Money Nuggets Interview: Lucy Seifert, Life Coach

Do you sometimes feel like you need a helping hand with all that life throws at you from a professional? Then check out our interview with Lucy Seifert.

Lucy is a fully-qualified life coach who has a great deal of experience in helping clients find the right balance in all aspects of their life and work.

Here Lucy tells Money Nuggets a little about what she does…

Hi Lucy, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. You’re a Life Coach, can you tell us a little bit about what you do?

I offer clients space to talk in confidence about their concerns, challenges and difficulties, without judging, criticising or moralising.

Whether you choose the phone or a face to face meeting, we build a climate of trust and openness, so you feel able to discuss personal and professional matters of concern from the start.

Clients bring diverse issues. You may want to apply for a job, resolve a difficult a relationship or become a confident public speaker …or generally to increase your confidence, assertiveness and self-esteem.

Together we explore strategies and develop the skills you need for each situation.

What is coaching? And why would I need a coach?

Coaching originated with sport and can be described as the art of improving a person’s performance, yet not telling them what to do.

You could compare it to a coach journey – you know the starting point and the destination. How will you reach your destination? What route will you take? How long will it take you and exactly when do you plan to arrive?

What’s involved and how does coaching work?

Coaching helps you set clearly defined goals, reflect perceptively on your personal and professional life and gain insights, make decisions and come up with clear strategies for achieving your goals.

This is achieved by asking you a range of questions rather than providing you with all the answers.

What are the benefits of using a coach?

Whilst friends and family may be supportive and helpful, they may have strong views about what they think you should or shouldn’t do with your life.

As a professional coach, I am able to be objective, both challenging and encouraging you to attain what you want for yourself.

Through skilful questioning and reflection, an experienced coach can help you discover that you already hold many of the answers. This realisation will in turn enhance your confidence and self-esteem.

How much does it cost and is it worth it?

Coaching fees vary. It’s important to remember that coaching is a process of personal change and development rather than a one-off fix! It can take at least four sessions to be able to make lasting changes.

I offer both pay-as-you-go coaching at £75 per hour and pro rata coaching and packages called ‘Flexi-Coaching’ of 4, 6 and 8 hours for £270, £395 and £495 respectively.

This greatly reduces the price per hour, making it a popular option. It also means my clients have the flexibility to contact me between sessions by phone or email as part of the package, or when something unexpected occurs for which they need help.

Since I respect client confidentiality, I am not able to name clients and their achievements. However, many clients have made great changes through coaching.

For example, one client had been unhappy in her job for ten years and felt bullied and ‘deskilled’.

She secured her dream job at a far higher salary, which more than covered her coaching fees. The client said she would not have had the courage to make the move without coaching.

Another client found ways to assert herself in the face of demands from her family and reach win-win outcomes.

Many have confronted their fears of public speaking; others have learned time management techniques to find a better work-life balance.

What services do you offer?

Both Life Coaching and Skills Coaching on a 1-2-1 basis so you can focus on what matters to you and work at your own pace.

Tell us about your approach to coaching and your area of expertise?

My approach is friendly yet professional, sensitive yet challenging (where challenge is helpful to move a person forward).

I care about my clients and I will go the extra mile to help people achieve what they wish for. I work intuitively, responding to the needs and what works best for each individual.

I also work with recognised models of coaching, such as the GROW, which stands for Goal, Reality Check, Options and Ways Forward. Click here to find out more.

However, I offer more than Life Coaching. I have 26 years of experience as a trainer in confident communication.

I provide 1-2-1 coaching in all areas of my training expertise such as assertiveness, confidence building, CVs, interviews, public speaking and time management.

So clients have the option to access a unique blend of 1-2-1 coaching and training geared towards their needs.

You are also a career coach, what are your top 3 tips for how to ace a job interview?

My top 3 interview tips are Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.  Here’s how:

Tip One:

Study the job description and competencies required for the role. Make a list of questions they could ask based on it.

Tip Two:

Decide on a really interesting, memorable and relevant ‘stories’ that evidence each competency. Decide how to answer each question on your list using the STAR approach.

Tip Three:

Truly understand the role, the organisation and its values to assist you in answering their questions and also in determining what questions to ask them.

Have some very good questions up your sleeve to demonstrate your interest in the role, that you understand the role and the organisational culture. Avoid asking questions about what’s in it for you, such as about salary and benefits.

And Finally:

Add to this, the PASSION you feel for the particular post and place … not any post, not any company, but this post, this company, this organisation. I could talk about this at length, but you have asked me for 3 tips…!

How would women benefit most from coaching and why?

Women often focus instinctively on meeting the needs of others.

Coaching encourages and enables you to focus on what you want for yourself too. You may have forgotten what it’s like to think about yourself.

If you’ve had a career break and want to return to work, coaching can help you identify your skills and strengths and restore any confidence and self-esteem you may have lost whilst away from the workplace.

What tips would you give women looking to achieve their career or financial goals in the long run?

1. Set specific goals that are realistic, manageable and achievable.
2. Break them down into lots of bite-sized tasks
3. Put some of these tasks on your to do list each day … and do them.
4. Give each goal an end date; put the date in your diary and planner and keep it in view.
5. Find a coach or mentor you trust and feel good with to encourage, motivate and support you to constantly reach, review and renew your goals

Lucy Seifert is a highly experienced coach and trainer with over 26 years’ experience working with individuals and organisations in the corporate, charity & public sectors. She is author of several books on training assertiveness and self-empowerment and a full member of the Association for Coaching. For more information, visit lucyseifertcoaching-training.co.uk and subscribe to her regular newsletter, or follow her on Twitter: @LucySeifert.

Save

• About
• Latest Posts

Money Nuggets

MoneyNuggets is a personal finance blog for women. Our goal is to empower women through financial education. Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook.

Latest posts by Money Nuggets (see all)

• Money Mindset: How to Change Your Mindset for Financial Success - November 28, 2023
• The Wealth of Health: Investing in Your Body - October 10, 2023
• 10 Strategies to Boost Customer Engagement and Drive Sales - July 19, 2023