Frequently Asked Questions
1.) What is the difference between a personal coach and therapist?
A personal coach is a professional who helps individuals clarify their goals, overcome obstacles and make positive changes in various areas of their lives. Personal coaching is a collaborative and client-centered process that focuses on personal growth, development and achieving desired outcomes. A personal coach may help clients in a wide range of areas, including career transitions, personal relationships, health and wellness, financial management, time management, stress reduction and personal fulfillment. My professional expertise is centered around nutrition, well-being and relationships.
While therapy typically deals with past experiences, emotional healing and diagnosable mental health conditions, personal coaching is future-oriented and focuses on personal growth, goal achievement and enhancing overall well-being. However, it’s important to note that addressing the root causes and facilitating emotional healing are integral parts of the coaching process. In fact, clients often experience significant emotional growth and healing during coaching.
The distinction lies in the fact that coaching does not primarily focus on extensive exploration of the “why” behind past experiences, as it is not the primary means for creating change. Personal coaching shifts the focus towards what is possible and empowers individuals to move forward rather than getting stuck in the past. To distinguish between the two on a fundamental level, it can be said that therapy is beneficial for individuals seeking to reach a state of emotional or psychological stability. Coaching, on the other hand, is particularly valuable for those who have already achieved stability and aim to enhance their personal growth and self-improvement.
2.) What is the connection between emotional eating and my well-being and relationships? How does this affect my ability to achieve my goals?
Emotional eating can have a negative impact on both your well-being and relationships. Here are a few ways that emotional eating can affect both areas:
1.) Negative self-image: Emotional eating can contribute to negative self-image and low self-esteem. When you use food as a way to cope with difficult emotions, it can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and embarrassment. This can make it difficult to feel good about yourself and engage in social activities or connect with others.
2.) Lack of self-trust: Emotional eating can also erode your trust in yourself. When you repeatedly turn to food to cope with emotions, it can make it difficult to trust your own judgement and ability to handle difficult situations. This can affect your confidence and make it difficult to make decisions that are in your best interest.
3.) Increased stress and anxiety: Emotional eating can be a way to cope with stress and anxiety in the short term, but in the long term, it can actually increase those feelings. This can make it difficult to feel at ease with yourself and can strain the relationship you have with yourself and others.
4.) Reduced ability to cope with emotions: Emotional eating can be a way to avoid dealing with difficult emotions, but in the long term, it can reduce your ability to cope with those emotions in healthy ways. When you use food as a coping mechanism, it can make it difficult to engage in activities that promote physical and emotional well-being. This can make it difficult to form a positive and supportive relationship with yourself.
5.) Decreased social support: Emotional eating can be a solitary activity and can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. This can make it difficult to maintain social connections and support, which are important for overall well-being.
Emotional eating can disrupt your ability to achieve your goals in several ways. First, it can lead to decreased energy and motivation, making it harder to take the necessary steps towards your goals. Second, it can be a time-consuming habit that distracts you from focusing on important tasks. Third, emotional eating can result in negative self-talk and feelings of guilt and shame, which can contribute to self-doubt and a lack of confidence in your abilities to achieve your goals.
3.) How long do the sessions last and how often are they?
Typically, your session lasts 30 minutes and that is what is most common. Depending on the issues being addressed and the support level needed, you may sometimes find that you want a longer session or two sessions in that same week.
4.) How long do we work together?
Everyone’s journey is different. Your timeline depends on what you want to work on and how quickly you make progress. Some people decide to work with a coach for one particular issue and then choose to stay longer to get help with something else. Ultimately, it’s up to you when to stop.
5.) What can I expect to gain from a session?
There are three main components that each session will focus on as it pertains to a particular issue or struggle: awareness, insight and action. This will, ultimately, lead to the change you want to see. With that being said, many people come to the session ready to have the awareness and insight, but not take action. This can lead to a place of feeling stuck. If you do not feel ready and willing to do things differently this time, then you will most likely continue to get the results that you have been getting.
6.) Who is the ideal candidate for personal coaching?
The ideal coachee is someone who possesses most, if not all, of the following: interest in self-improvement, emotional intelligence, humility, self-motivation, willingness to change, commitment, openness and realistic expectations. These are the characteristics that make coaching possible and more likely to be successful. It’s important to note that having perfect marks in each category is not required or expected. However, exhibiting these traits to the degree that you will be able to benefit from coaching sessions is integral.
7.) What kind of things will we cover in a session?
That’s completely up to you. Some people want to be coached on behavioral changes around their relationship with food while others need help setting boundaries or having healthier communication with their loved ones. Every thought, behavior and action stems from you. You are the common denominator of your experiences in life, so a coaching session can be used for any goal based on these experiences in which you would like to see improvement. At the end of each session, you will walk away with an action task – something specific to practice or work on that relates to what was covered during the session.
8.) What happens in an initial consultation call?
Your initial consultation call lasts approximately 15-30 minutes. The purpose of this call is to discuss your situation and hopes for our time together. I also go over what a typical coaching session looks like. Most importantly, we want to make sure you and I are a good fit to partner in the coaching process. We cover all your questions you have about getting started together.
9.) Can I use my insurance?
At this time, life/personal coaching is not covered by insurance.
10.) How much does it cost?
I provide three different coaching options. For detailed information about the rates for each session, please visit the Services page. Additionally, please be aware that billing is conducted on a monthly basis, and payment is required before the start of each of coaching sessions.
11.) What methods of payment do you accept?
Zelle, cash and check are currently the forms of payment being accepted at this time.
12.) What if I need to cancel or reschedule?
There is a 24 hour late cancel policy. Should you need to cancel, please do so 24 hours prior to the session to avoid being charged.
Life is always in session. Every moment of discomfort or pain is an opportunity to learn and grow.
So let’s get curious.