What is coaching to me?

The earliest quoted use of the word "coached" in the Oxford English Dictionary dates back to a period between 1592–1836, when it was used to refer to someone or something being transported by "coach" from one place to another.

I rather like this as an origin from whence the definition evolves to the modern use of the word. That being said, it somewhat diminishes the involvement of the person "coached" through the process.

Coaching, to me, is a relationship; the activity that unfolds during sessions between coach and client whilst endeavouring to work towards clear, distinct, performance-driven outcomes.

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

— George Bernard Shaw

Change can be intimidating but is essential for progress. A saying, often attributed to Albert Einstein, suggests "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I would add to this and propose that the repeated action is not the problem, it is the unawareness of such repetition.

My goal as a coach is to bring a client's awareness to patterns of behaviour that hinder true change. Through this increased awareness, and understanding of self, growth and true increases in performance can be made.

My methodology of coaching sits at the intersection of performance, identity, motivation, and purpose. Drawing from Gestalt philosophy, humanistic counselling, resilient performance science, and lived experience in adventure, endurance sport, business strategy, and psychotherapy.

I am a fan of frameworks like the Gestalt Cycle of Experience, the Paradoxical Theory of Change, Total Motivation, Ikigai, and Resilient Performance — not as theories to memorise, but as maps for noticing experience.

My style is human, direct, and quietly challenging; creating a calm, grounding space for practical sessions from which to explore, evaluate and evolve.

Progress is measured not by how good someone feels in the session, but by how they move through life afterwards.