5 things you MUST consider when choosing the right coach to help progress your DJ/producer career
Congratulations! If you are a DJ/producer clicking onto this blog post then chances are you feel ready to embrace your abundance mindset and invest in a (night)life coach to level up your dance music career.
By simply making this first crucial decision, you are immediately showing me that you fully believe in your worth and your cause in dance music. Things we LOVE to see here at The Unicorn Mothership!
So, now that you’ve had time to really think about what you want to get out of your coaching experience, and commit to your decision. You can start to look for a coach who best aligns with your needs and goals. Both as a DJ/producer and as an individual.
💬 New Text Message from The Captain: Hey! If you feel that you’re still in the stage of understanding what it is exactly that you want out of coaching, then check out our blog post ‘Questions you should ask yourself before you hire a life coach’ to help get you thinking.
I myself as a (night)life coach have hired many different coaches and mentors over the years to help elevate my own career. Along the way, I’ve picked up on a few essential things to look for when soul searching for your perfect nightlife guru. So, to help save your time and energy endlessly scrolling and maximise the chances of the best possible return on your investment. I’ve created a checklist of 5 things you MUST consider when choosing the right life coach to progress your career in dance music.
Print this page off, or save the link, you won’t want to go coach shopping without this list!
What are their specialist areas and experience as a coach?
Most coaches will not only have an overall expertise in guiding you into a greater state of wellbeing, but they will often also have specialist areas in which they are even more of a wellness wizard. So, to get the most out of your coaching, look for a mentor that has a specific skillset to match your toughest pain points.
For example, one of your main hurdles in reaching the next stage in your music career could be that you are spending hours in the studio but not really progressing any further in your career. You’re being busy, but you’re not being productive. In that case, a life coach who specialises in procrastination could be extremely effective for you. They can help to uncover those inner feelings and doubts that are showing up as procrastination. Learn to manage them, and ultimately make your time in the studio more effective in driving you towards your goals of releasing more music and spending more time with your friends and family.
Creating more music in less time...doesn’t that sound like a producer’s dream!
You’ll also want to pay close attention to a coach’s previous experience. Not always just as a coach, but even their career before that. In my case, when I launched my coaching business I already had over a decade of experience working in the electronic music industry. I had many roles, from record label to blog editor to streaming service and much more. This previous experience is completely priceless to me as a coach. I am so deeply connected to the dance music industry. It allows me to really empathise with my clients and deliver an industry-tailored coaching experience so that they can reach their dance music goals of consistent releases and booking dream gigs.
In much simpler terms, the difference between a life coach and a (night)life coach is that I too know the frustration of drunk dancers demanding pop song requests in the middle of a live DJ set! Plus, I am the only (night)life coach out there - that I know of!
2. Does your learning style align with how they teach?
We all retain information in different ways. For some, they can pick up information quickly with self-guided written papers. For others, they might need a more interactive approach to learning, with different media formats such as video, visual graphics and face to face discussion to hold their attention and remain accountable. We all learn differently, and each life coach will teach differently. Save yourself time and effort by identifying how you best learn and use this to narrow down your choices.
Do you want to sign up to a program where you can go at your own pace in your own time? Or, is in real time 1:1 coaching going to be the best way to ensure that you show up and ask questions to get the information that you need?
3. What qualifications and certificates do they have? Look for both essential and bonus.
Let’s get serious for a second.
Opening up your mind and energy to someone else and trusting that they will better your wellbeing is a big responsibility. It is absolutely ESSENTIAL that you ensure your chosen coach has the correct qualifications to be supporting your mental health and wellness. This will require some research, as each country may have slightly different regulations for what’s required. However, ones to look out for are:
Certified Life Coach and/or Counsellor awarded by a trustworthy organisation
NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming)
CEIC (Certifications Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)
Look out for bonus certificates too! What other, more specific areas of emotional wellness and mindset are they trained in?
4. What do previous clients say about their experience?
It’s time to put on your investigator hat!
Before signing up with a new life coach, it’s always a good idea to check what previous clients have said about their experience of coaching with this person and their programs. You can visit their website, scroll through the reviews section on their Facebook page and even check in on the comments sections of some of their posts.
Here are some key qualities that are reassuring to see former clients credit the coach with:
Making clients feel safe and able to open up without fear of judgement.
They are organised and punctual.
Clients are encouraged to ask questions and are listened to.
They have an authentic and empathetic personality.
The client leaves feeling motivated, supported and that they have learned valuable content seen positive change to their career in music.
...the list goes on!
Note: When reading online reviews, you have to make your own judgement. What works for one person, might not for another. A perfectly good life coach or industry professional can still receive a negative review which often reflects the client more than the coach. However, if there are recurring negative reviews from different people that mention the same issue then that could be a red flag. Also consider that anonymous reviews are meant to protect the client’s identity which reflects the integrity of the life coach.
5. How much money are you willing to invest in your DJ/producer career?
Life changing action requires investment. Fact. It requires an investment of your time, effort and money. So, it’s good to get comfortable with the idea of investing in the early stages of your life coaching journey. Once you’ve browsed different prices of different coaches and their programmes, consider a budget of what you are happy to invest.
This budget should be…
Realistic. We all have different incomes so your budget must be feasible if you are going to be in a monthly contract with a coach. If it is a one-off investment such as a program or course, then consider the savings you have, credit cards at your disposal and which expenses you choose to prioritise that reflect what you currently value the most to uplevel your overall quality of life.
Serving to you. Set a budget that allows you to fully get the support and the transformational changes that a life coach offers and that you deserve. Yes...we all like a bargain, but this is not a purchase to scrimp on and very very rarely is it ever one that you regret.
A priority. Warning! You’re about to get called out here...If you are truly believing in your dance music career then it should be a priority. I’ve heard many people say that they ‘can’t afford’ a coach or a course. Yet they have the money to go out drinking every single weekend spending hundreds of dollars. In this case, it’s not that you can’t afford it, it’s that it’s not your priority.
I hope that this checklist helps you in your life coach journey and wish you all the best!
PS…if you read our example of the producer who struggled with procrastination and was spending hours in the studio but not progressing their electronic music career. Then, my procrastination workshop is the perfect place to get started in better understanding the meaning of procrastination and how to better manage it. Join here!
