Another Jay Shetty Certification School graduate, Ada Malave, shares her journey and challenges of becoming a life coach. Let's read her story!
What made you decide to pursue a life coaching certification?
After retiring from my job in 2016, I was interested in going back to school to start studying for my master’s degree in sociology. But then we were all confronted with the COVID pandemic in March 2020, which meant I would not be able to attend graduate school due to a total shutdown of businesses and schools here on the island.As a member of Jay Shetty’s Genius Community, I recalled that the Jay Shetty Certification School was starting at the end of March 2020. So, it was my opportunity to apply to become a Certified Life Coach at Jay’s new school. I knew this was meant for me because, as a life coach, I would be able to help others find their goals, dreams, and life purpose. In the difficult time we were living in, the Jay Shetty Certification School and its program were exactly what I needed to prepare me to be a Certified Life Coach. It was at the right time and in the right place: virtual.
What have been your greatest rewards from becoming a life coach?
One of the greatest rewards I have received as a life coach is being able to be there for people who had no one to talk to during the pandemic. All these individuals were going through lonely times in their lives, living alone at home, and just didn’t know what to do or where to go. I was privileged to be in their lives, as well as in those moments where they lost loved ones and were going through grief. I was able to be there for them and listen to them, which is what they said they needed, and they felt safe enough to cry or express their emotions.But my biggest reward was watching myself evolve with my limited beliefs, going through my own “ah ha” moments and saying to myself, “Yes, you are enough,” and “Yes, you are a great coach.”
What has your experience with the Jay Shetty Certification School Community been?
I started in March 2020, and we were the first group of students in the Jay Shetty Certification School Community. We were able to communicate well even though it was all new to us. In 2021, we moved to Workplace, a user-friendly platform for us to communicate with other alumni, as well as with supervisors, technical support, and students, and also to store our resources. It is by far the best platform where we can reach out to a group or to one person at a time. In this community, we help each other out and respect each other. It’s a safe space to talk, make suggestions to each other, collaborate with one another to do projects, congratulate each other on our triumphs, and even offer support when we feel stuck.The Jay Shetty Certification School community is a place where we can all reach out to one another with respect, provide and accept feedback, and share with each other our concerns and experiences so we can continue to grow.
What advice would you give yourself if you were starting over to become a life coach?
The advice I would give myself if I were starting my journey over to become a life coach would be to be more active in the online groups. Also, to be kind to myself throughout this journey and enjoy it more. I would take my time and work through the modules at my own pace, instead of trying to get through the workload at a set time and rushing myself! Communicate more openly with my supervisor and peers. Be a participant in other supervisor groups to learn the differences between the supervisor styles. Coach more practice clients for more than one session, and would meet with a client for at least three to four sessions to see how the sessions as well as my coaching skills would progress. I would also complete more practice discovery calls with my fellow Jay Shetty Certification School alumni until we felt authentically ready to serve others. I would help the clients see the need to invest in themselves because they deserve to.Remember, I was in the first group of students, so everything was flowing as we went through the course. I know a lot of things have changed since then, and they have been for the better.
What is it like to be a Jay Shetty Certified Coach?
It is such a great feeling to know that I received quality training from the Jay Shetty Certification School and became a Certified Life Coach. What I love about the program is that the students are from all over the world. We can connect with students and supervisors, all with the same goal: to learn and to serve others.The Jay Shetty Certification School means a lot to me, especially since Jay Shetty – my mentor in the Genius Community (since 2018) – started it with the idea of serving the world. The quality of the training, his ABC coaching framework, and his methodology are clear examples of what Jay brings to the table when he talks about serving others.Based on my networking with other coaches, I have observed that our coaches are provided the best training in our fields. As a Jay Shetty Certified Coach, I continue to improve my coaching skills by constantly studying. One way is by joining webinars offered by the school, the Genius Community, the Book Club, and other online websites as well. Being a Certified Life Coach has motivated me to stretch myself out of my comfort zone, and so I also became a Certified Grief Coach. The Jay Shetty Certification School and its beliefs have motivated me to continue growing and finding new ways to serve our community, so I am proud to say, “I am a Jay Shetty Certified Life Coach.”
