Why I Decided To Coach Around Life Balance

There are many reasons someone might decide to work with a life coach. Sometimes there is a big decision to make and other times life has reached a crossroads. Sometimes everything looks perfectly fine from the outside, but on the inside, a voice is quietly asking “Is this really how I want to live?” That last question is one of the reasons life balance has become such an important part of my coaching work.

 

Life Doesn’t Come With A Permanent Balance Setting

I don’t think of life balance as something we achieve once and then tick off our list, because life changes too much for that. In my earlier post, What Does A Balanced Life Actually Look Like?, presenting my 1-month Life Balance Coaching service, I touched on the meaning of life balance, and how it is a subjective concept.

In addition, our unique circumstances are in flux all the time. Our relationships change, work changes, children grow up and leave home. New responsibilities appear, and old interests return.

Some seasons ask us to give more to one particular area of life, while other seasons create space for something completely different. What worked for us five years ago may no longer fit. And sometimes we don’t notice that until we begin feeling uncomfortable with a life that, on paper, seems perfectly reasonable.

That is at the core of what interests me about life balance coaching: the opportunity to pause and look at the whole picture, a bit from the outside as well thanks to a sparring partner.

Making Space To Think

One of the most valuable things coaching can offer is something deceptively simple: dedicated space to think.

Neither scrolling through your phone whilst waiting for the kettle to boil nor thinking about your life while simultaneously answering emails. Not discussing the same dilemma either with the people closest to you, who naturally have their own perspectives, histories and opinions about what you should do.

However, a coaching conversation gives you the opportunity to focus on yourself. You can think out loud or sit quietly for a while. Explore possibilities, notice patterns, and question assumptions. Consider what you actually want rather than what you think you should want. And sometimes an unexpected question is enough to open up an entirely different perspective.

My Role Isn’t To Tell You What To Do

I subscribe to some coaching standards developed by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). They have developed a set of ethical guidelines and what they call core competencies. The short version is that coaches don’t teach, advise, or offer opinions, but facilitate the client’s work and accountability towards themself (but not towards the coach).

This is an important part of how I approach coaching. I am not there to hand you a five-step plan for how to live your life, or direct you in any other way.

You are the person who knows your circumstances, values, relationships, history, and aspirations better than I ever could. My role is to facilitate your thinking, and support you as you make your own decisions.

 

That can mean asking questions you haven’t thought to ask yourself, helping you look at a situation from another angle, and returning to something you said earlier in a conversation, because there was perhaps more to it than you initially realised. And it can mean helping you turn an insight into an action.

Insight is valuable, but when you are ready to make a change, doing something with that insight matters, too. That is why a true coaching conversation comes with a built-in element of accountability and moving forward with activities that the client perceives as valuable, at a speed they are comfortable with.

Why Life Balance?

I particularly enjoy working with the concept of life balance, because it allows us to look beyond a single problem. As a so-called integrating generalist, I appreciate not only the process of recognising patterns, and identifying invisible spots that the client has missed, but also sharing what I notice with others so they can benefit.

During my training, we had to exchange practice coaching amongst ourselves, and I will never forget how a fellow participant got to reframe their past decade thanks to a single question of mine. It was a simple, extremely-obvious-to-me thing this person hadn’t realised about themself, and when responding truthfully, they got to step into self-appreciation and a deep understanding of their own resilience and resourcefulness. One question altered this person’s self-image permanently, and it was visible how their fear about their complex future started to melt away. And I felt grateful and humble to have been invited along for a short moment on their journey.

So, back to you. You might initially arrive thinking that you need to make a career decision. As we explore the situation, however, you may discover that the real issue is time. Or boundaries, or an identity that has become too closely connected to your work. Or perhaps you have forgotten what you enjoy doing outside of your professional life.

The same can happen with relationships, family life, home, personal interests, or the amount of time you spend caring for everyone else.

Life is interconnected. When one area changes, other areas can feel the effects too. That is why I find it useful to take a step back, and consider the whole rather than immediately trying to fix one isolated piece.

Who I Work Well With

Life coaching tends to work best when you are ready to participate actively in the process.

Perhaps you are at a crossroads, or you have that vague “something needs to change” feeling. Perhaps most areas of your life are working reasonably well, but one has begun taking up more space than you would like. Or perhaps you simply want an independent person to think things through with, during a session with no disturbances and in complete confidentiality.

You don’t need to arrive with everything figured out, but you do need to be willing to explore, make your own decisions and take action where appropriate.

Coaching isn’t for everyone or every situation. Sometimes what you need is education, specialist advice, mentoring, or therapeutic support rather than coaching. Recognising that difference is part of creating an ethical coaching relationship.

What I Hope You Take Away From Coaching

Ultimately, I want coaching to help you understand yourself and your situation more clearly: to notice what is working, to recognise what isn’t, and to define what balance means to you rather than trying to live according to someone else’s version of it.

And, when you are ready, to start making changes that feel meaningful in your actual life. Not an imaginary life in which you have unlimited time, energy and money, but your real life. The one with responsibilities, relationships, routines, unexpected interruptions, and all the other wonderfully messy things that make it yours.

A Little More Space For You

My 1-month Life Balance Coaching programme is designed as an opportunity to step back from the noise and focus deliberately on your own life. We begin with a 90-minute session to take stock of your current situation and what you want to achieve, after which we meet weekly for four 60-minute sessions.

The intention isn’t to transform everything overnight, but to create a focused period in which you can become more aware of what is happening in your life, decide what matters, and begin creating change intentionally. If that sounds like something you have been needing, I would love to have a conversation and find out whether we are a good match.

You can read more about my Life Balance Coaching package on its dedicated page, and book a free 30-minute Discovery Call.

 

Sometimes creating a more balanced life begins with something very simple: stopping long enough to ask yourself what you actually want.