Essays

Meeting life as it shows up

An evolving collection of reflections on coaching, careers, leadership, and the experience of being human.

A colorful panther chameleon perched on a row of colored pencils, its skin shifting to match the rainbow hues — symbolizing the people-pleaser’s instinct to blend in rather than stand out.

Coaching the People-Pleaser: From Camouflage to True Color

People-pleasers are the chameleons of connection—skilled at blending in until their own color fades. Coaching them isn’t about stripping away care; it’s about helping them rediscover the hue that’s truly theirs.

COACHING

Doorways of Choice: Limiting Beliefs, Saboteurs, Assumptions, and Perspectives

Four coaching doorways—limiting beliefs, saboteurs, assumptions, and perspectives—shape the choices clients (and coaches) can make.

COACHING

Your Coaching Philosophy: Your Unique Fingerprint

Your coaching philosophy is your fingerprint: the unique pattern of values, beliefs, and commitments that guide your coaching. Learn how to define and share it with clients in line with the 2025 ICF update.

COACHING

Field guide and brass compass on a picnic table overlooking a distant mountain—practical tools for navigating the 2025 ICF Core Competency updates.

Coaches’ Field Guide to the 2025 ICF Core Competency Updates

Your map and compass for the 2025 ICF updates: simple tools, clearer routes, better coaching. Coaching evolves; so do the rules of the...

COACHING

A large pine tree in a forest with its trunk split and leaning to one side after being broken by wind and lightning in a thunderstorm.

Coaching the Past Without Becoming a Therapist

When clients bring up the past in coaching sessions, how do you avoid slipping into therapy territory? This article shows coaches how to honor stories from the past without analyzing them, staying focused on the present impact and future growth. Includes sample questions for ACC, PCC, and MCC levels, plus a checklist of red flags that signal when you may be crossing the line.

COACHING