What is coaching?
As the coaching industry has exploded in the past decade, most people have at least heard of coaching, but still may not know much about it. What exactly is coaching and who is it for? How is it different from counseling or mentoring? And is Catholic coaching just spiritual direction? (Spoiler: no!) Let's dive into what coaching is and what it isn’t so you can see how this powerful tool could help you reach your God-given potential and find peace.
What coaching is:
Coaching: Results-focused
Coaching is a professional relationship to help you reach your goals. A good coach will help you clarify your values and direction in life. Coaching is focused on achieving results through a strategic plan of action. A coach serves as both a mirror and a challenger: showing you who you are right now and pushing you to grow into the person you are called to be.
Catholic coaching brings together the best of professional coaching with the richness of the Catholic faith and a holistic understanding of the human person. It’s grounded in the belief that what you do is not separate from your spirituality, but rather, is an integral part of your path to holiness (as the Latin phrase says, agere sequitur esse, “doing follows being").
What coaching isn’t…
Counseling: Emotions-focused
Counseling or therapy is conducted by a licensed mental health professional and focuses on healing emotional wounds of the past. It can address past trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges needing clinical support. The goal of counseling is overall stability and emotional well-being. Coaching and counseling are complementary professions, and many of my clients have either already been through counseling or currently see a counselor in addition to coaching. Here’s a helpful analogy: if you broke your leg, you would need a doctor first to help it heal (like a counselor), but after that, you would need a physical therapist to help you learn to walk (like a coach!). One focuses on healing while the other focuses on moving forward. Emotions and experiences of the past are not off-limits in coaching, but they are always discussed by way of moving through them toward the desired results.
Mentoring: Advice-focused
Mentoring is when someone older or more experienced gives you advice using their own personal experience. It can be helpful to have a mentor in your same field or career path to give insider tips on a particular sector or specific company. While mentoring can be incredibly valuable, it has a pretty narrow focus and only provides one answer: “Do what I did.” This can lead to frustration or even poor results if you want to change careers or if their approach just doesn’t work for you. Rather than advice-giving, coaching is a collaborative problem-solving process to find the solutions that are right for you (not one-size-fits-all solutions).
Spiritual Direction: Prayer-focused
Spiritual direction is a relationship focused on helping you grow closer to God and learn to hear His voice in your life. Spiritual direction helps you build a prayer life, discern God’s plan for you, and grow in holiness. A spiritual director is trained and wise in the ways of the Lord and may even provide spiritual insights that they receive from Him on your behalf. Spiritual direction can also be complementary to coaching, as they are going to provide direction and homework to discern the Lord’s will in your life and deepen your relationship with God. As a Catholic coach with a Master’s degree in Theology, talking about God, prayer, and the truth is a common part of my coaching process and can be a great way to implement what you’re discerning through spiritual direction.
Catholic coaching integrates theology, healing, and practical strategy, all in one place. So, if you’re emotionally and spiritually stable and want to focus on results, coaching might be the best option for you! Whether you're discerning your vocation, navigating a career change, or simply looking to live your faith with more intention, Catholic coaching provides a faithful, practical way to grow.
Curious if coaching might be right for you? Schedule a free consultation today!
