Firm Offers Seniors Coaching for the Future

By Ana Maria Trujillo, The New Mexican

March 15, 2008

The retirement years require many decisions — such as where you will live as you grow older, how you will deal with depression over the transition from independent living to assisted living or mobility issues, how you will still stay involved in the community and how you will deal with burnout. 

These decisions can weigh heavily on a person, but help is near. A fairly new firm in Santa Fe called Walks Beside Coaching and Consulting focuses on these specific problems and more among the aging population in New Mexico and their caregivers. 

"A person may say, 'I feel terrible and I need somebody to talk to,' and we help them find the root of the problem," said coach Bradley Morgan. "Sometimes they feel overwhelmed; life has lost its glory." 

The Los Angeles-based firm recently opened a branch in New Mexico. They chose New Mexico to set up shop because of the demographics of the state. 

"Many of the Southwestern and Western states are getting full with the aging population," Morgan said. "We chose New Mexico because there are 293,000 people in the 60-and-older population." 

As far as Morgan knows, hers is the only coaching firm that exists specifically for the aging population. Morgan and her compatriots are certified life coaches with the state of New Mexico. 

The Santa Fe firm is run by Morgan and her partner Stephen Marais. They do coaching for both individuals and businesses. Currently, they only have one client, but Morgan said they are hoping to attract more. 

For individual coaching, potential clients contact Morgan or Marais to get a free session. Within the free session, the client would bring up their problems and concerns and the coach will ask questions to better understand the client. The coach then offers the client different strategies to tackle their problems. The client chooses their own strategy. 

"I tell them, 'I'm not in your place, and in order for you to own your strategy, you have to decide,' " Morgan said. From there, they work together for about an hour a week until the client feels their problems have been alleviated. Morgan said most clients stay on for approximately three months. 

Morgan wants to spread the word, not just to Santa Fe seniors, but to seniors all over the state. She said that no matter what call they get and where it's from, they will address it as best they can. "We work from Los Alamos to Hobbs to Grants and Silver City — wherever there is a need," Morgan said. "It's a great way for me to meet the constituents of the state." 

Morgan said that while therapy can also work for people who are dealing with common issues that come with aging, coaching addresses them in a different way. "The difference between this and therapy ... is therapy handles emotional issues from the past that need resolution," Morgan said. While knowledge of the past is essential to coaching, they focus more on how to address the future. 

Another difference is that coaching is done in a conversational manner so it doesn't feel "clinical." Currently, this form of coaching is not covered by medical insurance but Morgan said she hopes to get that set up within the next five years. Fees for individual coaching are based on a sliding scale and depend on the client's income. 

Morgan enjoys her line of work. "I believe we're serving a population that's been forgotten," Morgan said. "To see the joy on either the caregiver or elder or someone when they say 'Someone has listened to me and I matter,' is so rewarding to me."