Why designers should consider getting a life coach

Bianca Saunders chats with her life coach, Jackie G Michaels, about how their work together has improved her ability to run a brand.

These days, seeking the support of a therapist is – thankfully – as normal as going to the GP. Many casual conversations down the pub begin with, ‘My therapist said the most interesting thing ...’, while self-help content on social media has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. Indicating a tidal shift in attitudes, the well-being of our inner worlds is no longer the stuff of secrecy but a subject central to modern life. Less commonly sought and less still understood, however, is the guidance offered by a life coach. Shrouded in Americanised ideas of aspiration, perhaps what springs to mind is culty mentorship schemes promising financial success or the ecclesiastical seminars of figures like Tony Robbins. The reality is quite different, as Lewisham-born designer Bianca Saunders discovered three years ago, when she met transformational leadership coach Jackie G Michaels.