Co-Active Process is Like a River: Coaching Beyond Results
- Cindy Hosea
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 17
“People don’t need fixing. They need space to flow.” – Co-Active Coaching
In a results-obsessed world that idolizes productivity charts, action plans, and metrics, the Co-Active Coaching principle of Process may seem like the odd one out. But what if process isn't the detour—it's the very current that carries transformation itself?
If you’ve ever sat across from a client crying through their “aha,” spiraling in self-doubt mid-breakthrough, or frozen between ending and beginning, you've met the river called Process.
This article is an invitation to honor it—to coach with the kind of presence that trusts the water.
Meet the River: The Metaphor of “Process”
Imagine your client’s growth as a river.
The goal is the distant ocean they’re moving toward.
The tools are the paddles and oars they grip tightly.
And process? That’s the water itself.
It rushes. It meanders. Sometimes it stagnates, pools, or crashes down a rocky rapid. Other times, it drifts lazily, reflective and still. The river isn’t linear—it feels its way through the terrain.
In Co-Active Coaching, process acknowledges that human development is not a straight line. It honors the inner journey as much as the outer action. It’s about being with what is, not only working toward what should be.
What Process Is Not
Before we wade in any further, let’s clear the silt:
Process isn’t passivity. It’s not letting a client swirl endlessly without intention.
It’s not distraction from goals. It’s often the deep current that makes those goals possible.
It’s not indulgent. It’s essential. Emotional digestion is not optional—it’s catalytic.
