Warrell is a certified life coach based in McLean and a best-selling author of “Find Your Courage: 12 Acts for Becoming Fearless in Life and in Work.”
What is a life coach?
It is a profession aimed at helping people be more effective at what they do in achieving specific goals. It also involves helping people who are finding something in themselves or in their lives that is causing dissatisfaction or unhappiness and helping them resolve whatever that is.
Who do you coach?
My clients range from professionals from Fortune 500 companies to budding entrepreneurs. You are working with people who are largely functional and are already dealing with a level of success.
How do you coach someone?
When I start working with someone, they get a questionnaire, almost like an audit. I get a feeling about their jobs, relationships, conflicts, health and well-being and life balance. I assess it and come up with a grade.
What do people want from a life coach?
They might want to restore a bit of sanity in their lives or get clear about what they really want to do with their lives and what actions they need to take.
Is there a common problem people struggle with?
Self-doubt. Doubt in their own ability to do things, fear of failure and fear of making a mistake and looking foolish in front of their peers. Fear is a key one.
How did you become a life coach?
I used to be in marketing and I found myself counseling a lot of people, the way girlfriends do. At the time, I had never heard of life coaching but I looked into it when I went back to school to study psychology.
What do you find rewarding about it?
You see people doing things that really give them a greater sense of meaning and purpose and discovering in themselves resourcefulness and strength they didn’t know they had.
– Susan Ferrechio
