I guess I'm sensitive to this because of my profession as an AD/HD Coach, but have you ever noticed that life coaches on television are always evil? I mean, like, evil.
Remember Ava Moore from Nip/Tuck? (I miss that show.) As wikipedia puts it, she was "a sexual predator who targets and exploits the emotionally weak in order to manipulate them for her own amusement." Yeah, and that was just the beginning.
The best example by far, however, is the character of Jordan Chase on the current season of Dexter. (Spoiler alert: if you're not up to date on the series, it's probably best to stop reading.) Man, this dude is fucked up.
So far, we know that he was a fat kid who gained his personal power by inciting gang rape and torture. Now he's a handsome, uber famous life coach and public figure (a la Tony Robbins) who encourages people to figure out what they want and "take it now!" And, big surprise, he still gets his kicks by inciting gang rape and torture behind the scenes. As of the last episode, he's aparently graduated to actually performing the violence himself, instead of just cheering from the sidelines.
If you've never watched Dexter on Showtime, then you're no doubt grimacing right now. It's some really sick stuff. But if you're a fan of Dexter, this is the stuff of your usual Sunday night. Well, that, and empathizing with a lovable and well-meaning serial killer. On a tangent, the books that the show is based on are different, but equally good. I actually have the fourth book in the series sitting on my dresser right now, but I can't read it while I'm pregnant because 1) it will give me too much anxiety and 2) I'm afraid that Dexter will get into the head of my unborn baby and I'll end up gestating a serial killer. But I digress...
My "favorite" thing about Jordan Chase is the way he talks to his clients, as evidenced by this clip (skip ahead to the 0:38 second mark if you like):
Jordan Chase tells his client that he's disgusted with them, and that the client is "being a piece of furniture." HA! I cracked up when I saw that. I was laughing so hard that I had to rewind the scene.
Coaches: Can you imagine talking to a client like that?
Clients: Can you imagine paying someone to talk to you like that?
Dominatrices: Isn't that more along the lines of what you do? You know, insulting and degrading people? (And you get paid a whole lot more than I do for it!)
The media's portrayal of life coaches is certainly misled. It's scary. And it's fiction.
Coaching, whether it's life coaching or AD/HD coaching, is about helping the client move past the areas of dissatisfaction in their life. It's about helping them in the places where they feel stuck, figuring out what's not working, and identifying what is working or what will work. Coaching is not about the coach or the coach's ego. It's about the client. And it should be an overall positive experience.
So if you've ever considered working with a coach, be it a life coach, an AD/HD coach, or any other kind of coach, then don't let the Ava Moores and the Jordan Chases dissuade you. Qualified coaches won't insult you or degrade you. On the contrary, we'll help you focus on your strengths and successes so that you can move forward in life.
(But if you do want me to insult you, degrade you, or otherwise make you feel bad about yourself, then you can ditch the "Coach" title and call me "Mistress Jen." And triple my fee.)
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