A business coach, a life coach, a food coach ... by now we've had quite a few coaches. But a happiness coach, I didn't know one yet. Can someone you don't know really help you become happy? In what way? I got in touch with Laura Arkema, who has been practicing this profession since February 2018.
What does a happiness coach do?
Let's start at the beginning: the profession of happiness coaching. What exactly does a happiness coach do? "No day is the same," Laura explains. "The person I coach decides how the conversation will go. The definition of happiness is also subjective; for me, happiness is not about being happy 100 percent of the time. For me, it's about knowing when you see good energy. When you're not thinking about what others will say about this because you feel energized enough about it out of some kind of intrinsic motivation. You are in charge of your own life and you make the choices that shape your life." But ... what exactly does she do? "I help with that exploration. There's no one strategy or way to do that; it's really up to the person. We first go back to the basics: relaxation, breathing, being able to feel your body. Your body tells you a lot. Feeling those signals and knowing what to do with them is step one. Together we find out what gives the coaches energy and what does not. What gets in the way of happiness? How can you deal with that?" Clear, clear.
"That's when I actually realized: I'm not living my fun life myself."
How did Laura come up with this?
There are thousandsifnot millions of copywriters + designers + marketers doing pretty much what I do, but Laura is the only happiness coach I know. How did she come up with the idea for such a unique and inspiring profession? "Over the summer, former colleague Alexander and I had some spare time and were full of inspiration. We were full of knowledge and wanted to share it, but didn't quite know how. Many brainstorms followed. We had both taken the Appreciative Inquiry course, or positive psychology. Gradually we developed the course 'Create your best life'. Then I actually realized: I'm not living my fun life myself. I had a great job as an organizational consultant, but it didn't suit me anymore. I had to do something else."
If you follow me a bit, you know that I love to travel. And so does Laura! She just didn't want to have a plan for a while. Back to her feelings. She sought that in South America. "I quit my job and went out into the wide world for two months: to Colombia. Then, step by step, I started building my business. Corporate identity, drinking coffee, building my website, and so on. Slowly my business took shape."
Entrepreneurship always attracted her. That combined with her interest in happiness made her seek this angle. "I find it very integrating to see how many people are sitting at home with overwork and burnout symptoms at home. I would also like to make my contribution to making workers in the Netherlands less overworked."
Nice thing about being a coach
Back to the coaching subject. What draws Laura in particular is the adventurous. "As I said, no conversation is the same. Beforehand, I don't know what we're going to talk about; the conversation can take unexpected turns. That requires improvisation using the knowledge and experience I have."
In itself, this profession sounds very fun, educational, unique and like it is very fulfilling. I just wonder: what is her mental state like when she hears shit from others all day? "I really get energy from my work because I can help people. It's not like they suck the energy out of me. It just takes a lot of energy when I have a few conversations in a row. Then I've been so zoomed in on the other person, then I have to actively come back to myself."
Coaching and the 2 packages
We now know who Laura is, why she does this and what a happiness coach is. Still, I'd like to know a little more about how she does it specifically. Are they 1-on-1 calls, online courses or group calls? "I do indeed provide 1-on-1 coaching, but also offer 2 programs:
- Online course 'Create your best life':In 10 modules you will learn a lot about yourself and motivate people to make the choices that suit them. This is actually for everyone, but especially helpful for people who are unsure about choices they need or want to make. The course consists of inspiring videos and we send a workbook.
- Inspiration Days: With up to 5 others you can come to yourself completely. You can think of it as: looking at yourself as a blank page. This gives you space in your head and you can get ideas for more happiness in your life. This is one day, in nature.
"I have a goal: I want to contribute to making people in the Netherlands happier," he said.
What I wonder then: isn't there mega competition in this field? Why online courses? "People can learn a lot about themselves in this way in an accessible and relatively inexpensive way. I have a goal: I want to contribute to making people in the Netherlands happier. In this way I hope to help that large group of working people who are overworked or unhappy."
What makes Laura unique in this is her genuineness. "As a coach, I am activating, energetic, honest, positive and open. I also know that I can't coach everyone. You just have to like me! Some coaches give you jitters and others make you feel completely at ease. That's a personal preference. I don't want to put on a play, I want to show myself."
Sounds like online programs are fine though. So why add offline programs? "I also really like the real contact with people. If you can look people in the eye, you often come a layer deeper. Then I can see when someone is touched by the conversation. Enthusiasm, sadness, anger and things like that are easier to see live than online. With the online course, it has to come more from the people themselves. That's why I also challenge them during the course to occasionally engage in conversation about an exercise with someone else."
Entrepreneurial Tips
So Laura runs her own courses and coaching sessions. That makes her an entrepreneur. On this blog, I like to highlight exceptional entrepreneurs. Hence the final question: what entrepreneurial tips does she have? "A very inspiring book is 'Road to Freedom.' It was written by a man who went on to implement the book on the 4-hour work week. He writes about how he implements this in his life. He looks at a work week in a different way. For example, he gives the example that he hates cooking, but he normally has to do it every day. Therefore, he hires someone to run errands and cook for him every day. Sounds very luxurious and of course it is, but it inspires you to look at your life and how you have arranged it in a different way." So will she also hire someone to cook? "Haha, no, that would be nice! It has inspired me to look at work differently. Someone once figured out that we work Monday to Friday from 9 to 5, but that's no longer necessary. I would like to be able to do part of my work online, so I don't always have to be in the Netherlands."
"Another book I recommend to all coaches is 'The subtle art of not giving a fuck,' in Dutch, 'The noble art of not giving a fuck.' My favorite phrase: "You have a certain amount of fucks to give in life. Choose wisely."
