Why Coaching Works

Over the past few years, I’ve spent the majority of my time focused on coaching, and in that time, I’ve witnessed countless lives transformed by its power. Coaching is a proven, reliable process that can help people navigate almost any challenge or dilemma. At its core is a simple yet profound belief that we all hold the insight and wisdom within ourselves to create meaningful change. When guided by the right questions, people gain the clarity to self-reflect, recognize unhelpful patterns, and make intentional shifts in their thinking and choices to achieve different results. Here are some examples:

One client was grieving the recent loss of his mother while simultaneously managing a massive reorganization at work. He was overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. We started by making space for his grief by developing daily rituals like walking, meditating, and exercising that allowed him to reconnect with himself. This lightened the emotional load he was carrying at work. Next, we put boundaries at work in place. He began delegating more, scaling back his workload, and working more sustainable hours. He also gave himself the gift of time off by taking a vacation to pause and to reset. Through coaching, he created systems and practices that helped him integrate these changes long term. He went from feeling buried in grief and overwhelmed with work to leading with calm, clarity, and purpose.

Another common coaching scenario is feeling uncertain as a new manager. One of my clients was new to management and wasn’t sure how to proceed to become an effective people leader. We started by identifying his goals as a leader, which included creating a high performing team. We identified what that means for him and found ways for him to not only solidify his strategy for his team as a leader, but also communicate it in a way that the team was able to hear, to understand and to execute on. We defined the team culture he wanted to create and then talked about the key practices that would help define him as a leader. Within a few months, not only was he thriving and confident in his new role, his team was hitting every goal they set.

If you’re curious about why coaching works, here are a few core principles:

Coaching Focuses Forward

Unlike therapy, which often looks to the past for answers, coaching is future focused. We deal with what’s happening right now and where you want to go. Your past will show up in your present, if and as it needs to be dealt with. By focusing on present challenges and future goals, you end up resolving what's been holding you back—without needing to dig through every detail of your history. When you shift your perspective and expand your thinking, you start to see new possibilities and from there real transformation is possible.

You Find Your Own Answers
In coaching, you’re not told what to do. You're guided to uncover your own answers.

There are a lot of people in the self-development world who want to tell you who you should be or try to map out your future for you but one of my core beliefs, and a big reason I chose coaching, is that no one else should define your future. That’s your job. You’re the only one who truly knows what you want, what matters to you, and how you want to live. Each of us has our own path, our own desires, and our own way of being in the world. Coaching honors that by helping you reconnect to your own inner compass so the choices you make come from you, not from someone else’s idea of what your life should look like. 

Also, by giving you the tools to solve your own problems, you can work with a coach for a given period of time and be able to move on. The goal is to set clients up for future success by giving them the resources during their coaching engagement that will help them in the future.

Coaching Moves at Your Pace

Some people can move through things quickly, some take more time. In coaching, there is no right or wrong answer. We go at a pace that works for you. 

Some people are at a place in their lives where one session is enough to be life changing. I once worked with a client who felt completely stuck in one particular area of her life. In just one 30-minute session, she was able to name her fear, identify what was blocking her, and move through it in coaching. Within hours, she was able to take action on a career move she’d been avoiding for months.

Not everyone gets results that quickly, but if you are open to change and willing to look within, coaching can facilitate tremendous breakthroughs.

Certified Coaches do the Work

Certified Coaches go through rigorous training that includes getting a certain number of coaching hours and getting feedback on numerous coaching sessions so it’s not easy to get an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification. More importantly, it requires us to do our own work. We’re constantly examining our thoughts, biases, and blind spots so we can show up fully for our clients. The greatest coaches I know are committed to lifelong learning and to reflection. We practice what we teach and that commitment helps us hold space for your growth too. We embody a growth mindset so you can too.

If you’re on the fence about coaching, I can personally attest to the impact it has had on countless lives, mine included. If you’re curious about what it could do for you, feel free to book a free info session with me. I’d love to connect and explore whether coaching is the right next step for you.