Beth and I at a party. Clothes from Value Village - great store for pink shirts and baby blue pants.

Okay, okay… I know what you are saying:

“Life Coaching… interesting concept. Not sure if it’s for me or not. However, one very important question for you:

Who the F is Andrew Parkes?”

Well, friend… I will answer that and do you one better all at the same time:

What makes Andrew Parkes different from other Life Coaches?  

Differentiator #1: My Demographic

I am male and 29 years old.  (Sounds obvious, I know… not to slam other Coaches but 95% seem to be female and over 40 years old. Call me crazy but I feel like this makes it difficult to Coach a 25-35 year old male?)

Differentiator #2: My Training

I will finish my Certified Professional Co-Active Coach program at the end of this year through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), the most prestigious, well known, and longest running Life Coach training school in the world. All in, this program includes 400 hours of instruction, interactive training, and practice Coaching. On top of that, I have Coached my own clients for 200 hours so far and that number grows every week,

Why do I think this is important and relevant?

Because I believe Coaching is a profession and I wanted to be trained by the best. Having such intensive training and the highest regarded certification in the Coaching world will benefit my clients most of all by ensuring them that I know what the hell I am doing.  Sure, anyone can call themselves a ‘Coach’ and hang out a shingle.  But to be the best, you need to be trained by the best. I question anyone that thinks Coaching is something that doesn’t require training, certification, or education.

Differentiator #4: Focus on Young Professional Men (YPM’s)

I serve to Coach only YPM’s.

Why?

1. Need – I sense that a lot of Young Men have a strong desire to reach out for help to live better lives. Unfortunately, they are under served in the Coaching world.
2. Relatability – I can relate to YPM’s because I am one!   
3. Enjoyment/Passion – I genuinely enjoy spending time with high achieving Young Men looking to grow and learn even more.  

Why won’t you Coach women?

One main reason… to safeguard my marriage to the wonderful and talented, Beth.

For me, good Coaching is when I get allowed into the areas of my clients’ lives that are dark, dingy, and foul smelling. It takes a lot of trust and safety to get to this place.  For most people, it’s buried, hidden, or a secret they aren’t willing to tell ANYONE. I feel that if I get access to this kind of place with a woman, we might create a bond that would compromise my marriage.  To be honest, I don’t trust myself there and I am not willing to be a great Coach with a failed marriage.

Differentiator #5: The Coaching Metaphor I Have Created

I have created a Coaching metaphor to help men take Coaching seriously and know what the heck to talk about.  I want men to start looking at their whole life through the lens of a professional athlete. The Coaching is designed to help the athlete (client) take a time out from the action to:

1. Review what has happened in the Game so far.
2. Create or Adjust the Game Plan for the next segment of play.

(More to come on this in a few days. I have put together a 7 day series detailing this topic.)

Differentiator #6: Young Professional Men (YPM) Online Community

I have started a Facebook group designed to bring YPM’s together for one purpose:

• Establish 4-6 member mutual support and accountability groups to help each other achieve big career and personal goals.

More on this here.

Differentiator #7: This Blog

I write blog posts designed to help YPM’s live better lives. How? Mostly through my own experiences - lessons I have learned, problems I have solved, opportunities I have seized.  I am trying to document my journey (quitting my job, establishing this Coaching practice, etc) to inspire men who have big ideas but very little action behind it.

I am also trying to make what I write funny, sarcastic, witty, blunt, and somewhat jarring – a wake up call of sorts.  (If I am not doing this, write me a jarring e-mail to kick my ass, please.)

That’s enough for today – tomorrow I will get into what I think are my key differentiators.  Stay tuned!