Life coaching, performance coaching, mindset coaching, business coaching — there are a lot of labels, and the differences between them are not always obvious.
In practice, there is considerable overlap. The title a coach uses often tells you less than their actual approach, training and the kinds of problems they help people solve.
Having worked across psychology, psychotherapy and coaching, I tend to think less about labels and more about what someone is trying to change.
In this article, I’ll explain the main types of coaching, where they overlap and how to think about which approach might be most useful for you.
Life Coaching
I offer life coaching in Ferndown, Dorset, and online across the UK. My background includes training graduate psychology students and working as a Senior Lecturer on a professional master’s programme. I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and have 6,000 hours of client work. I draw on this experience to help you understand patterns that may be holding you back, explore what matters to you and find a clearer direction.
Life coaching is essentially about helping you have more of want you want in life, and less of what you don’t want. That can include, but not limited to, overcoming any challenges, problems, or obstacles you have, in both your inner world, and outer world. The inner world includes your wellbeing, state of mind, etc. The outer world is the results you are getting in life.
Life coaching is also about creating a life you love – thriving, not surviving.
Mindset Coaching
Mindset coaching is about changing your perspective on things. I believe that we don’t see the world, other’s and ourselves as they are – we see them through our thinking. When you change the way you look at these things, they change the way they appear.
I often say, mindset is everything. I’ve really found that it is.
Performance Coaching
Performance coaching is all about increasing your performance. I’ve worked with business leaders, CEO’s, athletes and anyone who wants better results in life. If you want to raise your performance, and increase your results in any area of life, I’m trained to help you do just that.
I like to distinguish between inner performance and outer performance. Inner performance is the amount of clarity you experience. Your wellbeing, your inner state. Outer performance is the results you’re getting in life, including in your relationships, work and everything else that is important to you. If you want to hire a performance coach in Bournemouth, you can contact me for an intial free consultation.
Transformative Coaching
Transformative coaching is more than just changing the way you think and behave. It is based on both the science of psychology, and the art of transformation. I trained in transformative coaching with one of the best coaches in the world. If you want to see a summary of what I learnt, you can watch this video on the three principles.
Business Coaching
Business coaching is focusing on increasing the results in your business. Unlike traditional business coaches, I work with you, not the business. In other words, I won’t tell you what you need to do to grow your business. But I will help turn you into the person you need to be to grow your business.
I’ve worked with various businesses in Poole, Bournemouth and Wimborne, providing business coaching.
Therapy v Coaching
As I developed my coaching work alongside my background in psychology, I became more aware of both the overlap and the differences between therapy and coaching.
In my practice, therapy focuses on psychological difficulties and emotional distress, while coaching focuses on personal or professional goals, decisions and direction. Both can support meaningful change and a more fulfilling life. The right starting point depends on what you’re experiencing and the support you need.
Overview of Coaching
As you can see, there is a lot of crossover between the different types of coaching.
If you’re interested in working with me, you can read more about my approach to life coaching.