By Michele Armstrong (United Kingdom)
In reflecting on my coaching practice over the past 14 years, I asked myself when did I stop ‘life coaching’ and turn my focus to other forms of coaching (e.g. personal, business, executive and leadership coaching to name but a few). It seems that, since the turn of the century, the coaching industry has developed, not only in size, but also in diversity… in a good way. I only need to look at the coaches-in-training who come through our training programmes to see the broad scope of coaching approaches being delivered today and to appreciate how the industry has responded to the needs of its clients.
I started out as a life coach in 2001 when meeting another coach at a networking event or conference was a rare occurrence. Then things began to change and I noticed the influence on the type of coaching I offered. Firstly, I noticed the increasing number of life coaches appearing at every networking event I attended. Today’s equivalent would be the increasing number of dog walkers who walk past me in the place where I live or, more interestingly, who drive past in vans displaying interestingly named doggy-walking businesses (Paws for Thought being my personal favourite)
Source: iCN Issue 12 (Personal Coaching); pages 29-30
About Michele Armstrong
Michele has been coaching for 14 years and currently runs her own coach training business, Acorn Principle Plus. In addition, Michele provides executive coaching for a few core client organisations and operates as an Associate Coach with Equate – an organisation supporting women in STEM industries. Michele recently gained a post graduate certificate in the neuroscience of leadership from Middlesex University & Neuroleadership Institute and is currently studying for the MSc in Mindfulness with Aberdeen University.
