How do you choose between a life coach and a mentor?

The description above sounds dangerously close to practicing cognitive processing therapy without a license. A life coach uses their life experience and professional expertise to support exploration of career and personal choices and will give advice upon request. Life coaches are not licensed and may or may not be trained in coaching.

I also agree with Jill. A Life Coach does not have the knowledge, skills, or training to help a client recognize obstacles that may be preventing them from reaching their goals. The term "powerful questions" can be very dangerous for some people. It can lead to a Pandora's Box, bring up emotional issues without the knowledge of how to handle them. This comment sounds more like counseling.

I agree with the description of coaching above - but only a ms a qualified ‘pure coach.’ Pure coaches are qualified with many supervised hours and guidance. Many have a background in psychology and are registered with recognised companies that set industry standards for ethics and competency. The ICF is an excellent example of one such organisation.

A life coach centers the client experience and essentially points out current and alternative perspectives. Always from a place of curiosity and standing for the vision the client paid them to create even when the client can’t see it for themselves. The client always hold authority and if current modality or technique doesn’t resonate with client - they can decide to change direction. It’s up the coach to be skilled in different modalities to help the client gain the perspective to achieve the agreed upon goal. To note, a life coaching is not a therapy. Leave the childhood traumas for a trained therapist.

To add on a few more insights from my experience: ??You should have a set of mentors. Having multiple perspectives from great minds can help you connect the dots. ??Also, with time, as you advance in careers, mentors should change too, as per your new positions and aspirations. With all due respect, fresh perspectives really help. ??You should keep connecting with your mentors, with or without a problem. Just hear their thoughts and you can get valuable insights. Having great mentors is a life changing experience for me, suggest everyone to find out mentors and seek mentorship. The earlier the better.

A mentor is a trusted advisor who assists in development of the skills needed to perform well in a specific role in either the professional or personal arena of life and occasionally in both. In the professional arena, a mentor often will utilize their relationships within an organization or an industry to advance the career of their mentee. In the personal arena, a mentor may recommend resources or service providers and make social introductions to assist their mentee in fulfilling their role as a parent, partner, child or sibling or adjusting to life transitions. A mentor generally does not receive financial compensation .

I do believe a mentor should receive compensation for there time. Of course, we are not speaking of the work place where they act as a trainer. Anyone who gives of their there time to help you, should receive some kind of compensation. If they refuse or is a family member or friend, taking them to dinner would be a nice gesture.

A mentor is someone who has been there, done that - with lived experience and expertise who can give answers to pertinent questions. Mentors have answers - whereas coaches develop the space for clients to find their own answers.

Other things to consider: - Relationship: A mentor-mentee relationship is often more informal and based on a shared interest or connection. In contrast, a life coach-client relationship is more structured and focused on achieving specific outcomes. - Duration and Intensity: A mentorship relationship can last for years, with regular check-ins and guidance. A life coaching relationship is typically shorter, with a defined timeframe and specific goals. - Cost: Mentors often offer guidance and support for free or as part of a broader professional relationship. Life coaching typically involves a fee for services rendered.

You need to understand where your gaps are. Both can be invaluable - but it depends on what you need. Mentors are great for: - growing businesses with strategy and advice - helping expedite a process that would take longer without specific industry knowledge or know how. Pure coaches are great for: - creating space for clients to dig into their intuition and follow their life’s path - allowing clients to see full potential or limiting beliefs - setting goals and supporting with mindset hurdles around meeting those goals. Therapists are great for: - supporting human beings with trauma and psychologically unresolved conflicts - making sense of past events and bringing current behaviours into perspective

Carefully. Mentors tend to find you, or you will identify people who have ‘been there, ‘done that’, that you approach to ask if they would mentor you. There is usually no payment for services and support (although not always) and it is often more vision focussed. Coaching is an unregulated industry. So it is very important that you do your due diligence by researching the coach’s credentials, testimonials and qualifications. It is rarely a good idea to make an impulsive decision when hiring a coach.

It is highly ill advised that you go into debt to work with a coach who promises a return on investment. Look for guarantees and make sure you are clear about the exact support a coach or mentor will be giving you. A great thing to highlight in onboarding is ‘what success looks like to me.’ This can be used as your barometer to ensure you are making progress. A red flag is a coach that creates dependency on them in order to make progress. Coaching is about your independence and valuing of self. It’s important to check in on the above regularly during your coaching term.