Choosing a qualified
life coach is crucial

Gorett Reis explains what led her to help people overcome their hurdles to succeed

By Irwin Rapoport

December 5, 2024

Gorett Reis is a career and life coach who has been coaching for nine years. We have been friends for many years, and we first met when she was working at a bookshop in Toronto. We have stayed in touch ever since and get together when we can. She has a Montreal connection as her husband is from our fair city, and they had their first child over four years ago.

Gorett is very bright, extremely empathetic, and loyal – one can speak with her easily and open their heart about the issues affecting them. She has given great advice and I have done the same in return. I knew of her qualities before she became a life coach, so it is no surprise that she chose to become one. She is a natural and her clients are in good hands. I write this not to say that if you are seeking the help of a life coach, to go to her, but more that she is the only life coach I know and who better to ask about what a life coach does, what their qualifications are, and whether one needs a life coach to help resolve issues.

Reis’s approach focuses on guiding clients to find solutions while providing support and tools to overcome obstacles.

Reis’s approach focuses on guiding clients to find solutions while providing support and tools to overcome obstacles. Her experience has shown her that people often have the answers within themselves but need assistance uncovering and implementing them. This philosophy, combined with her dedication to personal growth and client success, has enabled Reis to help numerous individuals overcome hurdles and achieve their goals in both their careers and personal lives.

In this Q&A, Gorett Reis tells readers why she chose to be a life coach, how she has evolved in her profession, and why she is dedicated to helping people succeed.

WM: When did you know being a life coach was a career possibility for you? How long did it take to make that a reality?

Gorett Reis – Image: Creating Light Studio

Reis: I heard about coaching as a career years before I pursued it. Although I was interested in learning more at one point, there was no real traction as I was involved with other things. I then forgot about it – or at least I thought I forgot – and one day in late December 2014, after sitting in silence for some time, I heard an internal voice say, “Life coach.” Immediately after, I knew that was it. I felt it in every bone and molecule of my body and looked into different life coach training programs.

As for making it a reality, if you count my student coaching and rates I would say I was life coaching part-time a few months after beginning my training course. I started a ten-month course about two weeks after I knew I wanted to pursue life coaching. After I left my teaching job in July of 2015, I was doing it full time along with working with a couple of adults on the spectrum, something I was doing before.

WM: What did you do to prepare to be a life coach? After reading the literature and speaking to peers, did you realize you had some key values and talents to be one?

Reis: It didn’t quite happen that way in terms of reading literature and speaking to peers about it. As mentioned earlier, I followed an internal voice. This said, I did take a ten-month life training course and got certified after, which was a separate process. I also practiced a lot with my training course peers and others, something I did outside of student coaching.

I read many books, including those of life coach Dr. Martha Beck, since I was taking her training course. Over the past two decades, I read many self-help, pop psychology, scientific, and spiritual books, and magazines, and what I was interested in – self-development and healing. In retrospect, I also feel my life prepared me to become a life coach with its challenges and figuring out solutions to those challenges. I’ve done a lot of healing and development myself.

Also, I’ve been informally coaching for years. I have this innate sense of helping so I’ve “coached” people for years, either with careers, relationships or obtaining healthier habits. Since I was little, I recall actively listening, asking thought-provoking questions and occasionally providing suggestions to help afterward. Many people over the years would come to me with their issues and tell me things that were quite intimate.

‘Since I was little, I recall actively listening, asking thought-provoking questions and occasionally providing suggestions to help afterward.’

They felt safe and not judged, something clients tell me to this day. I even remember a roommate once saying I should become a life coach after I helped her out with her career path. I shrugged her suggestion off in modesty and it didn’t come back until December 2014. Also, I continue developing my coaching skills by reviewing some of my training, reading different coaching styles or self-improvement books, and taking some programs or webinars.

WM: What is required to be a good life coach and how would you describe your first year or two as one? Did you see yourself growing into the role and learning key lessons from your initial clients?

Reis: A good life coach is caring and non-judgemental. They actively listen and ask thought-provoking questions to guide you to accessing your own wisdom and realizations. They can also make thoughtful suggestions if need be. A good life coach can also navigate the power of mindset (individual) with systemic realities (collective). They have experience working with many different people and backgrounds and understand human behaviour. For instance, understanding the dynamics of power and privilege, habits, etc. They are well versed in personal and professional development, ideally having done a lot of internal work on themselves and continuing to develop personally and professionally.

Also, a good life coach can easily see patterns holding you back and help you overcome them. They can help you see things in a different light and are not afraid to challenge you respectfully. They have tools to help you figure out what you want or help create actionable steps to get what you desire more effectively. They help you clarify your needs and values to live your values and inner desires. Their only agenda is to help you help yourself.

Lastly, they can hold space if something painful comes up and can work through it with you in a non-harmful way. Ideally, they are trauma-informed.

‘A good life coach can easily see patterns holding you back and help you overcome them. They can help you see things in a different light and are not afraid to challenge you respectfully.’

I would describe my first year or two as a life coach as exactly what I envisioned as my ideal day to be when I first started my life coaching training. I was seeing clients in person and was able to have the flexibility to exercise or do errands in between. I enjoyed working with my clients and they were getting results with me which I loved. Overall, I felt content and affirmed in my choice to coach.

I grew in the role in the first year or two. My confidence in my ability to deliver grew, and I invested in business coaching, so my business grew and changed as well, for example, my structure, model, and systems.

Some of the lessons I learned from my initial clients are: put yourself out there, everything is a relationship and contribution is key. I wrote about these lessons in my September 2018 blog post The Top Three Things I Learned From My Clients. In terms of “putting yourself out there”, I was thinking about doing that more as a coach and, bam, one of my clients said that one of his New Year’s goals was to put himself out there daily. I’ve never heard the daily part and it resonated with me. I thought it was bold and courageous. I then put myself out there more often, not daily though.

As for “everything is a relationship,” one client was speaking about an unproductive habit and likened it to a bad relationship. I’ve heard that expression before of course, however, it was the way she said it that made me think about it more. How we can have relationships and identifications with things outside of people, even with our habits.

“Contribution is key” came from learning that the one thing all my clients had in common was how important contribution was to them, and how it informed a fulfilling and meaningful life for them.

‘I enjoyed working with my clients and they were getting results with me which I loved. Overall, I felt content and affirmed in my choice to coach.’

Other than that, I would say the importance of compatibility and healthy boundaries when working with clients. Thankfully, I’m quite selective about who I choose to work with, so compatibility isn’t an issue. There was one time when a client was avoidant about a question and became defensive, but other than that I haven’t experienced any friction or tension with my coaching relationships. I’m also grateful for healthy boundaries as some clients, mainly unaware, try to overstep sometimes. I’ll end the question by saying how I learned and observed that a little help or healing can go a long way.

WM: Many people say they are life coaches, but have no idea of what they are doing, which is terrible for clients who are seeking help to set their lives straight or deal with serious dilemmas. What should people seeking a life coach be asking to assess the person who will eventually guide them?

Reis: I heard and know of some. It’s unfortunate, however, because coaching is not a regulated field. Anybody can call themselves a life coach, or some form of coach, with little to no training.

Now, some founding coaches like Thomas Leonard, Marshall Goldsmith, and Tony Robbins weren’t trained to be coaches either and apparently provided great results (whether I agree with all the methods or not). So, it’s possible to be a good coach without being trained as a coach, however, most of the founding coaches, including Martha Beck, typically have done a lot of personal and professional development to develop their skills and credibility.

Some good things to consider or ask a potential coach are their experience, their coaching style and philosophies. The answer I provided you earlier of what I find a good life coach entails gives you a sense of the style I like – their education, training and certification and with what school or program, their values, their success stories and results. If there are no testimonials or reviews, expectations and structure of the coaching engagement, and whether they are trauma-informed if you feel some things might come up during the process.

‘Most of the founding coaches typically have done a lot of personal and professional development to develop their skills and credibility.’

WM: What are some of your proudest moments as a life coach?

Reis: This is a tough question as I’m proud of each client and their successes, however, one that comes to mind is a client who was down and drank more than he should. He turned his life and career around and is now managing a major e-commerce company, making significant contributions with programs or code he created (one is patented) and has been sober for over six years.

A few years ago, I worked with a woman who drank for forty years, did many different treatment methods for her alcohol abuse (including AA) and now has been sober for over three years, something she said she could never achieve with other treatments. She also has a lot more confidence and tools to deal with difficult relationships or family conflicts. I want to clarify here that I don’t sell myself as an addiction specialist or therapist with that expertise. The woman I just mentioned came to me with different goals and areas where she was not fulfilled, and it soon became evident that drinking was one of the biggest challenges she was facing.

Typically, I’m not aware of any drinking or substance abuse until after. I also encourage clients to seek other care professionals or programs, if they haven’t, to help with whatever the case may be.

Depending on the case, I won’t take someone on and will refer them instead, as their situation or condition is not in my wheelhouse.

Again, there are many proud moments, however, I’ll leave it with one client who published a book after 16 years of trying. When I first coached him, he was very hard on himself and super perfectionistic and afterward became more self-compassionate and less rigid. He is now working on his second book.

‘My clients are looking for more career and life fulfillment, clarity, and financial security. They are fed up with feeling stuck or wasting their potential and want to achieve in a more meaningful and sustainable way.’

WM: Without giving any names, could you say something about the types of people you are helping and the range of issues that are looking to resolve?

Reis: No names, unless they permit to be public about our coaching. As for the types of people I coach, mainly they are mid-career professionals in one field or another. It can range from Interior Design to IT and roles from budding entrepreneurs to executives. Most of my clients are over 40, however, I do work with some in their 30s.

Typically, they are looking for more career and life fulfillment, clarity, and financial security. They are fed up with feeling stuck or wasting their potential and want to achieve in a more meaningful and sustainable way.

WM: How does being a life coach make you a better person and how has it affected your life? 

 Reis: It makes me a better person because I’m happier doing it than any other role I’ve been in. Not only is it fulfilling for me, I see that I help others in the process and that I help provide more fulfillment to their lives. That’s an awesome feeling. Also, if I’m happier then I can be happier with the people I’m close with, which is immeasurable. Who wants a grumpy mom or partner?

Other than what I just shared, I value freedom, flexibility and autonomy, all things being an entrepreneur provides.

‘Sharing something you haven’t shared before or not often can be very healing. I feel honoured prospective clients and clients feel safe to disclose what they do.’

WM: Being a life coach means earning the trust of a client to let them feel comfortable about opening up their lives, fears, worries, and life goals to a stranger. How does it make you feel when they see you as a trusted confidante?

Reis: Privileged. Honoured. Depending on what they are saying, I sometimes thank them for sharing such personal stuff with me and for trusting me with it. Sharing something you haven’t shared before or not often can be very healing. I feel honoured prospective clients and clients feel safe to disclose what they do.

WM: Do clients kind of know the way to solving their problems, but need that outsider clarity to see the light?

Reis: I believe so. That’s at least my coaching philosophy – that each person has the answers, or instincts, to better their lives but may require some guidance and tools to get there.

There are some contexts, however, where clients are out of ideas in a particular area and look for sound suggestions, or the way they have been solving their problem is clearly not working for them and are specifically seeking outside perspectives on their patterns. In those cases, I’m able to provide that perspective but also help them find healthier or more productive solutions. I feel if it doesn’t come from the client’s realization or desire, it most likely won’t happen.

WM: When you first meet a client, what do you do to assess their situation? It’s one thing to have them give their story, but one can easily imagine that there is more to the picture.

Reis: Yes, I have several questions I ask during a Career Strategy or Get Acquainted & Strategy Session. One is their situation, others are to get a sense of their areas of challenge as well as what their goals and aspirations are from working together and overall. From this call, I also get a sense of what type of person they are, whether I would feel good working with them, and whether I can genuinely help them or not. If I feel I cannot, I’ll say as much and refer them hoping they get what they are looking for elsewhere.

* * * * *

Visit Gorett’s blog at gorettreis.com

Feature image: Kaboompics.com – Pexels