Almost everyone has faced a moment in their lives when they’ve felt virtually paralysed by indecision. Knowing that the wrong choice would have consequences, leaves you unable to make any choice at all. In such a situation, people seek a trusted friend or family member but sometimes all you really need is a little guidance and accountability. In this situation, life coaching could help. The ideal life coach would be someone unbiased, that can help their client define exactly what they want to accomplish, feel, or experience in their life.
The search for a Life Coach can be overwhelming but for women, finding the right coach can be even more difficult. The experiences of womanhood, events like pregnancy, motherhood, and menopause, mean that a woman may benefit most from a coach that can truly understand these experiences and the impact they create.
In this blog we’re going to look at some of the challenges typically faced by women and the reasons they might benefit from a Woman’s Life Coach.
Within society, there is an expectation of women to undertake many roles; from mother to manager, from homemaker to business owner, and this duality comes as second nature to many women. However, it can create problems with finding balance, particularly when prioritisation of oneself is required. Most of us will have heard of the term ‘mental load’ a phrase which describes anticipating the needs of others, identifying of options to fill them and continual monitoring of progress.
To give a real-life example, let’s think about the mental load of a mother- their physical care for their child may not be required during school hours but they will constantly be running through a mental list of inset days, parents’ evenings, extra-curricular clubs, school trips, bake sales and medical appointments. Even when physically absent, parenthood requires a mother’s constant mental presence. The expectation to become the guardian of the family calendar is just one aspect of the overwhelming mental load many mothers feel.
A Bright Horizons report found that 72% of working mothers feel it’s their job to stay on top of everyone’s schedules, and over half feel they are facing burnout from the weight of these responsibilities.
A Life Coach with personal experience of this pressure can help women to make their mental and physical well-being a priority. They’ve been there, they know what it feels like, and they know how to manage the situation. But they’ve also developed the techniques and tools to help other women to do the same. Life Coaching sessions with an emotional well-being coach can expand personal development so that women can lead a fulfilling life where they feel they meet and exceed their personal goals.
A survey of over 5,000 employees from a wide array of companies showed that men are overall more satisfied in the workplace than women. What’s more, as women gain experience, they become significantly less satisfied with everything from their representation in senior management to overall leadership opportunities for women.
The country was gripped by the final of Euro 2022 recently with the England women’s team finally bringing football home, but did their wages reflect their achievement? According to BBC analysis, the average Women’s Super League player earns £47,000 a year or £900 per week whilst the average male Premier League player earns £60,000 per week.
Obviously, a Life Coach will not be able to fix the gender pay gap, but they can help with exploring the very real power dynamics at play in the workplace, exploring self-limiting beliefs and restoring inner equilibrium. Coaching sessions with a career coach that has lived the reality of being a woman at work can help clients to assess their strengths and create forward momentum to progress in their professional life.
From wolf-whistles to comments on their clothing, women are taught from an early age that their outward appearance is the most-valued part of them. This leads many women to conflate their self-worth with their perception of their appearance. According to a survey of 5,000 women, commissioned by REAL magazine, three-quarters of British women were unhappy with their shape and over 60% said their body image made them feel depressed.
As awareness of the importance of both physical and mental health grows, the role of a wellness coach works well beyond meal planning or calorie-counting. Instead, they focus on their client’s lifestyle and removing any mental hurdles that are affecting how they perceive their body allowing them to feel comfortable within themself. Working to build not only confidence but also self-trust, a confidence coach can help their client to value themselves, feeling empowered to make choices about who they are and what they really want in their personal and professional lives.
Rapport with your coach may be the key factor in selecting a Life Coach but the lived experience can give an insight into the challenges of being a woman that awareness cannot provide. With more women undertaking life coaching courses than ever before, this niche area will continue to expand as women support each other to grow and flourish. By beginning a career as a life coach, you could enable women to live a life where they reach their full potential.