What coaching actually is (and isn't)
So, what actually is coaching? And perhaps more importantly, what isn't it?
Before I trained as a coach, I wasn't entirely sure either. I knew about sports coaching. I knew coaches were supposed to help people improve. Shout out to my long since departed teenage tennis coach for showing me easier ways to serve so my shoulder wouldn’t scream at me.
But when I started experiencing coaching for myself, I discovered it was something quite different from someone standing on the sidelines shouting, “Come on! You can do it!”
Although, to be fair, there is probably a place for that too. I quite like cheerleading with the sparkly pom poms. But…
For me, coaching is a space to think. A proper space to stop, pause and explore what is happening for you. A space where you don't have to arrive with everything neatly worked out.
You might have a decision you can't make. You might feel stuck. You might be navigating a change in your life or work. Perhaps the version of yourself you used to know doesn't quite fit anymore.
Or perhaps you simply know that something isn't working, but you aren't quite sure what needs to change.
That's where coaching can help.
I don't believe coaching is about giving you all the answers. In fact, I don't think I have your answers. You do.
My role is to help you explore them. That might mean asking questions that make you stop and think. Noticing patterns. Looking at the stories you have been telling yourself. Exploring what you want, what matters to you and what might be getting in the way.
Sometimes we need someone outside our usual circle to hear us properly.
Someone who isn't invested in what we should do.
Someone who isn't trying to fix us.
Someone who can be curious with us while we work things out. I'm very good at asking why, how, what, where, when.
Creating space, getting curious
That's what I aim to offer.
My coaching is grounded in narrative coaching, lived experience and systems thinking. This means I'm interested not just in you, but also in the world around you.
Because sometimes the problem isn't you.
Sometimes the environment isn't working.
Sometimes the expectations don't fit.
Sometimes the story you've been given about what success, work, health, productivity or a “normal” life should look like simply isn't your story.
Coaching isn't therapy, and I'm not there to diagnose or treat you.
It's also not someone telling you what to do. And it certainly isn't about making you into a more productive version of yourself at any cost.
For me, coaching is about creating enough space to become curious about what is happening, what matters to you and what might be possible next.
You don't have to know the answer before you start.
That's rather the point.
You bring your story. We explore it together.
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