Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a life coach and a therapist?
Coaching and therapy serve different purposes. Therapy typically focuses on diagnosing and treating mental health conditions, often processing the past to heal it. This work is forward-focused: identifying the belief-level pattern driving a behavior today, and changing it so the behavior has room to shift. It's not a substitute for mental health treatment, and if that's what you're looking for, a licensed therapist is the right resource.
What is a limiting belief?
A limiting belief is an internalized assumption about yourself or the world — formed from early experience — that quietly restricts what you believe is possible for you. It doesn't announce itself as a belief; it shows up disguised as "just how things are" and in your reactive patterns of behavior.
What is a Safeguard?
A Safeguard is a belief-level response pattern — one that formed early in life to protect you from something real at the time and now runs automatically. It's not a character flaw or a confidence gap. It's a strategy that once made sense and has outlived its usefulness.
How to find a life coach you can trust?
The coaching industry is unregulated, which means credentials, methodology, and experience vary widely. It's worth verifying a coach's training, asking how their process actually works, and paying attention to whether they can explain why their approach works — not just that it does.
You can refer to my blog post for more information on this question: How to Find a Qualified Life Coach (Without Getting Burned Again) Verify, Then Trust: Navigating the Coaching Market with Confidence
What questions should I ask before hiring a coach?
At minimum: what's their training background, what does their process actually involve, and how do they define success. A coach who can answer clearly and specifically — rather than in vague, motivational language — is a good sign you're dealing with a real methodology, not just enthusiasm.
Do I need to work with a licensed coach, or does it matter?
Coaching itself isn't a licensed profession, so anyone can call themselves a coach. What matters more is whether the person has relevant clinical, psychological, or behavioral training behind their methodology — that's what separates a structured process from personality and motivation alone.
Do you work with career-specific challenges, (career coaching) or only personal growth?
Both — and often the same pattern shows up in each. A woman who over-prepares before a difficult conversation with her boss is usually running the same Safeguard that has her over-preparing before a hard conversation with her mother.
This work addresses the belief pattern underneath, which means the change carries into your career and your personal life at the same time.
Is coaching confidential?
Yes. What you share in our sessions stays between us. As with any professional relationship involving a licensed clinician, there are limited legal exceptions — such as risk of harm to yourself or others — where I'm required to break confidentiality.
Outside of those situations, your privacy is fully protected.
What are your credentials?
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 30 years of experience at the intersection of mental wellness, leadership development, and behavior change.