pieces and need a partner to figure out the next steps, or they may simply know that they need a shake up to figure out what is truly important to them now.
But the common thread is that they are right on the cusp of a profound change. And that is exactly where I come in.
If you are standing on your own cusp, feeling that unrest, and looking for a partner to help you uncover your own empowered answers, I would love to connect. Reach out today to book a free chemistry call, and let's explore what coaching the whole person can unlock for you.
