HOME OF COURAGEOUS COACHING

If you’ve ever softened a question so it wouldn’t feel too sharp or said yes to something you knew you didn’t have the capacity for or found yourself working harder than your client…you’ve already met people-pleasing.

I’m midway through my Emotional Agility certification with Susan David, and even though I’m still deep in the learning, one insight is already standing out loud and clear: We can’t coach courageously if we’re at war with ourselves.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it really takes to build a coaching business, not the shiny, externally-facing version, but the quiet, behind-the-scenes experience of actually doing it.

“Help is the sunny side of control.” – Anne Lamott I heard this quote on a recent Dare to Lead podcast with Brené Brown and Adam Grant, and it stopped me in my tracks. It’s one of those phrases that lodges itself in your mind and refuses to leave.

One of the things I love most about coaching is this: courage is contagious. Every time a client steps into the coaching space, they’ve already taken a courageous step. They’ve made themselves vulnerable by saying, “I want to grow. I want to change. I don’t have all the answers.” That act alone is full of risk and uncertainty.

When we think about courage in coaching, it’s easy to imagine the big moments: challenging a client, naming what’s unspoken, stepping into the arena ourselves as business owners.

Brené Brown defines belonging as being accepted for who we are, while fitting in is about changing who we are so that we’ll be accepted. They sound similar, but in truth, they’re worlds apart.

Authenticity is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot. We say we want to be authentic. We tell our clients to show up authentically. We see it in job descriptions, in leadership values, in coaching profiles. To be frank, I'm tired of hearing "just be authentic".

One of the most powerful ideas I’ve carried with me from Brené Brown’s work is the difference between belonging and fitting in.

If coaching had a secret ingredient, I’d say it’s curiosity. Not the polite, “tell me more” kind — but the kind that fizzes with wonder, invites surprise, and dares to explore without needing a map.

Empathy is at the heart of courageous coaching, but let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to practice.

As coaches, we talk a lot about confidence. Building it. Lacking it. Helping clients find it. But confidence is slippery. Some days it’s there, some days it’s not. Sometimes it turns up when we least expect it. Other times it disappears just when we need it most.

As coaches, we know that thoughts aren’t facts. We know that our inner critic can be loud, persistent, and convincing. We know how powerful the stories in our heads can be, and how quickly they shape our sense of who we are and what we’re capable of. And yet…

“In order for me to be connected to you, I have to know who I am. I have to be connected to myself.” This quote from Brené Brown has been on my mind a lot lately. I believe it. I feel the truth of it. But actually living it? That’s something I’m still figuring out.

If you’re a coach, chances are you already know: giving advice is one of the hardest habits to break.

Last year, I wrote about the two faces of self-compassion—tender and fierce. Tender self-compassion is the gentle voice that says, “It’s okay to rest,” or “This is hard, and you’re doing your best.” But fierce self-compassion? That’s the part that says, “Enough.” The part that draws a boundary, asks for payment, or finally sends the email that’s been sitting in drafts for days.

“When we see that someone's hurt or in pain, it's our instinct as human beings to try to make things better. We want to fix, we want to give advice. But empathy isn't about fixing. It's the brave choice to be with someone in their darkness—not to race to turn on the light so we feel better.” — Brené Brown

I remember early on in my coaching journey, how obsessed I was with more. More models. More techniques. More frameworks. My shelves were stacked with books, my notebooks overflowing with diagrams and clever acronyms.

As coaches, we know that growth often happens in the space between certainty and curiosity. Yet, when it comes to creativity, many of us hesitate

If I had a pound for every time I’ve compared myself to another coach, I’d have a very healthy CPD budget. Comparison is everywhere. It...