Are you a coach or clinician?

This was a question I had struggled to answer for years and a hot topic of discussion in the healthcare field as coaching has become both a more legitimate field and a sought after practice by clients willing to pay top dollar. Clinicians, too, have been drawn to the flexibility and freedom that coaching offers, since licensure and dealing with insurance companies are non-issues. It was a slam dunk for me, the perfect escape from the confines of bureaucracy. 

When I began to ask myself this escape-hatch question in 2017, it was the lack of state licensure reciprocity that nudged me toward coaching… then the promise of being able to set my own fee, work from home in bare feet with a yoga mat readily available, with a schedule that worked for raising two young children and co-running a household. 

And then 2020 happened… and every clinical private practice looked like that. Plus, now with growing inter-state licensure reciprocity, every practical aspect that drew me to coaching had fallen away. 

So back to the drawing board. How do I want to show up for my clients? Coach or Clinician? 

It wasn’t until I really considered who I am from the inside out, I could finally answer that question. 

The truth? I am neither and I am both. 

I realized that I was looking outside of myself at the boxes that I believed were available to me and trying to squeeze into them. The harder I tried, the more confused and frustrated I became. The boxes of “coach” or “clinician” just couldn’t encapsulate every aspect of who I am. 

So I broke them all down. 

In tears, in fire ceremonies, in journals, through prayer, in hallelujah moments, through shamanic journeys with my own business coach, in healing sessions with my reiki master. 

Once I could clearly see and accept every aspect of who I am (and this is an ongoing process), I could radiate that out into the world and let the universe send it back to me. 

So when you ask yourself a question that is based on external labels, you might try dropping them. Take the boxes and dump out the contents. See what is inside that really lights you up. Keep what works and nurture it. Let go of the rest. 

Allow the truth of who you are to light your path forward, not the shiny light at the end of the tunnel. 

Anyways, the tunnel starts right in front of your feet, so let's start there. 

Love and peace for your journey ahead ❤️✨