Rachel SAINT JULIEN “Coach” is a very recent term in Haitian circles. Since then, many people have been calling themselves “Coach”. However, many people have a natural gift for helping people reach their potential. But that is way not enough to become any kind of Coach, especially a “Life Coach”, because this requires inevitably a set of technical principles to be able to deliver adequate results over the long term. Indeed, life coaching is real professional discipline that widespread increasingly in France, Canada and the USA. The mission of the life coaching professional is to help his or her clients access their inner resources in order to turn pages in their lives, reach personalized life goals, achieve significant professional accomplishments, in order words to live a life full of fulfillment. With this in mind, the Happiness Communication staff has the pleasure to meet a Life coach to provide the readers with further clarification of this field, which is beginning to gain ground on social networks and in everyday life. Life Coach Péggy JOSEPH will enthusiastically through this interview provide answers to some of our most frequently asked questions on the subject.
1. Rachel: Hi Péggy! How are you?
Péggy: Hi Rachel. I am doing well thank you and how about yourself?
2. Rachel: I am good thank you. Could you please introduce yourself to the readers of Happiness Communication?
Péggy: Hi my name is Péguy JOSEPH and I am a Health and Wellness Coach. I focus on the mental health and physical wellness of individuals. Here is a short detail of my professional background.
| Attended Florida State University | 1990-1991 |
| Attended Miami Dade | 1992-1994-Associates Degree |
| Attended St Thomas University | 1994-1996 Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education-Social Studies and Secondary Education K-12 |
| Attended St Thomas University | 2000-2002 Master’s in Science Degree- Guidance and Counseling/Psychology. |
| Attended Broward College | 2003-2006 Associate in Science Nursing- Registered Nurse |
| PH.D | Doctoral Degree Candidate |
3. Rachel: Before we go any further in our interview, can you explain what a “Coach” is in general terms?
Péggy: Generally speaking, a “Coach” is the person who leads a sports team, instilling in the players the fundamental principles of the sporting discipline and landing the team’s specific strategy. In other words, a coach is a Leader who drives one or a group of people to success.
4. Rachel: Now, tell us what is the real purpose of the “Life Coaching»?
Péggy: Life coaching is a development process that enables clients to strengthen their capabilities so they can achieve their personal, professional and organizational goals. The primary aim of life coaching is to enable individuals to unleash their potential, overcome obstacles and maximize their performance and fulfillment. It is used to create positive change in various aspects of people’s lives. Life coaching focuses on the holistic development of individuals, addressing personal, professional and even spiritual dimensions.
Life coaches work with their clients to identify their values, strengths and passions, helping them to clarify what they really want to achieve. Through powerful questioning, active listening and sound advice, life coaches help their clients set realistic, meaningful goals, break them down into achievable steps and hold them accountable for their progress. Life coaching focuses on the holistic development of individuals, addressing personal, professional, and even spiritual dimensions.
Life coaching is not about providing advice or telling clients what to do; instead, it’s about empowering them to tap into their own wisdom and resources to find solutions that resonate with their values and aspirations. Ultimately, the purpose of life coaching is to help individuals lead more fulfilling, balanced, and purpose-driven lives by unlocking their full potential and creating positive change.
5. Rachel: What is the origin of Life Coaching?
Péggy: The origins of life coaching can be traced back to various earlier disciplines and movements focusing on personal development, self-improvement and human potential. Several key influences have contributed to the development of life coaching as a distinct profession today. Thus, various related trends have brought life coaching to the fore today.
6. Rachel: In your opinion, what is the social utility of life coaching? Why do more people need to learn more about this field?
Péggy: The social utility of life coaching lies in its potential to empower individuals, promote personal development and contribute to the general well-being of society. Life coaching needs to be better known because it offers social benefits such as improving the well-being of individuals who are components of society, enhancing human relations, developing emotional intelligence, increasing productivity and social contribution, reducing stress and burnout, and promoting positive values and behaviors. Life coaching therefore needs to be better known in our environment, particularly in Haiti, where it is sorely needed.
7. Rachel: Is a Life Coach also a Psychologist?
Péggy: No, a life coach is not a psychologist, but me, as a Psychologist, have had a “Life Coaching” course as part of the curriculum. Although the aims of the two professions may overlap, for example helping individuals to improve their lives and achieve their goals, there are significant differences in training, approach and scope of practice.
Training and education:
-Life Coaches need to follow trainings and certification programs offered by reputable coaching organizations.
-Psychologists, on the other hand, generally hold a post-graduate degree in psychology and must be licensed to practice in their respective jurisdictions. They undergo extensive education and training, and gain supervised clinical experience.
Scope of application :
-Life coaches focus on helping their clients set and achieve personal or professional goals, improve their overall well-being and manage life transitions. They often use a solution- and action-oriented approach to help clients achieve desired results.
-Psychologists are trained to diagnose and treat mental disorders, emotional issues and behavioral problems. They use evidence-based therapies and interventions to treat a wide range of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, trauma and addiction.
In summary, although life coaches and psychologists can both provide support and advice to individuals, they have different training, scopes of practice and approaches to helping clients. It’s important that people seeking help understand the differences between these professions and choose the appropriate type of support based on their needs and goals.
8. Rachel: Now on a personal level, how do you think life coaching can help someone (a client) reach life’s potential?
Péggy: Life coaching can help someone reach their life potential in a number of ways:
A life coach can help clients clarify their values, identify their passions and define their goals. Life coaches help their clients recognize and challenge limiting beliefs and doubts that prevent them from moving forward. Life coaches help their clients create action plans with measurable steps to reach their goals. It’s like teamwork, and can take several sessions. Life coaching can involve identifying and developing specific skills and competencies that are essential for success in various areas of life. Life coaching encourages clients to explore new possibilities and consider other perspectives, in other words, to broaden their life framework. In most cases, life coaches provide a supportive and encouraging environment in which clients can explore, develop and take risks. In the practice, every client has a file.
9. Rachel: On social networks especially Tik-Tok, there are countless people giving all kinds of advices. Most of them are even called “coaches”. Do you think that giving advice can make someone a “Life Coach”? How can these people become true “Life Coaches”?
Péggy: Giving advice isn’t enough at all to make someone a “life coach”. It’s also a serious problem for society that all these people are so free to provide all kinds of advice, sometimes empathy-free and full of triviality. While giving advice can be part of the coaching process, it is only one aspect of a broader set of skills and competencies that define professional coaching.
To become truly respected life coaches, individuals can take several steps, as it’s a very rewarding discipline. What they can do:
| A | Training and education (Find a school that offers life coaching training) |
| B | Official certification (Complete training and obtain certification) |
| C | Practice and experience (Put into practice what they have studied to gain experience) |
| D | Further training (Continuing education) |
| E | Specialization and niche development (Specialize and join a large life coach association/federation) |
| F | Ethics and professionalism (Always practice the principles of Life coaching in all interventions) |
| G | Setting up a coaching business (Open a practice, set accurate rates) |
| H | Seek feedback and supervision (Set up a feedback system to evaluate yourself) |
10. Rachel: What natural skills does a Professional life coach need?
Péggy: Above all, the person has to be a people person, someone who likes to help others. That goes without saying. He or she must also be a good listener, i.e. have the ability to listen sympathetically, and also that person needs empathy. He/She can acquire other important skills during his/her training.
11. Rachel : Is there a career path for a life coach?
Péggy: Yes, there is a career path for people who aspire to become professional life coaches. As I said earlier, the person can continue to advance in the field by seeking to specialize, because the field is expanding rapidly.
12. Rachel : If a client goes to a life coaching office, what ethical behaviors should he/she expects from the life coach?
Péggy: Clients who work with a life coach should expect ethical behavior from their coach, namely confidentiality, which is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Under no circumstances the Life Coach is not allowed to share any part of another client’s information. Then respect and total absence of judgment must be noted throughout the collaboration. The professional boundaries that must exist between coach and client is to be present (the life coach may not have extra-professional relationships with his client, he/she must not receive gifts, etc.). Informed consent, competence and qualifications, a client-centered approach and ethical decision-making are the main aspects that the customer should look out for in his Coach. It’s these values, and others I haven’t mentioned here, that make a professional Life Coach so much more important than those who just appropriate the title.
13. Rachel: Péguy! How can someone reach you for a consultation? What would be a final message to the readers of Happiness Communication regarding life coaching?
Péggy: Overall, life coaching offers a transformative experience that enables individuals to unleash their potential, overcome obstacles and create a life that matches their values and aspirations. Today, more than ever, people need to get their lives in order, to set long-term goals, to develop their emotional intelligence. I can be reached at: divineconnections2023@yahoo.com or (786) 232- 1944. My practice is called Office Divine Connections and Empowering Lives and is located in North Miami. We’re in the process of renovating the office at the moment, but anyone who would like a Health and Wellness consultation can always contact me to set up an appointment. It’s a great source of pride to see your clients happy in their lives thanks to your professional training.
14. Rachel: The Happiness Communication team would like to thank you for your openness on the subject of Life Coaching.
Péggy: It’s me who should be thanking you. I’d like to take this opportunity to compliment you on the platform, which does a real job of educating people. Keep up the good work.
Née au Cap-haïtien, je suis une Haïtienne restée attachée à ma ville natale. Mon penchant particulier pour les Sciences humaines et sociales s’accorde avec mes activités professionnelles en tant que Juriste en Droit de l’homme, notamment en Droits de l’enfant et en Droits des femmes. J’ai aussi reçu une formation en Journalisme et en Psychologie positive.
Mes goûts sont prononcés pour les activités artistiques et culturelles ( théatre, peinture, artisanat, dessin, danse, musique). Je me perds souvent à admirer des tableaux ou des œuvres d’art n’importe où. A l’adolescence, il me plaisait de chanter et de jouer au théatre à l’auditorium du Collège Régina Assumpta. Les restos, les spectacles, la danse sans toutefois aimer les bals, les documentaires, la lecture constituent mes loisirs préférés. Quant à l’écriture, elle remplit ma vie, et je ne m’en lasse jamais. Le sport ne me laisse pas aussi indifférente. Je suis fan de l’équipe d’Argentine, de Lionel Messi et de Golden State Warriors/ Stephen Curry.
Au bout du compte, mon caractère fébrile m’incite aussi à m’engager dans des activités communautaires afin de participer à l’élévation des mentalités. Je reste convaincue que Haïti peut renaître de ses cendres comme le Rwanda et bien d’autres pays dont les situations socio-économiques étaient pires que la nôtre.
YON JOU LA JOU !
