“What do you do?” I love to ask thought-provoking questions. In fact, the nature of my coaching style is that I ask provocative questions to challenge clients to think bigger, more deeply & creatively.
Yet the single question I struggle most with is, “What do you do?”
A common question, right? You meet someone at a social event / gathering and engage in polite chit-chat. Maybe a friend or colleague introduces you to someone, how about standing in line at the store? Then there’s the ol’ elevator pitch – you have 60 seconds till you arrive at your floor, so tell me quickly, “what do you do?”
It’s a relatively easy question…
The simple way would be to reply, “I’m a Life Coach.”
But that’s not satisfactory to me…
Hear me out on this… I remember a time as a teenager, I considered going to school to be a massage therapist. At the time, it was hardly a mainstream service. My father would say, “So you are going to meet with strangers, just you and that person, have them take off their clothes and then you’re going to touch them?” Well, when put like that, it devalues the therapeutic, healing and medicinal integrity of it. Nowadays, massage is so common that we don’t think of it as strange at all, but back then, it required more explanation to most people.
I was a yoga teacher for nearly 25 years.
A common narrative I hear is, “Oh, you teach people to be more flexible?”
I suppose that’s what many would assume yoga to be, but for me, yoga is much more than physical flexibility, (but that’s a whole other topic to discuss!)
And then there’s ‘coaching’, which to me, is more of a tool than a title. I help clients realize how extraordinary they are.
Think about it: How often do you stop and recognize just how extraordinary YOU are?
I help clients think differently; to dream the impossible, and then grasp the idea that they’re much closer to what they want than they might currently believe. I ask the questions other people wouldn’t dare to ask, and I say the things other people wouldn’t dare to say.
I coach clients around small insights because I’ve come to know that even a small shift in perspective can change a person’s world in an instant.
I coach people through the stories they’ve been telling themselves as to why they can’t do / have what they really want. I help clients courageously move through fears / limiting thoughts that burden them and prevent them taking the next step.
I understand that the very strengths & successes people have achieved are often the thing that holds them back from moving toward the next level. I provide a safe place for my clients to grow in that new and uncertain space.
My background in neuroscience & behavioral psychology is the foundation of language skills & powerful conversation.
Spiritual influences and philosophy are the essence of deep inner work and self-reflection which I bring to client sessions.
Everything we ingest; from the foods we eat, to all the things we take in through our senses determines our well being. It’s important to determine the things that give you energy & nourish your soul from those that deplete you. Identifying the habits, people & places that enliven & energize you vs. drain your sense of vitality.
My clients range from CEO’s, entrepreneurs, start-up business owners, athletes, stay at home parents, etc. Each one of them are unique. The common denominator is that they all crave more.
Some of them know what they want, but they are stuck. Others might not know exactly what it is, but they do know there’s a bigger purpose / a greater vision for them. I help people see what they may not see on their own.
So for me, the question, “what do you do?” attempts to tie ALL of that up in a pretty bow & quick response… as you can see, it’s a bit more complex, I simply can’t do it.
Life Coach? Hypnotist? Health Coach? Spiritual Guide? Motivational Speaker? Teacher? Mentor?
Yes, yes, and yes. Sounds a bit woo-woo to say to people, “I change lives.” But that is in fact what I do. My preferred answer to this question is something like this:
“Well, it’s kind of hard to explain, let me tell you about a client of mine who’s been working on a charity project to raise $1M…”
“I’m working with a client who was at a job where he felt unfulfilled & trapped. He decided to make a career change and now he’s doing what he loves and making a killer impact….”
The list goes on.
So, what do I do? I connect with people.
I serve them so powerfully that their world changes. In fact, I sometimes help them make powerful changes they didn’t even know they wanted yet!!
Rather than a straightforward remedial approach, I would say it’s about creating opportunity together. That’s what I do. When you’re ready, let’s start by having a conversation.
Karen Dubi, Mentor & Life Coach, Flexible Mindset Strategies