Integrity key to being a life coach

Name: Joshua Zuchter
Years of experience: 10
Occupation: Life coach, business consultant, inspirational speaker (www.joshuazuchter.com)

How did you get started in your industry?
I studied personal growth and self-development courses for over 10 years — how the mind, sub-conscious, behaviour and communication affect the choices we make. After working for five years at a university, I resigned and then began helping people through their life transitions. Eventually, I moved to Toronto, where I built my coaching practice and speaking business.

Describe the ideal qualities a person should have to succeed in your industry.
Integrity, honesty, respect, healthy self-esteem, and a sense of humour.

What kind of background, either educational or other, best suits someone starting out in your industry?
Because life coaching is a non-regulated field, there are three main options:

• Enrol in a life-coaching school that best fits your personality;

• Upgrade your already existing background in counselling and therapy to transition into life coaching;

• Enrol in and explore your own self development, and develop a clear understanding of who you are. You do not have to attend a coaching school to be a great coach, but you do need to understand what makes you tick and, as a result, what makes others tick as well.

What are the most challenging aspects of your industry?
Not being able to help every person who comes for coaching. A coach can merely show the client the door, but the client must be the one to open it.

Also, running a coaching practice as a business: Many gifted coaches close their practice because they have no business skills.

What do you like the most about your job?
Working with a diverse range of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities, to locations and interests. Because I work with most of my clients by phone, I have had the flexibility to work with small business owners, pop stars, opera singers, artists, nurses, teachers, students, athletes, and families from across North America.

For newcomers to the industry, what tips would you offer them on getting started in their career?
Hire a business coach and life coach — life coaches benefit from having a coach themselves.
Continue your self growth and personal development. The more you grow, the more you can help others!

Become skilled at running a business.

Find a mentor with whom you can meet with a few times per year.

What kind of local associations/organizations/volunteer activities would you recommend for people just starting out?
I highly recommend taking fee and free teleclasses, a form of seminar delivered via phone conference lines. These are very common in the coaching world.

There are also some great coaching schools and websites including the most well-known: www.coach­ville.com, www.coachfederation.org/ICF, and www.thecoaches.com.