“We are the granddaughters of the witches you weren't able to burn.”
– Tish Thawer
As Molly Worthen, journalist, points out, many of the spiritual coaches today are women, and 400 years ago, they probably would have been burned as witches. Why are so many life, spiritual, and career coaches today predominantly women who serve other women?
According to a 2019 study by the International Coaching Federation, women account for 75 percent of coach practitioners in North America. There’s no firm reason for this, but plenty of speculation. Some believe it’s because many of these coaches are coming from “caring” professions, such as counseling and nursing, while others believe it’s because women are so often let down by traditional support structures, which favor men—especially in male-dominated industries.
I tend to believe the latter. As a career coach to executive level women in male dominated industries such as technology, finance, marketing, media, sales, insurance, hospitality, and medical, I have seen time and time again how so many companies fail women. After all, women’s desire for career fulfillment is about more than bottom lines and closing deals, and what little support that is offered to them isn’t for them—it’s designed for men, by men, for men in order to keep everyone playing by men’s playbook.
Women are (past) ready for a change.
That’s why so many women are looking for coaches that offer spiritual practices along with more traditional coaching aspects. We are tired of trying to grind it out, forcing them to let us climb the ladder, and giving every ounce of ourselves to hold on to every inch we claw out for ourselves. We want to feel as if we belong in our skin—as if there’s a purpose to our hard work.
We can find our Soul’s purpose through spiritual practices, practices which are becoming more mainstream every day. In fact, a 2018 Pew survey found that 62 percent of Americans subscribe to some kind of New Age belief, like reincarnation or the reliability of astrology and psychics, and that number continues to grow.
My clients use practices such as oracle cards, meditation, EFT, grounding, and life visioning to help reconnect with their Soul to astounding success. (You can read more about the practices I use in my new book, Career Confinement.) Over 90 percent of my clients alone have claimed to have a "spiritual awakening" making them feel more empowered and in control of their personal and professional destiny.
Unlike traditional religion, these practices don’t rely on a higher power to make decisions for you. They empower you to help yourself by showing you that the universe is just waiting to bring you everything you ever wanted. All you have to do is ask and believe.
That doesn’t mean you can just send out a wish to the universe and expect millions to drop down on your head. You have to meet it halfway, which is where spiritual career coaching comes in. For instance, I combine the spiritual practices I mentioned above with traditional career advice, such as updating your LinkedIn, strengthening your network, setting boundaries, advocating for the salary you actually deserve, and more. (These are also detailed in Career Confinement.)
If traditional career coaching doesn’t feel right for you, it may be time to give spiritual career coaching a try. Not only can it help you navigate your male-dominated field, but help you align your Soul's Purpose to your professional dreams. After all, every woman deserves to feel confident and at peace in their skin.