Hello! My name is Laura Voyles.
Farm girl, Army wife, Momma of a teenager, a "big boy", and a pre-schooler - anyone feel that wild and crazy life? I am truly so very blessed.
I was born and raised in East Tennessee then married and moved to Central Kentucky (but I have managed to keep my southern, mountain accent!); we are a farming family and have pretty much all the animals: cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, horses, dogs, cats and our most unique venture - whitetail deer.
My husband is Active Duty Army so we have experienced multiple deployments, geographically-separated living, and other military-life adventures and challenges. I also work for the Army providing Wellness support to US Army Recruiters and their Families.
Wellness is my passion!
I have known since I was a teenager that I wanted to be a "counselor".
I specifically recall instances in my early teen years where my friends would come to me to talk about things going on in their lives, what was bothering them, working out issues they were having with other friends or their parents, and that I would do my best to give the best advice I could (as a teenage girl myself!).
I also recall God making me aware of the Scriptures that talk about spiritual gifts we are given and realizing that He had given me, and wanted me to develop, the gift of exhortation. If you aren't familiar with that word, you may be thinking, "What is exhortation?!" The gift of exhortation is often called the “gift of encouragement.”. It means to encourage and to strengthen. The primary means of exhortation is to remind the hearer of the powerful and amazing work of God in Christ. (www.assessme.org/spiritual-gifts/exhortation/)
I truly have a desire to encourage, uplift, and help others!
So I wanted to do all I could to build and develop that gift for the glory of God.
After graduating from high school, I attended Bob Jones University for two years with a Counseling major. Later, I graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in psychology and Bible; I then earned a Master’s Degree in Human Services Counseling, Marriage & Family Counseling and an additional Graduate Certificate in Human Services Counseling, Military Resilience.
Due to licensure stipulations I chose not to go the licensure route with my Counseling degrees and feel like Life Coaching fits much better with my Biblical viewpoint.
What Is Christian Life Coaching?
You may be wondering: "What’s the difference between counseling and coaching?"
Here’s an analogy I think is helpful:
Counseling is like archaeology: You dig up the past, evaluate it, decide what it means, and then, consider how it impacts your life.
Coaching is like architecture: You determine what you want to build, discover ways to get what you desire in life, and use tools to help you get there. A key concept in coaching is: your past [while it does affect you] doesn’t define you [or your potential].
Biblically-based coaching is the perfect version of coaching. It’s founded on the wisdom of Scripture and makes plenty of room for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work in and through you!
(Credit for this analogy: Chelle Tipton Knapp, a fellow Christian Life Coach. Thanks, Chelle!)
Through God's strength and grace and the wisdom He provides, we can get through the challenges, uncertainties, struggles, battles, trials and valleys we face in life - or even just the day-to-day slump we may find ourselves.
I KNOW, from experience, that in darkness, He CAN and WILL give light; in our weakness, He IS strong!
You ready to give God room to work in your life? Let's see if Life Coaching would be a good fit for you!