Personal life coaching has been around for decades but is just now starting to really catch on, and women especially are taking advantage of this “new” approach to design the lives they wish to live. It is no wonder, since women of the baby boomer generation and beyond have so many opportunities that were not available to our mothers or grandmothers. While this is a wonderful place to be, we are left without the usual support system that women of past times have relied upon.

We are, in fact, very social beings and as such need that support and mentoring. This is where personal coaching comes in. A qualified life coach can help us to realize our innermost values, set goals around these values and reach our goals. For many women, this could be a gentle adjustment to our present life—for others, it is a major overhaul.

One of the first steps in the process is accepting that our lives are constantly evolving. We may have married young and raised children, staying home or working full- or part-time, and now the children are grown. Other factors could be that we find ourselves newly single or perhaps we never married. We experience health challenges, hormonal changes, retirement or we may find ourselves new to the workforce or in a caregiving role for a loved one—and the list goes on.

But we don’t have to just go with the flow. We can look at these changes and take the opportunity to redesign and map out which direction we wish to take our lives. A qualified life coach can help any woman to: identify her core values, build a vision around those values, develop a plan to achieve that vision, identify and develop a plan for any obstacles that may arise and provide support while she moves toward her goals. A life coach is not there to tell someone what to do or judge them regarding their values or goals.

This is just the beginning. Effective coaching addresses not just the goals of the client, but actually coaches the whole person. We become better communicators, our relationships improve, we develop a healthier self-image and learn to incorporate self-care into our lives. We learn to put healthy boundaries into place and truly become the best version of ourselves. The great thing is that it is never too early to start thriving and living a life of joy and satisfaction—and it certainly is never too late.

Ann Adams, CPC, ACC, AADP, is a credentialed member of International Coach Federation, a member of American Association of Drugless Practitioners and Director of The International Academy of Coaching. She is working on her first book about overcoming obstacles in midlife and creating a life of joy and satisfaction. Connect at 520-490-7354, Info@AnnAdamsLifeCoaching or AnnAdamsLifeCoaching.com. See ad, page 12.