Jennifer Gleeson Blue, Life Coach

We’ve all had those days when we wish we could just have someone tell us what the heck we should do with our lives. My friend Jennifer Gleeson Blue, Life Coach Extraordinaire, won’t let you take the easy road and hand you your fate on a silver platter, but she will do some pretty awesome work with you to help you figure it out.

Through her coaching company, Get There From Here, Jennifer Gleeson Blue uses the power of story to facilitate strong, authentic and creative clients. She equips individuals and organizations to identify prevailing stories that serve as personal or strategic obstructions and then re-author or transcend them, effectively bridging the gap between where they are and where they want to be.

Having received coach-specific training from Coach University and Collaborative Leaders, Inc., Jennifer is an accomplished speaker, writer and coach. Additionally, she holds a bachelors degree in communication, is a past board member of the Philadelphia Area Coaches Alliance and a member of the International Coach Federation.

Here, she offers some great insight on what life is really like as a life coach, so scroll on down to check out her words of wisdom.

1.   What is the most rewarding aspect of this career?

Working in my bathrobe. Okay, so maybe that’s a perk, not a reward!

I recently wrote about the rewards of my business on my blog and found it tremendously difficult to narrow it down to several aspects, let alone just one! Coaching is a veritable cornucopia of goodness. At the end of the day though, it’s really hard to beat the experience of participating in a person’s evolution with regard to power and freedom. It often seems like the simplest thing – e.g., pointing out to a client that he keeps saying what he doesn’t want as opposed to what he does want – that creates this amazing “aha” moment, forever changing a person’s life story. That’s pretty damn rewarding.

2.     What are the biggest drawbacks? What frustrates you about this work?

First of all, it’s a relatively new profession. While that has its benefits, it also means that there’s a lack of public awareness about coaching and for what and whom it’s useful. I look forward to the day when there isn’t a need to explain and validate what it is I do at a very basic level. I also look forward to a day where there are enough coaching firms to hire new coaches who are either looking to gain a lot of coaching experience quickly or who are uninterested in being business owners. (I actually hope to be part of that solution by hiring other coaches who are new to the profession!)

Secondly, coaching is hyper-focused on the present and future and often off-loads issues of the past to therapists with fear and trembling.  I hope that I can be among the generation of coaches that pioneers healthy examination of the past in the context of the present, future and forward progress such that it evolves into a total resource.

Thirdly, coaching is often positioned in the marketplace in a rather L-I-T-E way, you know? I find myself frustrated by so much emphasis on goals and the law of attraction and the “Top 5 Steps to be Happy” or whatever. Individuals (and organizations) are complex; both the coaching and the marketing of it need to honor that.

3.     What sort of training is required?

Legally? No training is required, although it’s possible that will change, via organizations like the International Coach Federation and public demand.

That being said, coaching is a specific modality built on specific skills, and I would encourage anyone who wants to hang their shingle as a coach to attend a reputable training institution. Some big name universities have programs and there are numerous coach-specific schools that offer tremendous education. Most programs last between 6 months and 2 years.

4.     How did you know this career was right for you?

For me, it was a process of eliminating other possibilities and interests and working with a coach to experience the process. I tend to come to big decisions slowly without even realizing I’m in the process of making one, so that by the time I actually make it, it feels obvious and effortless. Deciding to pursue coaching was no different.

5.     Do you like the atmosphere created by most of your colleagues in the industry?

Yes! I am member (and past Board member) of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Coach Federation and have loved getting to participate in that community. It’s the same with a smaller group of 20- and 30-something coaches I meet with.

6.     Would this career work well as a part time gig?

Absolutely. Many coaches build a part-time practice as they continue in other careers or simply because that’s all the coaching they want to do.

7.     In your opinion, is this a good career for a working mother?

Absolutely! There’s a lot of autonomy and flexibility. (Of course, it’d also be a good career for a working father!)

8.     Generally speaking, how is the earning potential?

The earning potential is terrific, although that is not always reflected in the earnings of actual coaches. As a rule, corporate and executive coaches have an easier time commanding higher rates and thus increase their earnings. That said, however, I think it has less to do with the type of coaching and more to do with one’s relationship with money, networking and business-savvy.

After four years of slowly growing my business, I expect to surpass six figures next year. Gross, that is.

9.     Any words of wisdom for someone interested in following this path?

I think it’s imperative to hire a coach to experience the process in depth before actually becoming a coach. I would also recommend attending some informational sessions at a few coaching schools. On the business front, I suggest learning how business and marketing work and ensuring that you have the right resources at your disposal (people, money, etc.)

Most importantly? Trust your intuition!

10. Anything else you’d like us to know?

The work you choose is a part of the creation of your own life story. It’s important work and deserves to be taken seriously. Paradoxically, perhaps, it simultaneously deserves to be held lightly. Stories can be written and rewritten and who we are is both the sum of our stories and entirely transcends them. Enjoy the creation!

Oh – and I love to talk all things coaching, so I hope you (yes you, dear reader of Green Junkie Living!) connect with thoughts and questions.