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Because growth doesn’t hit pause just because my calendar is full. So, you’re ready for coaching, but my calendar (or maybe your budget, schedule, or the alignment of the cosmos) says, “Not yet.”  First of all—kudos to you for even getting to this point. Wanting to invest in yourself is a big deal. But here’s the thing: Your transformation doesn’t have to sit in a waiting room until your first session. While you wait, here are five powerful strategies to start making breakthroughs right now . 1. Get Crystal Clear on What You Want (and Why) One of the biggest time-wasters in coaching? Not knowing what the actual  goal is. “I just want to feel better” or “I want to be successful” are fine  starting points, but vague goals lead to vague progress. Instead, ask yourself: What exactly  do I want to change, shift, or improve? How will I know I’ve succeeded? What will be different? What’s the real reason behind this goal? Pro tip:  Journal it out. Voice-record your thoughts. Pretend you’re explaining it to a friend over coffee. Just get specific—your future coach (ahem, me?) will thank you. 2. Audit Your Patterns (aka, Spot the Sneaky Self-Sabotage) Your current habits are either pushing you toward growth or keeping you stuck. Before coaching begins, start tracking your behaviors, thoughts, and reactions. Notice when you: Say “I don’t have time” but scroll social media for an hour Set big goals but don’t follow through ( hello, avoidance! ) Assume something won’t work before you even try Your job isn’t to judge yourself—it’s to notice . Awareness is the first step to real change. 3. Make One Tiny, Uncomfortable Move Every Day If you’re waiting for a perfect  time to change, spoiler alert: It’s never coming. Growth doesn’t happen in one giant leap—it happens in small, messy, uncomfortable steps. Want to be more confident? Speak up in a meeting instead of holding back. Trying to set boundaries? Say “no” to something small today. Working on self-love? Compliment yourself in the mirror, even if it feels weird. You don’t need a coach to start taking action—you just need to decide. 4. Find an Accountability System (That Doesn’t Let You Off the Hook) Left to our own devices, we all  have that little voice that says, “Eh, I’ll start tomorrow.”   That’s why accountability is a game-changer. Find a goal buddy.  Someone who won’t let you flake. Use a habit-tracking app.  Seeing progress makes it easier to keep going. Make a public commitment.  Tell a friend, post online, or write it down where you’ll see it. Pro tip:  If you wouldn’t ghost your best friend, don’t ghost yourself. 5. Work on Your Mindset NOW (Not Just When Things Are “Better”) If you’re waiting for the perfect  mindset before taking action—bad news, my friend. Mindset shifts happen through  action, not before it. Instead of waiting until you “feel ready,” practice: Self-coaching:  When you hit a roadblock, ask, “What would my coach tell me right now?” Reframing setbacks:  Instead of “I failed” , try “What did I learn?” Celebrating small wins:  Progress is progress—no matter how tiny. Final Thought: Coaching Helps, But YOU Do the Work Yes, coaching will fast-track your growth. But at the end of the day, no coach (not even me) can do the work for  you. These five strategies? They’re proof that you already have the power to create change—starting right now. So while you wait, don’t pause —prepare. And when we finally work together? You’ll be ready  for breakthroughs, not just hoping for them.

The phrase “holding space” can sound mystical—but in coaching, it’s less about candles and lotus flowers and more about presence and trust. “Hold space.” Ah yes—the phrase that has launched a thousand coach training brochures, Instagram posts, and slightly overused LinkedIn hashtags. It sounds mystical, like you’re about to conjure up sage smoke and a Tibetan singing bowl. But if you’ve ever found yourself wondering, What the heck does that actually look like in practice? , you’re not alone. So let’s demystify it—without losing the heart of what makes it powerful. Spoiler: It’s Not Interior Decorating Holding space is not about arranging comfy pillows, dimming the lights, or perfecting your “active listening face.” It’s not about you creating your  perfect vibe. It’s about making room for the client —their emotions, their thinking, their breakthroughs, their awkward pauses. It’s creating a container that says: “You’re safe here.” “You get to be messy here.” “You get to surprise yourself here.” In ICF-speak, this shows up in competencies like Cultivates Trust and Safety  and Maintains Presence . And if you’re wondering how to tell when you’re really holding space (and not just decorating it), the next section shows you the signs.

Coaching with intuition is like feeling a shift in the wind. You know the moment. You’re mid-session, and something shifts. The words stop mattering so much. Logic takes a back seat. You sense an opening—a pause, a flicker of emotion your client didn’t quite say out loud. That’s your intuition stirring. Not loud. Not logical. Not linear. More like … wind. Sometimes it arrives as a gentle breeze nudging you toward a question you hadn’t planned to ask. Sometimes it rushes in like a gust, sweeping the session off your neatly mapped agenda and straight into the heart of truth. In Co-Active Coaching , intuition  is one of the five contexts —an essential current that arises not from deduction but from presence. It isn’t about being right; it’s about being attuned. It’s the art of noticing what’s just beneath the surface, allowing insight to emerge without forcing it. When you coach from that place, transformation happens not through explanation, but through exploration.

Often visualized as a star with five points, the Co-Active Model fosters a client-centered approach. The word co-active  describes the nature of a coaching relationship where the coach and client actively collaborate. In this alliance between two equal partners, the coach and client “co-operate” to meet the client’s needs. The concept also speaks to the dual nature of being and doing —an elegant dance between presence and action. If you’re an ICF-certified coach (or aspiring to be), you’ve likely encountered the Co-Active Coaching Model . Whether you’ve heard it mentioned in coaching circles or experienced its transformative power firsthand, this approach has heavily influenced the coaching profession and can revolutionize the way you coach. So what makes it so enduring—and so effective?

Self-management is the practice of staying on the board—centered, responsive, and present—even when the sea of coaching gets wild. Self-management is one of the most essential—and invisible—contexts in Co-Active Coaching . It’s not flashy. It won’t win you a standing ovation. But it is  the difference between a coach who flounders... and one who flows. 🏄 Think of yourself as a surfer. You’re out there in the ocean with your client—riding the waves of their thoughts, emotions, energy. Some days it’s smooth sailing. Other times, you’re in the splash zone of grief, anger, or confusion. Self-management is what keeps you steady: centered, responsive, and fully present, even when things get choppy. But let ’ s be clear: self-management is not detachment . You ’ re not floating above the moment like a Zen cloud. You ’ re in  it—with your gut, heart, and instincts fully engaged. You feel the swell. You notice the tug. But you don’t let it pull you under. When a client’s story lights up your own—touching a sore spot or a memory of a similar experience—you’ll feel that internal wave rise. That’s human. The question is: do you react from  it… or respond through  it? A self-managed coach notices their inner reaction (judgment, emotion, ego) and chooses to stay with the client, not their own story. Subtle shift, massive impact.

Coaching is a steady, unwavering compass that helps the client find their own true north. “Holding the focus” is one of the most vital and transformative roles a coach plays. It’s the compass we bring to every session—the consistent commitment to our client’s chosen direction, values, and agenda, even when they drift off course. Clients bring courage, energy, and intention to coaching—but also fear, confusion, and old patterns. They may wander, stall, or spin. When that happens, the coach becomes the compass —g ently turning them back toward their own true north. This isn’t about controlling the conversation or managing time . It’s about honoring what the client said they wanted and helping them live in alignment with it. W hen done well, it shifts a session from surface chatter to transformational insight. In Co-Active Coaching , holding the focus means staying loyal to the client’s agenda — even when they forget it. Especially when they forget it. This requires artistry: presence to track subtle shifts, intuition to know when to redirect, and courage to interrupt when they drift. Our role isn't to steer, but to honor the direction they’ve chosen.

Curiosity—the kitten-like wonder that transforms coaching from conversation to discovery. Ever watched a kitten stumble upon something new? It’s pure magic. The whole world seems to pause as that tiny creature paws, sniffs, and bats at the unknown—completely absorbed in discovery. Coaches could take a cue from that kind of wonder. In Co-Active Coaching , curiosity isn’t a mere skill—it’s one of the foundational contexts  that breathes life into every conversation. Across the ICF Core Competencies , it shows up everywhere: in the mindset we embody , the presence we maintain , the listening we practice , and the awareness we evoke . Because in coaching, curiosity isn’t about collecting information—it’s about awakening insight. It’s how we move from analysis to awareness, from telling to discovering.

Scaffolding gives shape to growth before it can stand on its own. Change is a construction zone. When clients leave a coaching session lit up with fresh insight or a bold commitment, they often step right into the chaos of real life—emails, errands, resistance, and routine. Without support, that newly built clarity can collapse under pressure. That’s where structures  come in. In Co-Active Coaching , structures are creative, client-designed supports that help sustain learning and keep momentum going. They’re the scaffolding  that holds up the new growth while it’s still taking shape. Grounded in the ICF Core Competency Facilitates Client Growth , structures provide the bridge between awareness and sustained change.

A clear signal takes practice. Coaching mastery begins with learning to listen beneath the noise. If you’ve ever fiddled with an old radio dial—or scrolled endlessly through playlists—you know that finding the right station isn’t instant. Sometimes you land on static, sometimes a signal cuts in and out, and sometimes—when everything aligns—you get crystal-clear sound. That’s exactly how listening works in coaching. At first, the “frequency” can be full of noise—your own thoughts, their distractions, the surface-level words—but with intention and practice, you can tune in to hear what truly matters. Listening, one of the five Co-Active Coaching Contexts , is also central to the ICF Core Competencies —especially Listens Actively  and Maintains Presence . When you learn to listen beyond the words, you transform from a coach who hears conversation to one who feels  the client’s truth beneath it. Three Levels of Listening in Coaching In Co-Active language, there are three distinct “frequencies” of listening that deepen your range as a coach: Level I: Internal Listening , where attention is tuned inward to your own thoughts. Level II: Focused Listening , where the spotlight moves fully to the client. Level III: Global Listening , where you attune to the entire field—the client, the energy between you, and what’s emerging in the space itself. Each level builds on the last, moving you from self-centered awareness to full, systemic presence.

Coaching as sailing: When wind meets current, transformation begins—forward and deepen. In Co-Active Coaching , there’s a context so simple it’s easy to gloss over—and so powerful it can quietly transform everything. It’s called Forward and Deepen . At first glance, it might sound like a tidy tagline. “Help the client take action, and learn something from it. Got it.” But if we stop there, we miss the real magic. Because Forward and Deepen isn’t just a coaching method—it’s the heartbeat of transformation . It’s the place where coaching moves from performance to presence , from transactional to transformational. It’s the rhythm that turns a series of check-ins into a sacred space of becoming.