Transformational coaching is a form of personal coaching that addresses and assists all aspects of an individual’s life. Career challenges, relationship issues, financial difficulties and spiritual dilemmas are some of the reasons that an individual might seek transformational coaching. This approach to coaching is implemented by life coaches, career coaches and practitioners who use motivational practices to help individuals solve their personal problems and achieve their life goals. Transformational coaching empowers individuals through a combination of positive psychology, motivational strategies and spiritual belief systems.
When an individual seeks out transformational coaching, he or she usually works with a practitioner whose aim is to draw out unique talents and innate gifts. The focus is often taken off the challenges and misfortunes in life and placed instead on the activities, talents and aspects of life that bring fulfillment and enjoyment. In transformational coaching, individuals usually learn how to focus continually on the positive experiences in life. They learn practical strategies and receive encouragement that enables this new way of thinking and being.
One strategy used in this form of motivational coaching is the practice of meditation. Clients are usually taught how to meditate in a way that feels right for them. They tune into their emotions, thoughts and senses. Meditation is intended to cultivate greater personal awareness. It is a strategy for connecting with a deeper purpose and overcoming conditioned or impulsive responses that might arise when reacting to others and to life’s disappointments.
The motivational element in transformational coaching stems from the coach truly believing in the possibility of transformation for the client. The client, in time, is encouraged by this vision and possibility, and he or she is continually reminded to look inward for insights. A critical requirement for progress in this type of coaching is honesty. For example, when a woman is honest with herself, it is believed that she will more easily overcome life’s challenges, recognize her life purpose and feel motivated to develop a clearer vision for her future.
In addition to meditation, individuals who undergo transformational coaching are sometimes instructed to write in a journal to help identify their thoughts, feelings, desires and life goals. In the process of doing this, they are coached through the language they use to define and understand their world. Some transformational coaches emphasize the importance of phrasing goals in positive terms, with a belief that words are powerful and dictate the tone and nature of future experiences. Positive language and life perspectives are thought to create momentum for overcoming problems and achieving life goals.