Life Coach Interview: Kathy Cordell

Q1.)How did you get into life coaching?

A1) I was a moderator in a forum for a website about female sexual pain. I moderated and answered posts in the forum but also started taking requests from all over the world to speak with women by phone or Skype about their issues. One day someone told me, ‘You are kind of like a life coach.’ I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a’ life coach’ so I started to investigate and found out my friend’s husband had just gotten his life coaching certificate. He encouraged me and said that getting his certificate was doable even though he was working full time elsewhere. I continued to work as a Medical Technologist while taking coaching classes and jumped into full-time coaching two years later.

Q2.)What’s your favorite part about being a life coach?

A2) I love the AHA! moment! It is amazing how the wheels in a person’s mind can start to spin differently when a new, non-biased and non-judgmental perspective is applied to their situation. About 90% of my coaching is done by phone but I ‘see’ the light bulb turn on even over the phone and I’ll never tire of it! No matter if I am working with a Christian or a non-Christian, this is the moment I know the Holy Spirit is at work and it is a blast being in alliance with Him!.

Q3.)What are the biggest misconceptions about Life Coaching?

A3) I think a lot of my clients come to coaching thinking they are broken and I am going to help them ‘fix’ their problems. Coaching is not a way to ‘be fixed’ as much as it is a vehicle to become whole. Most clients come to me with physical, emotional and/or marital problems and they quickly realize they have everything they need to overcome their situation but most often they have become their own worst enemy. The largest misconception about Christian life coaching is that we lead people to find the strength within themselves to be self-motivated, self-reliant and self-empowered. When someone is their own worst enemy, the last thing they want to do is trust themselves with anything! Christian coaching helps a person find a Strength beyond what they could ever think or imagine as they learn to trust in the Creator who knows them better than they know themselves.

Q4.)How do you incorporate God or biblical principles into your life coaching?

A4) The godly principles of empathy, encouragement, trust, patience and being non-judgmental go far allowing a person the time and a safe place to take a deep look inside. In coaching, these principles are not something we do, they are who we become. With Christian clients, I always pray before and after our sessions and I encourage them to pray and worship between sessions. I use Biblical examples and Scripture to apply to their current situation or ask them to do Scripture searches on different topics. Most importantly I point out and help them work through the lies of the past so they can fill their present with the Truth so they can have a hope for the future. I am the same person with non-Christian clients but I am sensitive to their own belief system and faith. The quickest way to lose trust is to judge and I seek to meet them where they are without fear of prostheletizing or criticizing their faith. I believe it is more important to preach with our actions than with our words.

Q5.)What is the biggest benefit that your clients rave about after working with you?

A5) They found a safe place. Most people are used to being told what to do and feeling ‘less than’ for not being perfect. Finding a place to simply be honest is a gift and through this honesty God can work miracles with a humble heart.

Q6.)In order to get the most from life coaching, what advice would you give to someone looking to become a coaching client?

A6) Be prepared and take time between sessions to do the hard work to achieve your goals. Most of coaching actually happens in between sessions when the action is taken to step toward a desired result. Even if all goals are not met, the learning process is key to moving forward. Take yourself and your future seriously and use this time with your coach as a gift to learn about yourself and your relationship with God.

Q7.)What current project(s) are you working on?

A7) I am writing a book to help women overcome the female sexual pain condition of vaginismus. The projected final draft will be complete by the end of the year and it is in the works to be published by Moody Press.

I have been hired by the Health Services Division of Xerox to train medical professionals in Wyoming how to speak to pregnant women about stopping substance use. I will be teaching coaching and motivational interview techniques and tracking measurable outcomes such as low birth weight and tobacco cessation among moms.

I am writing a conference called ‘Who RU God? Finding Him Right Where UR’. I will be speaking in September and November alongside worship leader Shannon Wexelberg using this material.

Q8.)Any final thoughts about sharing your life coaching with my blog readers?

Not everybody needs or wants a life coach! When I first started coaching I was using my newfound techniques on everyone including my family and friends. One day, my best friend asked if I could turn off the’ life coach’ and just be her friend. Since then I have realized that just listening with no input or agenda not only is a quality of a good coach but also essential to being a good friend. No one wants to be fixed but everyone desires to be truly heard.

LIFE COACH BIO: Kathy Cordell

Kathy Cordell is a writer, speaker, professional life coach, motivational trainer and ministry leader. Her business, Freedom Steps Life Coaching, allows her to coach women face to face or by phone. She specializes in female sexuality problems, childhood abuse, addiction and marital issues. Kathy has also trains medical professionals to motivate patients toward positive lifestyle change especially those involving risky substance use.

Contact Information

Kathy Cordell 5612 Canyon Rd. Cheyenne, WY 82009 307-778-6156 (h) or 307-221-7293 kathycordell@bresnan.net

Visit Kathy’s websites at www.freedomsteps.org and www.wow4him.org