Life Coach Interview: Ken Rupert
Life Coach Interview: Ken Rupert
Q1.) How did you get into life coaching?
A1.) After the birth of my son, who suffers with Sotos Syndrome and CP, God began to reveal in me a passion for helping others who are struggling with the circumstances in which they find themselves. Prior to my son being born, I had started to develop a life plan that established goals, which including saving for his college and our retirement. When Daniel was born with complications from a birth trauma and a rare genetic disorder, my plans all but went up in smoke. That was when I realized that I needed to adjust my plans to accommodate those things over which I had little to no control. Now more than ever, my son and my wife needed me to develop a master life strategy, which including not only our retirement plan but care for my son’s after we pass from this earth. In 2011, taking what I had learned from my experiences, I had an insatiable desire to encourage others who are facing difficult situations. Shortly after that, the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to become a strategic life coach and begin writing. I now see life coaching as my divine purpose in life.
Q2.) What’s your favorite part about being a life coach?
A2.) My favorite part about being a life coach is producing material that reaches beyond my immediate market. I am a passionate writer. I thrive on communicating philosophical ideas through the written word and having the opportunity to work with others to show them that they too can produce the kinds of results in their lives as I have realized in mine. Through discipline, wisdom, and practical application, I have been blessed enough to pay off my house, live debt free, and develop more independence so that I can help others develop a strategic vision, mission, and purpose statement that improves their focus and determination to achieve the goals they desire.
Q3.) What are the biggest misconceptions about Life Coaching?
A3.) I have experienced a number of would be clients make the mistake that life coaching is akin to consulting. I even had one client who expected me to meet with her financial planner and represent her interests. Consulting is a short term relationship where the consultant is paid to make suggestions about the direction an individual or company should pursue. Coaching is about building a trustworthy relationship of accountability that walks along side of an individual who is discovering for him or herself the path on which he or she is to walk. I believe that the greatest misconception about coaching is that the coach is paid to do for the individual that which he or she unable to do for him or herself.
Q4.) How do you incorporate God or biblical principles into your life coaching?
A4.) The material in my books covers both secular and biblical concepts. However, I often weave Christian principles in my books even when those books are about more secular topics. In my coaching sessions, I relate biblical concepts and principles in a format that is not threatening to those who have expressed a disinterest in God or biblical principles. I believe you can communicate biblical principles and doctrine without actually quoting the scriptures. Beyond that, I pray prior to each session and for each client. I also pray that God would provide me the wisdom and knowledge I will need to meet the client’s needs.
Q5.) What is the biggest benefit that your clients rave about after working with you?
A5.) The biggest benefit my clients have expressed is having an independent third party offering an unbiased point of view. Most times the client is too close to the issue to always see a clear answer. Having a coach allows the client to hear and consider a point of view that was previously not considered.
Q6.) In order to get the most from life coaching, what advice would you give to someone looking to become a coaching client?
A6.) The client needs to be engaged with the process. A client who goes through the motions but fail to engage in the process will not achieve the results for which he or she is looking. The client also needs to be honest with the coach so the coach can provide the guidance necessary.
Q7.) What current project(s) are you working on?
A7.) I am currently working on a couple of book projects. One is part of my Advantage Series, which addresses strategic behaviors that work to improve the reader’s ability to improve his or her life through increasing his or her ability to achieve. The second one is a book for life coaches who are just getting into the market place. This book will provide keen insight into the process of developing not just the coach but also the business of coaching.
Q8.) Any final thoughts about sharing your life coaching with my blog readers?
A8.) I believe that a coach needs to provide four essential elements in working with a client. Those elements are: mentoring, encouragement, nurturing, and support. Mentoring is a developmental relationship through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else. Encouragement is a developmental relationship through which one person inspires, with courage or confidence, the ability to accomplish something far beyond the normal capacity of someone’s limitations. Nurturing is a developmental relationship through which one person nourishes and cares for someone in an empathetic relationship, which requires time and attention to the personal needs of someone else. Support is a developmental relationship through which one person serves as a foundation to sustain and withstand the weight of the personal burdens of someone else until that individual is restored. These are the four elements that I employ in my coaching practice so that I can care for my clients and build trust, accountability, and results.
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Other blog interviews you may like:
Life Coach Interview: Linda Goldfarb
Life Coach Interview: Kathy Cordell
Life Coach Interview: Diana Salcicciola
To see links to ALL my life coach interview blog posts go here. (and scroll down a bit)
LIFE COACH BIO: Ken Rupert
Kenneth E. Rupert received his Board Certification from the International Board of Christian Coaches as a Master Christian Life Coach. He founded The Vita-Copia Group to offer strategic life coaching services specializing in care giver coaching to include financial mentoring and estate and life management planning. He is also an author, speaker, and financial mentor. He has a BA in business management and has worked as a strategic analyst for several large corporations. He is a member of the International Christian Coach’s Association.
Contact #: (301) 802-0741
Website: http://kenrupert.com
Email: ken@kenrupert.com
Facebook Author’s Page: https://www.facebook.com/VitaCopia?ref=hl
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ken-rupert/29/96/8a4
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KenRupert1 or @kenrupert1
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