Why We Decided to Provide Free Life Coaching During COVID-19
For four months—throughout March, April, May, and June of this year—we made the decision to provide our life coaching services completely free of charge. This is why.
The banner that we placed on our website for our free coaching offering
As the first glimmerings of the COVID-19 pandemic showed up in the United States, a state of unease bordering on panic took root in many communities. People were losing jobs, businesses were shuttering their doors, uncertainty loomed, death tolls were rising, and truly informed opinions were hard to come by. As I write this, we are still embroiled in uncertainty — about the future of the economy, the continuation of the virus in the world, and the potential transformations of what daily life entails.
Nevertheless, we have been able to glean some perspective over the previous long months of relative isolation. We were granted an affirmation that community resiliency and the spirit of banding together are forces more powerful than any threat we face. We witnessed proof that when the vulnerable among us are in danger, the force of caring within us takes over.
In times of crisis, our common humanity is often raised to the forefront of the cultural consciousness. Neighbors step up to help neighbors. We provide for one another because we see the danger to us all, and we recognize that by fortifying through unification, each of us stands a better chance in facing the danger ahead—the way that a rope woven of many strands is less prone to breakage.
It was from this understanding that Dylan and I came to the decision to offer our services completely free of charge. Many organizations, small businesses, and citizens alike stepped up during this initial period of crisis to provide for the common good, and many continue to do so. We see giving away free life coaching as an investment in the resiliency of the community, in the buoyancy and the health of its members, and in the potential for community healing and growth toward the good.
This was not a decision we made lightly, as our livelihoods and well beings are tied directly to the financial stability of this business endeavor. And to provide for free the service we depend on for our livelihood can be seen as a radical proposition, and probably to some, downright foolish. Regardless, we knew in our hearts that it was the way we could best be of service through our professional abilities to the community that has given so much to us and sustained our business this far.
Over the following months, I imagine many businesses in the community will be forced to shutter their doors. Many of our neighbors and friends will lose income and even housing. As these sad circumstances continue to occur, there will continue to be opportunities for all of us to rise to the challenge of caring and providing for our neighbor. My hope is that this can serve as a reminder—to others as well as myself—that when we allow ourselves to take care of others from a place of service, the world takes care of us in kind.
Keith Gilmore is a professional Life Coach and co-founder of Texture Life Coaching, a life coaching platform serving clients in Portland, OR and online throughout the country, and Fireside Kingdom, a program for reconnecting men with their purpose.