Thread by @shaunjlawson

This is... not exactly a shock.

theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2…

I had a life coach. I recommend her: @FelicityMorse is awesome!

But a big reason she's awesome is she's fully aware of the many issues set out in this article. She's not at all dogmatic and is highly empathetic.

Life coaching will work for some people and not work at all for others. Like CBT or psychodynamic or Gestalt or any other kind of therapy, in other words (even though it's not actually therapy - or not supposed to be).

But by heck, it as an industry needs to be regulated.

And it as an industry is so focused on upper middle class white people, it's frightening.

Any world like this in which many of its practicioners (but not Felicity in ANY way) ignore trauma and tell you it's all in your head is dangerous, ableist and extremely racist.

Good life coaches have an open mind, treat everyone as individuals and with the utmost respect and compassion.

Bad coaches, like bad anythings really, are dogmatists, demagogues and think THEY have some kind of special power.

They don't. They're just narcissists.

As with most private sector industries in this mad, bad world, capitalism is at the very root of where the problems lie.

Anything marketing itself as a get rich quick scheme and some magic cure ALWAYS warrants massive scrutiny.

Good coaches would welcome that scrutiny and regulation. Because they're in it to genuinely help others not make a fortune while blaming others for their problems.

See also: mindfulness. A good thing. Except when taken to extremes.

Except when used by exploitative bosses, ie. "you're exhausted and depressed because of your poorly paid 60-hour working week with us? You should be doing mindfulness!" 🙄🙄🙄

Then said boss ticks the box which says 'we care about our employees' mental health'. 🙄🙄🙄

Wellbeing, physical and mental, is absolutely fundamental to a happy, productive society and economy.

Yet in practice, amazingly few bosses even think about it. When the Tories go on about 'productivity', I roll my eyes. Because they're so so full of shit.

If we cared about productivity, we'd invest in mental health astronomically more than we do.

Instead, it's a skeleton service with scandalous waiting lists - and social services are horrifically underfunded and scapegoated when anything goes badly wrong.

If we cared about productivity, we wouldn't laugh at the idea of a 4-day working week. We'd implement it, because it's bloody obvious it'd make the workforce happier, more rested and more productive.

If we cared about productivity, we'd invest for the long term.

In the best technology, tools and practices. Instead, the entire ethos of neoliberalism is about short term profit by spending as little as possible and making your staff work as hard as possible.

Neoliberalism isn't only unethical and immoral. IT DOESN'T WORK.

If we cared about productivity, we'd have much longer maternity and paternity leave.

If we cared about productivity, the government would pay for people to retrain. Instead, only the privileged are able to afford to change careers - despite a rapidly changing economy.

And if we cared about productivity, no woman manager or executive would feel the need to emulate the worst kind of man in order to prove how 'tough' and 'ruthless' they are.

ALL managers would treat their staff well. Because happy staff are productive staff.

In football, managers with empathy and love for their players - no matter how highly paid the latter are - get MUCH MUCH better results nowadays than old-style dictators.

Life doesn't have to be like this. It doesn't have to be cruel or harsh or full of bullies and egotists.

In short: