Author: jessgoesnorth
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Challenge
I’ve been reflecting recently on coaching and AI, and I think the issue of challenge is one of the biggest downfalls, as highlighted in this article. https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2026/ai-is-giving-bad-advice-to-flatter-its-users-says-new-study-on-dangers-of-overly-agreeable-chatbots/ Learning to challenge appropriately in coaching is a skill and an art. Challenging in the wrong way, or at the wrong time, can be damaging to the coaching…
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Setbacks and identity
I confess my recent humbling attempts to start upper body exercise again have had me questioning some fundamentals of my identity. Joy and pride in getting stronger has been a really important part of my fitness journey, and something that has motivated me to start building up my skills to offer personal training. These last…
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Tail of the snake
When you’ve built up your strength and fitness, it’s tough when you realise you’ve lost fitness. You’ve slid down the snake and there aren’t any ladders in sight. And the square you used to be on seems unreachably far away. It can happen so easily – injuries, illness, life events or just getting older. It…
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Change
Looking back, I see I’ve written a lot about change, and I came up with three reasons why. Firstly because coaching is about making changes. Our goals generally don’t drop in our laps – we need to do something, however small, to make them come to life. At its best, coaching is about the inner…
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Exercise snacking
I’m a big fan of exercise snacking. It’s easy to see exercise as a big thing – something we need to commit precious hours to. And of course for some goals you do need to put the hours in. But it’s also easy to fall into the trap of starting too big, and setting ourselves…
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Checking in
One tool I often offer to many of my coaching clients is a check in. It works like this. I ask them to choose a moment in their day for a quick check in. A point to take stock of how things are going. Crucially there’s no judgement, just noticing. The best time varies. If…
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Fun and motivation
Runners often talk about type 1 and type 2 fun. Type 1 workouts are the ones that are actually enjoyable at the time. And type 2 are those that aren’t fun at the time but feel good to get done. I’m lucky enough that I mostly enjoy my runs, rides and gym sessions while I’m…
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Choosing change
A meaningful career change will often affect vital components of our lives. At best it is an exploration of who we are, and a journey towards a more lively expression of ourselves – living up to our values and spending time on what energises and interests us. This is often what inspires us to change.…
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The right sort of hesitation
When facing a big choice, it’s natural to be scared. Meaningful changes bring real risks. Recently I have been holding back from committing to leaving my current job, and I have been asking myself, is this healthy caution or putting off the inevitable? As a change manger and coach, one of the tools I use…
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Looking back
To move forward, it’s important to look back. Not in a navel-gazing “tell me about your childhood” sort of way. But a very practical opportunity to reflect on what we’ve done and why. It can be surprising to reflect on how far we’ve come. Not the big goals we’re still hoping to achieve, but the…
Jessica Smith - Life, work and fitness coaching 