Lydia Sartain has a point - if professional athletes at the top of their game have coaches, why shouldn't the average person?

"Life coaching takes people who are doing great and makes them even more fabulous," said Sartain, a Gainesville family law attorney.

During the WomenSource Brown Bag Luncheon Thursday afternoon, Sartain explained to attendees how life coaching works and who can benefit most from it.

"In my practice, I deal with a lot of folks who are in transition, mostly from divorce. They're scared, they're nervous, they're mad," she said.

"They have all of these emotions that they don't know how to deal with. A life coach takes a person that is in transition and helps them clarify their agenda and identify goals they'd like to reach."

Life coaching isn't the same as therapy, said Sartain, who has a life coach.

"Therapists take a look at your past to try and help you move on," Sartain said. "Life coaching is all about being here in the moment and going forward. A life coach keeps you progressing. The process helps people be happier, to be more satisfied with their lives. It's very empowering."

To reap the most out of life coaching, individuals should set goals that are "smart" - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited, Sartain said.

"People don't always have realistic expectations," she said. "When you set goals, they have to be something achievable. They have to be measurable so that you know when you achieved them. A life coach will help you do that, they'll help you develop an action plan."

While many people may benefit from the help of a life coach, a person has to be open to the process.

"You have to be ready to let go of a lot of clutter - to let go of the things that don't work - and be ready to embrace and be grateful for the things that do work (in your life)," she told the group.

"You have to decide for yourself if you are ready to take the adventure from good to fabulous."

WomenSource, which holds these programs each month, is a nonprofit organization that works to pair women in the community with professional resources and continuing education opportunities.