How will you start your journey as a Kids Life Coach?
I started my journey as a Kids Life Coach purely through need.
I used to be a teacher and after getting an additional Honours degree in Psychology of Education I realised there was more to teaching and supporting children than what I was doing!
So I started researching and looking at ways I could support children with long-term sustainable results!
Way back in 2003 there were no child life coach trainings and so I delved into:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Neuro Linguistic Programming
Social Psychology
Positive Psychology
Emotional Intelligence
And very very lastly...I discovered:
ADULT life coaching.
I got really excited when I discovered the coaching side of things until....
I realised that it wasn’t AT ALL applicable to children.
The concepts were based on tried and tested traditional theory and children need more than that.
I realised because their brain and body are still developing my approach needed to be unique!
So I created my own programme based on the areas I had...
Kids Life Coaching is a proven intervention that is equal to therapy
Yesterday was a profound day for me! My most memorable and life changing day of my entire 15 year career as a Kids Life Coach!
So some background first....
Last month I launched my book “The Secret Parent” and through social media it came to the awareness of Lord Patel of Bradford. He asked to see me in Parliament (in England) to speak about coaching children!
So yesterday we had a meeting that I have been preparing for intensely over the last few weeks....with much anxiety!
Not knowing what to expect I went into the House of Lords in London yesterday with one intention...to speak from my heart and personal experience. My message was clear...
“Coaching children should be mainstream but regulated and this has been my mission for 15 years and I will continue striving as this is my purpose.”
The thing is....I never got to formally present anything.. Lord Patel just intuitively picked up on my intentions and he masterfully steered the conversation to how I can...
Kids Life Coaching (when done properly) can change the structure of a child's brain
When I started coaching children 15 years ago I based some of my approach on Dr Amens groundbreaking book “Change your brain change your life” and I credit my healthy views on supporting children to his eye opening research.
So when I saw this recent TED talk on "The most important lesson fro 83 000 brain scans" by Dr Daniel Amen, I was blown away yet again!
My Kids Life Coaching programme I designed is based on a lifestyle assessment that not only screens for red flags but it encourages holistic collaboration. It also has measurable results based on brain training techniques.
My global network of Kids Life Studio Coaches and I get results in as little as 2 weeks...it isn’t magic but it is using brain science on such a way that children understand and can apply it in their daily lives.
Take a watch of this talk and get some insight into why you have to assess a child fully before embarking on medication or therapy or a coaching programme that targets problems...
Are you a "fake" Kids Life Coach or a real change maker?
Anybody who truly cares about children and wants to be a change maker will never have a hidden agenda!
I have been in this game long enough to tell the difference between “fakers” and “change makers”.
I have trained hundreds of professionals around the world to use my coaching model and not all of these remain members of my Kids Life Studio network. The ones that have stayed with me are heart centred and they serve their communities with integrity and honesty and respect. They are role models that walk the walk and talk the talk....They understand the value of collaboration and team work.
Then there are the coaches that have come and go...because they either prefer working in isolation or they don’t value themselves enough (yet) to spend money on belonging to a network of like minded professionals or they have a need to boost their status and they feel my organisation detracts from their limelight.
What I have learnt....(and trust me it has...
How Kids Life Coaching Supports Parents
"Either we spend time meeting children's emotional needs by filling their cup with love or we spend time dealing with the behaviours caused by their unmet needs. Either way we spend the time." by Pam Leo
This quote is so true...
At my organisation, The Kids Life Studio we keep it simple...
Our advice to parents revolves around 3 core concepts:
1. Set realistic rules and boundaries - preferably draw these up at a family meeting together with children. These should work both ways....what is good for the child should be good for the parent....win win!!
2. Stay consistent in the expectations you have and when these are overstepped use natural consequences that embrace learning and an opportunity for growth. This should work both ways...always with a win win outcome.
3. Love unconditionally. No shaming, blaming or judgement when 1 or 2 are overstepped...all bad behaviour is a sign of an unmet need. Kids Life Coaching supports children in learning appropriate ways to get their...
Life Coaching for children can support children who are forced to conform
These are my reflections on schools forcing children to conform
My global network of coaches and I often have productive discussions on various topics in our secret FB group. This week our focus is “anxiety in children”.
Last week when speaking about “children who think out of the box” one of my Kids Life Studio coaches who is an ex school principal Beth Ferreira-Cant shared such profound insight...(thanks Beth!!)
Too good not to share with you...(see below) What are your thoughts about this topic?
“Such a controversial subject!
I have to agree with you. Through our school going years we are taught to “fit in”, stand in line, and conform... while I appreciate what the schooling system is trying to do here, as there are many children in a class and they have a loaded curriculum to get through, we spend our adult lives trying to stand out?
We want to be different, we spend most of this time just trying to find ourselves.
If we focused on...
Walking the walk and talking the talk as a Kids Life Coach
What do you stand for? Do people know? Are you a solid role model to children?
If you are a Kids Life Coach no matter the context, you need to walk the walk and talk the talk.
Coaching children is about guiding them by giving them choices. The trick is in showing them how this is done.
So if you want to coach a child to lead a healthy lifestyle...the question is..are you?
If you tell kids to abstain from alcohol and cigarettes do you make the same rules apply to you?
Over my past 15 years of coaching children I have spent a vast majority of time working on strengthening my mindset. I have made it my priority to spend time on my own personal development.
My Kids life Coaching tip for you is this....
Coaching children is not just about goal setting or finding solutions to problems. It is about giving kids a solid frame of reference that gives them a road map for life.
This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. It just means you have to make choices that reflect your values are...
Reflections on how to tell a well trained Kids Life Coach from one that isn’t....
As the founder of The Kids Life Studio® I am very blessed to have been coaching children myself since 2003 and training adults to coach children since 2009.
So often I get asked why my training is premium priced....
The answer is simple...
When it comes to coaching children mediocrity is not the answer. World-class coaching comes with effort. I believe every parent and every child deserves a Kids Life Coach who has put in the hard work to achieve their certification.
My global network of Kids Life Coaches who have certified with me at The Kids Life Studio know what it means to have grit and perseverance!
They do intensive training over no less than 3 months with individual and group support and they participate in weekly assignments, do a case study and submit a portfolio of evidence that gets assessed!!
They understand the value of investing into good education and they choose my training because I can give them one thing they don’t have...
An insiders view of coaching...
Robin Sharma believes in the power of life coaching for children
Robin Sharma...author of The Monk who sold his Ferrari is somebody I respect highly in the adult coaching space. Here are his 10 wishes that he says he holds for the new world we are building. I believe that as children's change makers, they are especially applicable and he often speaks of children and also supports his own foundation for children.
He gives the advice:
"No kid is perfect. But could I gently suggest that today, you make a commitment to celebrating the best within children. Make them feel special. Help them stand proud."
This is what my global network and I coach kids to understand at a young age. Our tag line at The Kids Life Studio is "where choices are made easy." The transformation we see when children make good choices is magical. They stand proud and success breeds success which is so powerful!
Here is what Robin Sharma says:
#1. I wish for a world where everyone understands that discomfort is the price of legendary. And fear is just...
Adding value as a Kids Life Coach
What are your values?
The reason I ask is this...
In my 15 years of being a Kids Life Coach and having trained hundreds of people globally to use my methods I have noticed that there are two kinds of people...
1. The first kind is a teller. The one who is passionate about children and loves to “help” them but their own life is a mess (for a short while when I didn’t know any better that was me...I tell more in my book The Secret Parent)
2. The second kind is the doer. The one who is passionate about educating, enabling, equipping and empowering children through leading by example.
As part of my Kids Life Coach training I allocate a personal Mentor Coach to each student to map out a unique blueprint that paves the road for their success as a coach.
Now for some this may not seem important...but here is my Kids Life Coaching tip for you....
If you want to coach children and you don’t have your own plan mapped out based on your values, vision and...
