Simply stated, a life coach is someone that...well....coaches you through life!

OK, OK - that's a little vague. Let me give you an example.

Say you're a 30 year old woman, unsure whether to leave your soul-crushing career as a lawyer to try to make it as a professional artist. When you ask the key people in your life what to do, you hear:

MOM: "Well, of course you should be happy...but are you sure you can make a living by being an artist? What kind of life is that for you, my little pumpkin? So much rejection, so much living hand to mouth, such hard work & so little to show for it! I would never want that life for you."	DAD: "You spent all that time and money on becoming a lawyer. You're tens of thousands of dollars in the hole, and on the track to becoming a partner! Why the heck would you waste all that time and money to become an artist? If you do this, I will never understand it a day in my life. It's just a phase, right? Right? Right!"
BFF: "You're been so miserable at your job - I'm so glad you're planning on leaving! But don't you want to just find a position at another firm? Of course I'll support you either way, but if you were poor, we wouldn't get to have Martini Mondays and Prada sample sales! Oh, I'm sure you'll be happier as a lawyer somewhere else. Absolutely sure."	THERAPIST: "When you were ten, you were told that artists don't make any money, and you had to become a lawyer, a doctor, or an accountant. How did that make you feel?"
LIFE COACH: "Let's talk through what this scenario entails and discover if it's really right for you. It sounds like you know that being a lawyer isn't in line with your current values and priorities, and you want to find a new career that you can be passionate about. What type of artist are you thinking of becoming? And would you want to work for yourself, or find an employer? Let's discover what you prefer in a work environment (working alone? being part of a team? flexible hours? a great big ladder to climb?) and we can figure out from there how you can be the type of artist you want to be, or if you want to look into a different career path entirely! Then, we can discover an action plan that'll get you where you want to go on your own terms. How does that sound?"