Sacramento Life Coach Advocates For Life Long Learning And Curiosity

At first glance, you wouldn't think that someone with a degree in mathematics would one day become a successful life coach, but for Amy Eliza Wong, that's the story.

Wong is a well-known and loved Sacramento area life coach with her own company Always On Purpose. She shares the details of her job, her educational background and advice for others pursuing a similar career.

What does your job entail?

"As a coach, I help empower people with tools, insight and authentic motivation to achieve the things they want. I have powerful conversations with individuals that expose their deeply rooted beliefs and interpretations that are essentially creating the reality in which they live. Once we determine the boundaries and limitations they've (unknowingly) set for themselves, we co-create practices they will take on to initiate the necessary changes to create the life they want."

What parts of your job do you enjoy?

"I love that there is no single way to coach or a set way to experience transformation. Each relationship is incredibly unique, and I learn from every single person I work with."

What was your educational history like?

"Up until the birth of my first child, I was highly left brain oriented. I got my bachelor's in mathematics at UC Berkeley and worked in tech for about 10 years. After my first child, I realized there was a whole other side of me I wasn't exercising in earnest so I switched gears and got my master's in transpersonal psychology at Sofia University and simultaneously became a certified life coach."

Do you think your education has helped you in your current position?

"Absolutely - without a doubt. My math background definitely contributes to my unique approach to coaching. People tend to think that math is the study of arithmetic, and that's not entirely correct. In mathematics, you have to comprehend vague or abstract data and then make sense of it by finding patterns and meaning. And then you have to distill, prove and communicate it objectively and efficiently. The essence of that is not much different from the essence of a coaching conversation. With the addition of a transpersonal psychology degree I can also embrace uncertainty and mystery to exercise intuition and wisdom in any way that synthesizes both the illogical and logical."

Do you have any advice for someone seeking a similar career?

"In my opinion, a good coach is one that is genuinely curious and adept and not holding an agenda, (i.e. an idea of what should be happening), during the coaching session. So in service to curiosity, never stop learning. Find a training program that resonates. Consume all topics that are of interest, whether it be through the medium of books, seminars, workshops, mentor relationships or formal degrees. Real coaching happens through effective questions, so the deeper the breadth of knowledge one has, then the more creative a coach can develop and frame questions."

Paulo Acoba is a California native raised in the Bay Area and living in the Central Valley. He enjoys distance running, cycling and grassroots motorsports. He holds a degree in management from the University of California Merced. Paulo has been writing for Examiner.com since 2012 and covering the Fresno area.