Tag: makingchanges
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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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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…
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Little steps
My fitness journey didn’t start with a marathon. It started one evening in lockdown, in a park in the dusk with a battered old pair of trainers. Feeling how my mind and body were struggling with so little movement in my daily life. And having a playful experiment to find a way of running that…
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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…
Jessica Smith - Life, work and fitness coaching 