Coaching works best when you arrive with an open mind rather than a prepared agenda. You don't need to have everything figured out — in fact, the less certain you are, the more useful the conversation often is.
What coaching is - and what it isn't
Coaching isn't advice. I won't tell you what to do, suggest what decision to make, or give you a plan to follow.
What I will do is listen carefully, ask questions that open things up, reflect back what I'm hearing, and occasionally challenge something worth looking at more closely.
The first session often surprises people. It can feel quite open at first - unstructured, even. That's normal. The right questions usually surface fairly quickly, and the conversation finds its own shape from there.
By the end of a 90 minute session most people leave with more clarity than they arrived with - even if they couldn't have predicted what that clarity would be about.
What to think about beforehand
You don't need to prepare anything formally. But a little honest reflection beforehand can help - not to arrive with answers, but to arrive having given yourself permission to think honestly about what's actually going on.
A few things worth sitting with before we meet:
What's brought you here right now - not the official version, but the real one?
What are you hoping might feel different after a few sessions?
Is there something you haven't quite said out loud yet - even to yourself?
Don't try to answer these perfectly. Just notice what comes up when you read them.
What to expect on the day
We'll meet in person or online if that suits better. If we're walking, wear comfortable clothes and footwear suitable for the weather.
The session is 90 minutes. There's no formal structure - we start with where you are and go from there.
I may take a few notes as we talk, but the session isn't recorded.
At the end we'll take a few minutes to reflect on what's come up and what, if anything, feels clearer.
You don't leave with a to-do list. You leave with your own thinking, a little more organised.
A few things people often wonder
Do I need to know what I want to talk about? No. Many people arrive with a general sense that something needs attention but no clear agenda. That's fine — often more useful than arriving with a fixed idea of what the session should cover.
What if I get emotional? That's completely fine. Coaching conversations can touch on things that matter — it would be strange if they didn't. There's no pressure to hold anything together.
What if I don't know whether coaching is right for me? That's what the discovery call is for. It's free, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and gives us both the chance to work out whether this feels like the right fit before committing to anything.
Ready to take the next step?
The discovery call is free, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and carries no commitment. It's simply a chance to talk through what you're looking for and for both of us to decide whether this feels right.