Tag: coachingstories
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Turning 50
I recently turned 50 which feels like an important milestone to celebrate. Somewhat unconventionally, I started my day with work – an early morning personal training session with a client. I did take a bit of time off later to celebrate, but starting the day that way felt right. How better to start my sixth…
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When your jar isn’t empty
You may be familiar with Covey’s model of time management, where our day is like an empty jar that we have to fill by putting our most important commitments first (large rocks), before adding less important things (smaller rocks and sand). But as a woman with a family, I know I don’t start with an…
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Lighthouses in limbo
I’m in a strange limbo state at the moment. I’m well on my way to making some big changes, moving from my old job so I can spend more time on coaching while also adding in personal training. Taking active decisions to move towards the things I wanted to do was tough, but coming to…
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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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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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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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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…
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Coming alive
One of the things I love most in coaching is seeing a client come alive. It’s hard to describe, as everyone’s different. Sometimes the first sign is something I feel myself – a sense of lifting or lightness as I listen. As a coach, tuning into my own feelings can really deepen my understanding of…
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Does flexibility suit you?
Some people thrive on options, others do better having just one thing to do. I was coaching someone today and we were coming up with a plan for her to look after her physical and mental wellbeing to help deal with work stress. She had a good sense of what worked for her (running, yoga,…
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The expert beginner
A concept that’s been cropping up in my coaching a lot lately is being an expert beginner. I came across it in a book about bridge many years ago, but it has stuck with me. The idea is that even when we’re new to something, we can be expert in how we learn to be…
