Who is a coach? It's a person who pushes, trains and helps another person excel in the task at hand. Usually, coaches are associated with sports - football coaches, basketball coaches and so on. But what about a life coach? There are plenty of people who feel like they need a change in their lives, whether it's personal, professional or emotional. A life coach works with a client, giving support and direction, to make the goal of change that much closer.
Milwaukee's Jewish Family Services, 1300 N. Jackson St., has expanded its services to include its own life coach, Vlada Kleyman. JFS' mission mostly involves providing support for families, children and individuals to help them reach their potential and be successful.
"Even though they've been pretty active for over 130 years, they are changing; people are changing," Kleyman says. "JFS recognized there is this niche."
The collaboration between JFS and Kleyman was born from this realization that people need the support that life coaching can provide.
"Vlada is a known commodity for us. Her early career was spent here at JFS. She holds an MSW from UW-Milwaukee. She's a skilled clinician, an individual who we are comfortable placing our trust," says Joy Appel, JFS vice president for counseling and clinical services. "We actually see this as an added value. It's an opportunity for us to enhance what we already do as a social service agency."
Appel says that the new addition fits in with its mission. The organization is committed to meeting the changing needs of its consumers and life coaching is something people are looking for.
Kleyman says that life coaching, in short, is around to help people keep their motivation and focus in order to reach their full potential and help achieve goals.
"Life coach is a crater field," she says. "Life coaching can include anything, some type of professional advancement, fulfillment in life, personal goals, improving relationship parenting goals."
Life coaching has seen success in the coastal areas of the U.S., but is rarely heard of in the Midwest. It's been stereotyped as something only the trendy people do, something unnecessary. Kleyman disagrees. She says that coaching focuses on a person's positives, and a coach's job is to help people see the gifts and talents they possess.
"People struggle with a balance of home and work. First, we are people and human beings -- then we are employees," she says. "(What a person can be coached on) can include all the aspects of our lives -- personal, professional, social -- that's what makes life coaching unique."
Life coaching also acts as an alternative to conventional therapy, like psychotherapy and counseling.
But Kleyman points out that life coaching is different from counseling. She says many people don't need counseling - which is based on a medical model and needs a diagnoses to change fix a problem - but instead need support to change their lives.
"While this is not therapy, it is a program that fosters growth and enhances fulfillment. This really is often of interest to people who don't see that they need therapy," Appel says. "They don't necessarily see themselves as having issues, but have untapped potential. It's an alternative form of service and it's very current, something we're committed to being."
"The goal of coaching is to tap into internal resources in order to change (a person's) focus," Kleyman says.
From experience, Kleyman knows about changing focus and reaching certain goals.
She first emigrated to Milwaukee from Moldova (part of the former Soviet Union) 13 years ago. She didn't speak English fluently, but that soon changed.
"English is my third language that I'm fluent in," she says. "I can get by in more languages than just three: Bulgarian, Russian and English."
Her sights then set upon continuing professional goals.
"Three years ago I came across a couple of articles about life coaching and it really sparkled an interest in me," she says. "Life coaching was a totally different approach. Fits me, fits in well with personal beliefs."
Now, all her time and passion is dedicated to coaching.
"My mission, the purpose of all this, is to help people learn about the options that they have," she says. "I want people to know there is something else for them. If people would like to learn more about coaching, surf the net. People need to see there is something else. If that's the right fit they can gain as much support as they need."
Jewish Family Services' Web site is jfsmilw.org, and its phone number is (414) 390-5800. It is a full service program that insurance doesn't cover. Anyone is welcome at JFS, no matter what ethnicity or religion.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
