Coaches Are Good for the World: John Kim Reflects On 2021
Lumia Coaching cofounder John Kim (The Angry Therapist) shares his reflections on 2021 - what the year meant for coaching, and for the world.
Why coaches are good for the world.
By John Kim
This year, more than any other I have lived through, has changed the landscape. Of everything.
Change has been happening but this is the year things have officially tipped. Rocks have been flipped over, revealing our shadows and wounds. Technology is sending us to mars and turning our currency digital. Relationship models are being questioned. Celebrity is dead. Our tolerance for injustice, racism, social construction, and lacking passion in our work is fading as fast as our morning commute.
2021 was an important life altering year. For many, not just a new chapter but a complete act break. It has made us rethink everything.
The pandemic has shaken our life Etch-A-Sketch. We are all moving our life chips, deciding what we really want to put weight on. If we’re in the right relationship. The right friendships. The right line of work.
This year has given us a ticking clock and a fire under our asses. We are finally tossing old blueprints and “shoulds”. Finally ready to pull the trigger on something new. Something different.
So what does this have to do with coaching?
Well, we are also struggling with a shit ton of resistance and anxiety due to change. Right under that lives fear, anger, confusion, and ultimately suffering. And this is where a coach can come in. Because we don’t all need therapy. We need direction. We need guidance. We need an ear and a fresh perspective.
Put a bookmark there.
Also, this is the year coaching has really solidified. It’s been growing and evolving and people have been curious about it as a new tool to grow. But it’s always been the red-headed stepchild to therapy. Many believe it didn’t have legs. That coaches were just people who didn’t want to embark on the long, expensive process of becoming a therapist. But that’s not true. Science has proven otherwise. It is a real thing.
Coaching is a craft.
It requires a skill set. Not just cheerleading, which by the way, isn’t coaching. A good coach can help you navigate your uncertainty and inject hope. Plus the internet has allowed coaches to be on demand. Booking a session with a coach is as easy as ordering take out. This has changed the way we change.
And that’s good news and the biggest change this year. Not just the fact that the world is changing but HOW we change. It’s something that we needed and it took the world changing to create this new ripple.
With it comes a wave of new helpers showing up in fresh and different ways, ways that are more honest to them. Its injecting hope and giving so many a cape, a sense of purpose, and ultimately human connection.
Giving all of us,
hope.
If you'd like to also hear Lumia Coaching cofounder Noelle Cordeaux's take on 2021, check out This Is The Work of Our Lifetime.
Ready to Become A Coach?
One of our values at Lumia is that we dare to be different. Our coaches ignore the expectations society tries to impose on them, and seek to live from their own truth instead. If you are ready to step into your power and you’d like a partner in the process, come check out Lumia Life Coach Training. Grounded in science, our ICF accredited program features authentic instructors, a robust curriculum, and business instruction to prepare you for liftoff.