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Mark Strong says his life changed five years ago, when he hired a coach. “I had found some real success, but it wasn’t until I hired my own life coach in 2005 that I started to truly cross off every item on my ‘Wish List,’” he said.
Strong was so impressed with the power of coaching he went back to school and became a coach himself, getting training through the Landmark Forum and the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.
Strong, who bills himself as a “gay life coach for gay men” didn’t set out to carve a niche as a gay life coach. “I had a more broad niche of high-achieving professionals,” he said. “And over time, I discovered that there was a need in the marketplace for a gay life coach who would coach gay men.”
Strong decided to focus his business on serving that need, and “helping gay men be fully expressed and joyful in all areas of their lives.” And his business took off. “It grew because gay people were looking for someone they could relate to.”
“I hear all the time, someone will say they have a therapist and they’re straight and they don’t understand me,” said Strong.
Are there enough certified professional coaches like Strong to work with gay clients who’d like to hire a gay coach? “My first answer is a resounding no,” he said. “There really aren’t that many qualified gay life coaches out there.”
Strong believes gay life coaching will continue to grow as more and more people learn of coaching and get to know friends and colleagues who’ve found success working with a coach. One of the areas that many of Strong’s clients want to address first is coming out at work. Strong works with clients to develop a plan for breaking down the barriers between work and a man’s personal life–a life many have carefully kept hidden for years.
“In coaching we talk about authenticity and alignment, so whether it’s coming out at work or being more honest with family members, it’s an important part of raising people’s levels of happiness.”
Strong, who like many coaches has been busy with clients who’ve set goals for the new year, has also noticed a sharp rise in clients who want to set aside time for intensive coaching sessions lasting several hours and–in Strong’s words–”where we build a life architecture and a life plan for 2010 and beyond.”
Listen to CoachReporter Mark Joyella’s (15 minute) interview with Mark Strong here:
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There are 2 Responses so far...
Hi Mark, this article really interested me.
Each situation is different and how each client feels about it will vary from person to person. Though it always helps if a coach has an understanding of the challenges faced by their clients and what barriers there are to be broken down.
Not just will Mark Strongs clients have challenges as addressed in your article but also dealing with the prejudices of others can be stressful and difficult to deal with.
I am of the view that coaches who have experienced coaching themselves before going on to train as opposed to seeing it as an easy career move can truly understand how coaching can motivate & inspire their clients and be life changing for them.
This ultimately means their clients will benefit. I wish Mark Strong well and hopefully more coaches will choose follow in his steps.
Aly
This is a really useful and thought provoking article. I work in the business coaching arena (specifically leadership development), in the UK, and supervise a small number of other coaches. There are two questions that we can spend a lot of time exploring. While they aren’t necessarily related, they are:
1 How would your approach to coaching someone differ if they were gay?
2 When you find yourself sexually attracted to your coachee, how does this affect your coaching?
The responses often lead to a substantial deepening of the understanding of the emotional dynamics within a coaching relationship.
Thanks
Graham.