Exactly what is a life coach and what do they do?

I am asked this question time and time again so I thought I would go ahead and give my answer.  A life coach is just that....a coach who helps you with life.  People hire personal trainers to come along and help them learn new skills to gain control over their health and lifestyle and when necessary make some changes.  A life coach works in pretty much the same way except they cover anything and everything pertaining to life.  The range and scope practice can vary from coach to coach just it does from one personal trainer to another.  Surprisingly many personal trainers are also life coaches. 
My scope of practice focuses mostly on personal coaching to include relationship, dating, career, life skills just to name a few.  I also cross over into the professional arena with Corporate, Leadership and Professional Coaching. 
Life coaches are not counselors or Psychologists who will talk with you about your past or counsel you with therapy and a good life coach should refer you to a licensed professional who can help you through your issues such as depression, survivors or victims of abuse, drug addiction/rehabilitation, alcoholism, etc. 
I have been coaching on a personal level with my friends and family my entire life and I have decided that it's time to offer my services professionally since I have acquired so much success in what I have shared with my inner circle. 
A life coach should never judge you for your actions or choices and they should never make you feel uncomfortable or push their own agenda on you.  Talking to your life coach should be the safest place for you to talk with trust and understanding.  Life coaching is truly an art and a gift and not everyone who claims to be a life coach should be coaching. 
Life coaches are like cheerleaders who come along beside you and encourage and support you while you work to achieve your goals.  For example, if your goal is to become more organized then as your coach I would talk with you about the obstacles that hold you back from getting and staying organized and then we would brainstorm some solutions and we would meet up in another week to check your progress.  We keep you motivated, focused and we hold you accountable but we never hurt you, abuse you or berate you if you should not meet one of your goals. 
Life coaches also do Corporate Coaching for businesses such as leadership training to help the employee transition from the role of entry level to management/supervisory role.  We also go further in depth with leadership training and teach the core fundamentals of what makes a good leader.  For example, there is a difference between a leader and a tyrant as well as good leaders lead by example not by force. 
On a last note, a good life coach should teach you skills that carry over into EVERY area of your life.  They should also give you good references and have a ready answer for how and why they are life coaches.  They are usually life long students themselves and possess an ability to make you feel at home with talking about yourself or anything personal.  They encourage you and energize you with their magnetic personalities.  They are also usually catalysts and the choices they make for their own lives usually make people think on a deep level and pose questions....such as "How did you overcome _________ in your life?" 
Please feel free to give feedback and leave a comment as I appreciate your time and thoughts. 

Battered and abused women

It only took me five long years and a hefty fee to finally get my Life Coaching Certification under my belt!  It was a long weekend wrought with many emotional ups and downs but I took away so much more than I could ever give away.  I met some incredible people who left permanent prints on my heart and opened my eyes to a whole new world.
I have been Life Coaching Pro Bono for over 10 years and I have finally come to the point in my life where I really needed to place more value on myself and my talents and gifts.  I LOVE coaching...I live, breath, eat, sleep and dream Life Coaching.  I believe I can change the world through coaching and I do believe that everyone has the same potential for greatness in the world.  Some just need help navigating through the rough waters to get to their destinations.
I finally came to realize that I really needed to cross over into the professional side and start my practice and charge fees for my services.  It took hard knocks and many, many, many hours of self-induced education and a mountain of self-help and self-improvement books to gain my level of expertise and knowledge.  Yes I am a self proclaimed expert of life especially because I have overcome so very much....but I will write a book about that another time!  ;P
I grew up in a dysfunctional and abusive home and I struggled for many years to undo what had been thrust upon me without choice.  And I learned that I could open up a possibility for group coaching for battered women.  I need to find this group of battered women and I will absolutely coach them pro bono.  I would love to create a safe environment where they could come and feel the connection, see the hope that lies ahead, and see what real transformation might look like if they really want it and work at it.  It took me many years to learn how to love and respect myself and it took a very long and hard road to go from victim to survivor but it is certainly possible.
Thanks for listening if anyone at all is actually listening!
~Emily Abbott CPLC