Well… That Didn’t Go As Planned
- Jennie Antolak
- Mar 22
- 2 min read
An Opportunity Many Hope For… And a Start No One Wants
The Opportunity
I was given an opportunity I had been quietly hoping for—and working toward for years.
To demonstrate transformational coaching live
for ICF chapters across the U.S.
The kind of opportunity you’re excited about…
right up until it’s actually happening.
The Irony
I do this work every day.
I teach it every week.
And yet, when it’s your turn to be the one on display— your brain suddenly decides,“Perfect timing.
Let’s forget everything we know and see how this goes.”
The Setup
I prepared.
Grounded myself. Did all "the things" to be calm, present, and focused.
I thought I was ready.
The Glitch
Then the session began.
They mentioned 13 ICF chapters were in attendance.
280 people.
No big deal.
Totally normal Wednesday.
And right as I was settling in…
the system created two of me.
Two.
Of.
Me.
Echoing. Talking over each other.
Like a duet I definitely didn’t sign up for.
So naturally, the solution was:
delete one of me.
Which also deleted…
all of me.
The Spiral
Gone.
Just like that.
The next stretch looked something like:
clicking
refreshing
re-entering passwords
questioning life choices
And somewhere in there,
a familiar thought showed up:
“You missed it.”
“They’ve moved on.”
“That was your shot.”
The Return
But when I finally got back in…
people were still there.
Waiting.
The Realization
And in that moment, it hit me.
Apparently, this was my warm-up.
A very unplanned preview of exactly what I was there to demonstrate.
How easy it is to focus on the what—
the problem, the plan, the outcome—
and how much the who—
the part that actually determines how things unfold—
quietly takes over.
And there I was.
Not talking about it.
Living it.
The Choice
In that moment, I had a choice.
Focus on what went wrong…or anchor into who I was being.
The Reminder
So I caught myself mid-spiral:
“Hi. Yes. Jennie. MCC Narrative Coach.
Now would be an excellent time to remember that.”
This moment doesn’t define me.
How I show up now does.
The Shift
Was it messy? Yes.
Was it what I planned? Not even close.
But the moment wasn’t gone.
It just wasn’t going to happen the way I planned.
Less control. More presence.
Less “get it right.”
More “stay in it.”
The Work
And that’s the work.
Not just in coaching—but in life.
Because things will go sideways.
The system will glitch.
The plan will shift.
And sometimes, you’ll find yourself
trying to re-enter your own moment.
Where It Lands
What you do matters.
But who you are being shows up in it.
Because when that is steady—
your response becomes steady.
And what looked like a missed moment…
keeps moving.
Closing
I’m grateful I got through it.
Not because it was perfect.
But because I stayed in it.
Watch the Demo
Live Coaching Demo | Transactional vs Transformational Coaching (ICF Example)
If you’re curious how it all unfolded once I got back in, you can watch the full demo here:
Not how I planned it.
Still worth it.