What is Coaching?
- Cerrie Baines
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Coaching has been around for a very long time.
When you think of the term coaching you may associate it to a sport or athlete. And you aren’t wrong, this is where it started. However since the 80s it has evolved into being a core part of the professional and personal development world.
Over the last two decades, there’s been a further shift. Health, Wellbeing, and Lifestyle coaching has become part of health and social care systems and as a standalone holistic support, providing the wrap-around care needed to help people manage their daily life, health, and wellbeing alongside traditional medicine.
Because it has grown so much, you’ll now find coaches specialising in almost every area of life, including:
Executive & Leadership Coaching
Life Coaching
Career Coaching
Health & Wellbeing Coaching
Financial Coaching
Relationship Coaching
My Journey To Coaching
My first experience of being coached was in 2019. I’d been talking to a friend about feeling stuck in what I was doing and at times felt low in self-esteem. She told me about a coach two of her friends had been working with and encouraged me to get in touch. And that is how I met Shazney Spence, the incredible woman who has patiently and gracefully coached me until this day.
I wasn’t clear at the start about what coaching was or what it required, and it took me some time to understand how it worked. Not through any fault of my coach, but for the fact that I was doing work on myself that I hadn’t before, and was being asked questions to go deeper into understanding what beliefs could be holding me back, which at times felt a little overwhelming. The turning point for me was having the conversations that made me realise underneath the feelings of being stuck, was the need to have permission, and that permission initially came from my coach, but eventually came from me.
Coaching has helped me in many areas of my life, from how I show up and care for myself, to building confidence, clarity and trust in the career path I want to create. It has allowed me to fully see myself and recognise that the future vision I have is within my reach when I take small, conscious steps aka - Mindful Moves.
This is also where I first came across the term ‘trust the process’ and that has remained part of my mindfulness practice in every stage of change in my life.
The benefits and impact of coaching were so clear that I was inspired to officially train as a Wellbeing and Lifestyle Coach. I realised I’d already been stepping into this role for years, whether it was supporting my Yoga and Pilates clients through conversations before and after class, or navigating life and work challenges with colleagues during my office days.
Is Coaching What I Need?
People often ask “what’s the difference between coaching and counselling?”, and it’s a really fair and important question.
Whilst coaching can have a therapeutic element and creates a safe space to share what may be stopping you from living a more satisfied life, it requires action on the coachees part to be proactively taking control of the changes they want to make.
A coach is a guide, cheerleader and keeps you accountable (on track). They may ask questions that feel hard to answer, or that feel like you’re being overly challenged. It’s natural to want to keep things light and easy, but as we know, when things are easy, we’re not necessarily making progress. A coach is asking the questions or providing the tools and practices to help you break through what may be holding you back from fulfilling your true potential.
A counsellor or therapist focuses specifically on your mental health. They spend time understanding what is impacting you and the challenges you’ve faced, helping you to navigate them while learning to better manage feelings such as anxiety, anger, sadness, and depression. Through this 'talking therapy,' they help you process the past to help find healing and better understanding of yourself, and provide coping mechanisms for your day-to-day wellbeing.
While a counsellor helps you navigate the "why," a coach helps you focus on the "how" to build your future.
What Can I Experience Through Coaching with Mindful Moves?
Our daily life routines are often built on what we’ve learned from childhood, and can be perceived as ‘this is just the way it is’. But the reality is our potential is way beyond what we believe or can currently imagine. It is an absolute game changer when you learn more about what matters to you and then explore the possibilities.
There is so much more we can be doing to experience a healthier, more satisfied and fulfilled life, and the great thing is a lot is within our control and at low to no cost.
Through supportive coaching conversations and the use of assessments such as the ‘Wheel of Life’ and Lifestyle Questionnaires, you can honestly gauge and identify how you feel in certain areas of your life, and what habits or routines you currently have that may no longer be serving you or making you feel at your best.
This is an insightful opportunity to explore different areas of your life where you feel you may want to take action and create positive change; in areas such as your overall Lifestyle, Physical or Mental Health, Relationships, Community and Social Connections, Education and Career, Finances, Personal Development and Environment, plus more.
I’m proud to have supported individuals, teams, and communities in uncovering what truly matters to them. Together, we create a clear Plan of Action (POA), setting achievable goals to help improve or enhance wellbeing through the 8 Components of Life. By providing the tools to make informed, conscious decisions, I help my clients build a more satisfied and sustainable quality of life.
I believe the right 'fit' is essential for growth, and I feel confident that whether it is with me, or another coach you truly connect with, this support can be the starting point for the change you've been looking for.
Ready to explore your own possibilities? If you're curious about how coaching could support your daily life, I’d love to connect. You can book a call with me to see if we’re the right fit for your journey. Click on the link below...
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