A Love that Stretches Us

The way to a full-hearted life

During the Covid pandemic, Airbnb rates plunged. So when spring break rolled around, Andrew Root and his family were able to find a deal on a small but lovely place in still-chilly Wisconsin. On the third day, Andrew needed some alone time, so he went into town to grab a cup of coffee. Bundled in a sweatshirt against the cold air, he sat outside, keeping a safe distance from the handful of other patrons at the cafe.[i]

Andrew is not the eavesdropping sort, but he couldn’t help overhearing one side of a nearby phone conversation. Initially he thought that the woman across the way was a pastor. But after a moment he heard her refer to herself as a life coach. Here’s a bit of that conversation:

“This is what a life coach does. They help you listen to your true self, making the badass changes you deserve from the truth of who you are. And you are badass.”[ii]

Life coaches are wellness professionals. The basic assumption of the life-coaching profession is that people yearn for a full-hearted …