When I decided to become a life coach, I had no idea how much I’d pull from my experience as an acupuncturist. The poking-people-with-needles part had to stop, but many of the foundational principles of acupuncture are surprisingly similar to those of coaching.

The seasons factor significantly into how we feel. Yet most of us forget we’re creatures who are influenced by the forces of nature. This makes us prone to lower emotional states and physical symptoms during seasonal transitions. Here’s what happens in spring.

On the surface, coaching and therapy can feel similar. You talk, we listen. Often there’s some emotional discomfort involved. Usually the client is looking for help getting to a better place. However, there are important distinctions between these two modalities.