Parent’s Guide to Academic Life Coaching

This online guide is provided so that you can easily follow along as your teen completes the Academic Life Coaching Program. Using this guide can help spark conversation about the concepts your teen is learning and tackling during each session.

If you have any questions, please email your teen’s life coach directly. It is helpful to keep in close touch with your coach during the program.

First Steps

• Gather more information. If you’re here, you’ve already started! You can always send us an email or call us directly to get more details. We are happy to speak with you directly about the experience we’ve had coaching teens. We can also put you in touch with other parents whose teens have completed the full program.
• Get connected. You can sign-up above to receive updates and other information we think you’ll find useful and enjoy.
• Keep it simple. Some teens are eager to start working with a Life Coach. Others…not so much. We understand—Life Coaching sounds weird. It’s also hard to describe. We suggest scheduling an Initial Interview. Coffee shops or cafes are casual and comfortable places to meet. We also recommend introducing working with a coach as simply as possible. Maybe something like: "I talked with an expert who helps students be successful in school and approach the college application, and I thought it would be a good idea for you to meet.” We’ll take it from there.
• Follow-up. Check-in with your coach after the Initial Interview while the conversation is still fresh. Your coach will be able to deliver a lot of value in that interview and will assess if they think the Academic Life Coaching Program is a good fit for your teen.

Parenting with Coaching Concepts

We’ve provided a list of helpful things you may want to keep in mind during this process:

• Define what you want for yourself, your teen, and your family. Learn how to clarify your own values surrounding parenting styles and choices. It’s rare for parents to have a written list of values to define what they want.
• Get on the same page as your parenting partner. Ensure that everyone is playing on the same team. Comparing notes is key; writing down shared values and goals has been powerful for the families we’ve worked with.
• Empathy versus fixing. One initial reaction when confronting a problem or issue is to  run to the rescue and fix it. Try to resist and practice empathetic listening. Quite often, actively listening to your teen is immeasurably more helpful than any fix could be.
• Setting expectations and making an action plan. Set clear expectations, then take a step back as your teen comes up with the plan on their own. Once expectations are set, it’s time to let go. Following up helps, but resist the urge to manage.