Frequently Asked Questions

Coaching, therapy, and mentoring are all approaches to supporting people facing challenges. They all involve conversations to generate insights that help you move toward action.

Coaches and therapists support you in addressing not only your thoughts but also your emotions, and we are interested in how your story may be shaping your beliefs and assumptions about what is possible in the future.

Mentors are usually already on a path you would like to follow, and they are there to guide and advise you on reaching a specific destination. Conversely, coaching is designed to help you find and trust your own inner compass no matter where you want to go, and then to support you as you design a path forward. Your coach does not need specific experience or expertise in a given area to serve as a partner in your coaching work.

Unlike therapy, coaching does not diagnose or prescribe because it is not a medical approach; it is a learning and development model. Our expertise lies in partnering and “scaffolding” to move clients along their chosen paths of exploration, and we offer frameworks and perspectives to help them build strong foundations for the transformation they want to make.

Coaching is also not an open-ended commitment, and coaches often ask clients to move into action (or "run experiments," as we say) as soon as they are ready. We usually agree on a set number of sessions to begin the work, and we will determine together if more sessions will serve you as you move forward.

“Stuck” is a place that may hold a lot of information! So, starting with stuck, understanding what stuckness is there to tell you, and proceeding from there to develop an agenda is often where coaching can begin to break through the impasse toward possibilities.

I have worked with three different executive coaches in my time as an executive coach. Each of them challenged me to embrace the moment I was in, however difficult, and to look for the learning that is always available when we feel challenged.

They also encouraged me to take bolder steps in my own life, personally and professionally, and were there to support me if I fell back into old narratives about not being ready or needing others' wisdom to guide me. Each time, my self-trust and confidence grew, and I was more open and ready for transformation.

First, I make sure I am in constant conversation with colleagues, whether personally or at conferences or other gatherings, who challenge my thinking and invite me to explore new ideas about how we develop over the life cycle and what we can do to stay open and responsive to challenges in every season of life.

I have always loved to read, and I trust my curiosity and commitment to learning to guide me toward what I need to coach from a fresh place in myself. That includes works of poetry, psychology, spiritual exploration, biographies, and other sources that broaden my thinking and allow me to offer new perspectives to my clients.

Of course. Coaching does not operate in silos or see you only in 'work mode' or 'home mode.' It is designed to support you in examining how you are feeling in any aspect of your life where you are feeling out of alignment, unsure of yourself, or unclear about your priorities and how to honor them. This holistic approach works with you as a whole person, not only defined by the role you are in.

I take an organic approach to this question. I trust that what might serve your learning and growth (a book, a video, a poem) will come to mind as we dig into your agenda. I will make suggestions, and it is always your choice whether to take them. You can also make requests for outside resources as you uncover what you need, and I will do my best to provide them.

Yes, I offer written digests for private clients. Digests are unavailable for military clients who access services through The Commit Foundation at a special discounted rate.

What sets our work apart is the thoughtful documentation that follows each session. After our conversations, I provide detailed written digests that serve multiple purposes:

• Deepen the impact of our discussions

• Create a tangible record of your progression

• Offer new perspectives to consider

• Provide anchors for continued exploration

• Build a foundation for sustained growth

As one client reflected after a decade of keeping these session notes: “They’ve been a record of where I was at the time, and an invaluable benchmark of how much I’ve grown and learned over the passing years.”

These written reflections honor both the immediate observations and the longer arc of your development, creating a lasting resource as you move ahead. Digests remain available to clients in their private portal for ongoing reflection and integration.

First, I do not use ChatGPT or any other form of AI support to write my digests. They are highly bespoke, specific to our conversation, detailing  significant takeaways from our session from my perspective, which I email shortly after our conversation.

They are not based on transcription but rather on my notes, impressions, things you say, and what’s in the field between us as committed partners in a working relationship. Some clients choose to respond, and I find the process enriches our dialogue and deepens the client experience in many ways.

Clients often tell me that in reviewing the digests later, they can see more clearly where they were during their coaching, and the progress they are making up their growth and learning curves during the process. In this sense, the digests serve as a record of our work and a reminder of the lessons they are carrying forward from their commitment and effort.

In my experience, you just know. Usually, the issue that brought you has been addressed to your satisfaction, and you may feel ready to take some action on your own and see where it takes you. Often, clients have learned enough about themselves to be able to identify their emotions more readily, see patterns they are sometimes caught in, and coach themselves.

Sometimes, what brought you to coaching may reveal a deeper question you are facing. You can always decide if/when you want to go further, or if you need to pause. You are in charge, as the client, of the coaching agenda and the pace.