Lifestyle / Looking For A Mindful Coach? Here’s How To Spot The Fakers

Looking For A Mindful Coach? Here’s How To Spot The Fakers

Lifestyle May 03, 2022

by Rachna Sethi

Life coaching is one of the most sought-after services and with the way life has been going it’s not surprise that we all need a bit of help and guidance. But even though we love to see those social posts with “experts” forking out their advice, it’s really important to know who is legit. Here are tips to find the right mindful coach and how to spot the fakers!

The coaching industry is a space that the Global Pandemic didn’t slow down – quite the opposite, it’s shown an increase in recent years with reports showing it’s worth to be 15 billion USD in 2019 and with estimates that it will reach 20 billion USD in 2022.

From business coaches to accountability coaches, there’s a longlist of specialized areas in the space and the one we want to focus on is the mindfulness coach. A newer coaching approach (compared to the others), there’s no one training program that provides certification in this area yet the demand for services and number of “coaches” continues to grow.

The growth is equally exciting and terrifying; on one hand, it’s amazing to see how many people are bringing good intentions to help others develop a mindful lifestyle. On the other hand, the demand has opened the door for people with the sole intention of monetary gain to enter what can be considered a sensitive space. Strong Social Media marketing skills can allow for someone to position themselves as a “mindfulness coach” without any tangible education and/or accreditations. Fake “mindfulness coaches” are popping up everywhere and investing in one as your coach can be more harmful than helpful.

So, how can you determine if a mindfulness coach is legit and the right fit for you? To start, check out these tips:

Research before you book a consultation:

An engaging and professional looking Instagram account is great but a qualified mindfulness coach they do not make. Don’t let a catchy 15 second video and/or sponsored ad be the leading factor in hiring a mindfulness coach. If someone captures your attention – great! Before you hire them through DM’s, do research to see what else you can find (a simple Google search is enough to start). Do they have a professional profile on LinkedIN, their own a website, a feature on other professional sites, reviews, client testimonials, etc.? They may not have all of those and that’s totally okay but if all you can find are Social Media accounts, curb your enthusiasm and proceed with a bit of caution.

Looking For A Mindful Coach? Here's How To Spot The Fakers — **Looking For A Mindful Coach? Here’s How To Spot The Fakers: Always be prepared with research.** Photo Credit: www.unsplash.com

Prepare questions you’ll asking during your consultation: Before you make a payment a mindfulness coach should be open to and suggest you have a consultation. One of the foundations of a successful coaching relationship, is finding a coach that’s right for you. The fit can be determined by both you and the coach asking some questions to see if the expertise and approach they bring to the table is suited to your needs. Some questions you can ask include:

How many years have they been working as a mindfulness coach?
- How many clients have they worked with?
- We aren’t suggesting that a new coach isn’t a legitimate coach – it’s just important they are honest and transparent about their level of experience. Any hesitation to answer can be a red flag.

What academic qualifications and professional certifications do they hold?
- There’s tons of training and accreditations out there so do your due diligence and verify that what they’ve completed does in fact exist. It takes more the completion of a handful of workshops or the “power of their intuition” to qualify someone as a mindfulness coach.

What is their personal mindfulness practice like?
- Do they have certain researchers, programs and/or teachers they follow? Do they practice regularly? Do they go on mindfulness retreats? Remember, mindfulness isn’t a regulated space right now (but it’s also a billion-dollar industry) so it’s important for your coach to put in the work of a real practice (mindfulness is more than a hashtag). Generally, people with a genuine practice and passion in the space will enjoy and welcome this line of questioning.

How long do they generally work with a client?
- This may help determine if they try to empower clients to learn their own sustainable strategies over a set-period of time (with some future follow-ups) or if they offer guidance with an approach to create a never-ending client dependency (which is good for their wallet but not for you).

Verify the information they provided about their experience after your consultation:

Did your potential new mindfulness coach answer your questions with openness, enthusiasm, and ease? Great – they should. Remember, you’re considering hiring them for a job and a friendly interview/styled conversation is within your right before deciding. If there’s any other attitude towards answering your questions, you may have a faker on your hands!

If you’re happy with what you learned, the last step is to do a quick verification on it (you can refer to the research you did before your consultation and check anything new they mention as well). For example, if someone says they do a mindfulness retreat every year and have studied with certain teachers, check to see if that information lines up.

A mindfulness coach can be a healthy, beneficial, nourishing support system for you so ensure you take a mindful approach to the process…it may take a bit of energy to find a legitimate fit but consider the patience with your search as part of your mindfulness practice!

Main Image Photo Credit: www.unsplash.com

Rachna Sethi

Author

Rachna (@thesassyspiritual) is a graduate of the Applied Mindfulness Meditation program from the University of Toronto, a certified Educator with two bachelor degrees and a diploma in Art Therapy. She's dedicated to living with a compassionate approach. Committed to helping people integrate Mindfuln...

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Looking For A Mindful Coach? Here’s How To Spot The Fakers

by Rachna Sethi

Rachna Sethi

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