Coach Posts, Reviews, & Articles

Painfully hilarious (and very real) moments that could’ve turned into shame—but didn’t. When we know the difference, we stop letting awkwardness rewrite our worth.

We are committed to our clients' growth and forward movement. So we help them explore possibilities, consider different perspectives, and identify what they might do next. And sometimes, without realizing it, our eagerness to help them move forward may be keeping them from discovering what they need to grow. Consider this: A client tells you about a meeting that didn't go well. They were interrupted. Their idea was dismissed. They left feeling frustrated, embarrassed, and qu

We love epiphanies. There’s something satisfying about the moment an experience finally makes sense. We can explain what we learned, tell someone about it, and imagine what we’ll do differently. It also makes a good story: “And that’s when I realized…” But we don’t always get that moment. Much of what changes us happens while we’re going about our lives, without realizing anything is changing. We hear ourselves say something we’ve said a hundred times and wonder if we still b

A request comes in at 4:45 p.m. You have somewhere to be. You can answer it tomorrow. You open your laptop anyway. Perhaps the request is urgent. Perhaps it isn’t. What’s harder to see is whether you’re responding to this request or to an older understanding of what a good colleague does. That distinction can disappear when a response feels automatic. We say yes, take responsibility, smooth things over, or work a little longer. The choice seems to belong to the moment. Someti

An email arrives: “Can we talk about the project?” That’s all it says. Yet one person reads it and feels curious. Another braces for criticism. A third starts preparing an explanation before anyone has asked for one. The email hasn’t changed. The meaning assigned to it has. We often talk as if an event happens and our response follows. There is a great deal taking place in between. We interpret what happened through our experience of who we are, what we believe to be true, an

“I know my patterns.” Sometimes we do. We can name our values, describe the role we tend to play, and tell a remarkably accurate story about how we became this person. We may even know exactly what we want to do differently. Then someone asks a simple question, and the familiar story answers before we do. Imagine someone who has left a long career and is beginning to explore different work. She knows she wants a new direction. She has spent time considering what matters to he

Circling the same patterns. The mirror reflects otherwise. A leader decides to delegate more. They make a list, assign the work, and step back. For a few weeks, it works. Then a deadline tightens, someone misses a detail, and the leader takes it all back. It’s easy to call that a failure of discipline. But suppose being the person who catches everything has become part of how this leader knows they are responsible. Delegating then asks for more than a new habit. It asks them

I was given an opportunity I had been quietly hoping for—and working toward for years. Just as I was about to begin a live coaching demo on coaching who someone is being to inform what they do… Zoom decided to make me the preview and kicked me out of my own session.

How often do you feel the pull to read up, learn more, prepare—just in case it helps you connect better, feel more empathetic, respond more appropriately? It’s a reasonable instinct. It looks responsible. It even feels generous. And yet… I keep wondering about the trade we’re making. As kids, we never paused at the door to decide whether we were adequately prepared to be good friends or play well with others. We didn’t check credentials. We didn’t review background informatio

Do you ever have those moments when confidence forgets it’s supposed to have your back? One minute, you’re a walking résumé—degrees, credentials, glowing testimonials. The next, you’re in an invisible emotional wrestling match with your two brothers, arguing about who’s the biggest idiot—and somehow, you’re losing. It’s disorienting. You can keynote a conference, coach executives through existential crises, maybe even out-strategize a chess-playing robot—but God forbid you sh

Clever will never outsmart clarity at our core.

Where backwards logic is the only thing to move us forward.

It highlights why creating change can be so hard for us even if the change is something we say is important to us. Underneath all of our behaviors there are reasons we act in alignment or misalignment with the changes we say we want to make, and it all boils down to our perceived sense of safety, our identity, and the stories that have shaped how we view the world. Utilizing this knowledge, we can help our clients dive deeper into what’s holding them back from the changes the

This is for anyone who’s ever ached for something more—knowing it was the right path, even when it looked completely wrong to everyone...

There is no crying in coaching!!! "There's no crying in coaching," is our favorite running joke when teaching Narrative Coaching—usually...

Chubs Sharing His Secret Handshake How many brilliant ideas have we quietly buried—not because we weren’t capable, but because they...

Popeye the Sailor Man When I was a kid, Popeye wasn’t just a cartoon—he was the cartoon.Gravel voice. Gritty forearms. Always showing up...

I chose Radical Acceptance because it speaks to the emotional terrain so many creatives quietly navigate: self-doubt, shame, perfectionism, and a longing to express something meaningful. These are often the very forces that block or silence the creative impulse. As I continue to develop as a coach, particularly with artists and would-be creatives, I’m drawn to Brach’s message that healing and wholeness begin not with effort, but with presence.

Regret Eating Your Chips We love to tell ourselves stories to keep us "safe" — like emotional seatbelts we never asked for but keep...

Ever wonder why, after devouring every self-help book in the “Enlightenment or Bust” aisle, chanting affirmations until your mirror files...