10 Misconceptions about Personal Coaching

Introduction

Personal Coaching for Chronic Illness is the idea that different illnesses, conditions. and syndromes can be managed, contained, and even suppressed, through a coaching structure. This is achieved by taking every possible factor in an individual’s life and aligning them all in the same direction, along with support, guidance, and targets. This, over time, creates the best possible circumstances in which that individual can then begin moving forward, and recover elements of their lives back from these debilitating illnesses. It is a very uncommon service however and there is plenty of misinformation out there that could be misleading you if you’re interested in hiring a coach for your illnesses.

Ten Misconceptions I Most Commonly See

ONE – Personal Coaching is only for people who haven’t or can’t manage their chronic illnesses on their own.

This a sweeping assumption and I hear this said more than I’d like to admit. Sure, a good coach can help someone struggling with their chronic debilitations but to assume the individual must have been failing without their prior involvement is just plain wrong. It’s also assuming that the coach is experienced enough to assist and frankly, that sometimes isn’t the case. If someone wants to bring a coach on board to offer themselves support, help, and an alternative angle then by all means why not, but it’s their choice. Do not assume it’s because they felt they were failing.   

TWO – Investing in a personal coach will make your goals come easier.

This is just plain inaccurate. With chronic illness, there are numerous goals an individual could have. In most cases, a coach SHOULD make getting to those goals easier but not in terms of effort for you, but in terms of knowledge given to you. A coach’s role should be to educate, nurture and empower and so if these key principles are performed, your goals will come to you, and generally, more smoothly. That doesn’t necessarily mean easier, it just means the path to get there is much clearer to you.

THREE – Being coached takes too long to get you results.

This one is highly dependant on your view of ‘too long’. With chronic illness, time to reach progress is WIDELY varied. In the last three months alone, I’ve had two people with the same illness witness completely different progress speeds. It is completely relative to the individual, their illnesses, their personal circumstances, and many other factors. The phrase ‘too long’ just shouldn’t exist in a coach’s mind, quick fixes are seldom seen in chronic illness. If a goal is worth having, there’s no such thing as too long, and patience will certainly be required. 

FOUR – Personal Coaching is just too expensive.

This is arguably the most common thing I hear about any coaching structure be it nutrition, exercise, life, lifestyle, or business coaching. Here’s the kicker…I agree, sometimes. I’ve been a coach for 15 years and I’ve certainly met my fair share of poor teachers and coaches who charge astronomical prices for a piss-poor service. It makes it much harder for legitimate, thorough coaches to be taken seriously. The other side to this is how much progress is worth to you. In terms of chronic illness, I’d hope that would be worth a lot, but at the same time there is a line where someone is quite clearly ripping you off for what they are providing. My red flag is this – if they charge you for an initial 30-40min consultation…run a mile in the other direction; it should tell you where their priorities are.

FIVE – Coaches just tell you what to do all the time.

Despite how it appears, coaches don’t tell you what to do all the time. They’re educators and supporters and they are supposed to inform and encourage. Telling a client what to do is sometimes part of a coach’s method so they can guide them in the best direction, but it should never be the only guidance that client receives. Instruction is standard practice alongside research, demonstration and evidence-based discussion for most coaches, but it never takes centre stage.

SIX – Having a Personal Coach means you’re ensured of success.

The truth is that no one is ensured success, in whatever walk of life they’re in. Success often comes with hard work, resilience, consistency, and a little bit of luck – chronic illness is no different and neither are the coaches. Having a quality coach does give you a clearer path to this success, but you still have to meet them halfway and work hard. They can do the research, the guiding, and the pushing but ultimately you are responsible for your own actions, and your own success.

SEVEN – Everyone is coachable.

This is a controversial one for me. There are folks who simply don’t want to learn, listen or change, even when they desperately need the help. It’s not the coach’s responsibility to tell someone they need help and to make choices for them. I’ve been in the position many times where I have seen someone needing just a touch of guidance here or there to prevent weeks of misery, but they don’t want it. That is perfectly fine too, the best place to learn is often in the arena of failure, misery, and pain. As a coach though, you just wish you could prevent them from paying that heavy price by imparting knowledge you have with just some words and time.

EIGHT – Hiring a Personal Coach is admitting you’re failing to manage your chronic illnesses.

This is straight-up untrue. Being coached through something has nothing to do with failing anything. Look at all the athletes of the world who are at the top of their game and have multiple coaches. A coach is there to teach you something new, enhance your own knowledge, or just simply support you through whatever process and problem you’re facing. Never feel like you’re failing when deciding to invest in a coach. You should consider yourself ahead of the game BECAUSE investing in someone will probably progress you forwards.

NINE – More qualifications mean they’re a better coach.

I can tell you right now that this is a dangerous assumption to make. Qualifications DO mean that the coach has studied hard (usually) and achieved a level good enough to pass whatever criteria were put before them. Some coaching qualifications are ridiculously hard to pass too. However, I’ve seen very poor coaching quality come from highly qualified coaches. One of the best coaches I’ve ever seen was a boy who was only 18, but commanded a room full of adults with a sense of authority, passion and humour – he had zero qualifications but had 4-5 years of experience. Be suspicious of coaches with lots of qualifications and minimal experience but be curious about coaches with less qualifications, but stacks of experience. Sometimes it’s just down to how you click, one coach may not work well with you but would with someone else – it’s all very relative.

TEN – The coach has all the answers.

This is untrue and should be obvious to most. A coach who specializes in a field should have most of the answers in that field certainly, but everyone is always learning, even experts. If a coach hasn’t got the answer, they will likely either go off and find out or point you in the right direction to go find out. Either way, you will get the answers you desire.

Conclusion

There are many more misconceptions than just these ten by the way, these just seem to be the most common now. A coach’s job is often very difficult as a baseline, misconceptions just make it harder for them to be taken seriously and have their benefits taken on board. I’ve had much clientele with bad coaching experiences in the past, which doesn’t help these stereotypes, but I’ve been told about many good ones too. Truthfully, if you feel investing in a coach with a tried and tested process, solid reviews, and a good heart, then go for it. They will get you further if you let them, and you will learn things along the way. Just take your time and communicate as much as you can. The more the coach knows, the more they can help.

Mark