I was on a work call in my car, parked outside the daughter’s gymnastic class, trying to hide the fact that I was sitting in my car outside my office. My stomach was growling, my phone was at 9%, and I couldn’t remember if I had taken anything out for dinner. My calendar was full, my energy was gone, and I kept pushing through my day.
I wasn’t falling apart. I was functioning. I had a job I believed in, a family I adored, and friends who checked in when they could. But inside, I felt like I was failing everyone, including myself.
The fact that I was struggling, not happy with much and not being present was not helpful for anyone. I really could have used a coach.
But back then, I didn’t know what coaching really was. I had not heard of it until end of me working fulltime and then I only heard that the executives had a coach. I never heard that the Directors or independent contributors had one. I only knew of therapy and digging up my childhood traumas was not helping me learn how to move forward. I had talked about this before and got to a place I felt good. It was not moving me forward. If anything, keeping me in the time deficit.
I needed coaching but never thought it was something for me. Why? Because it is a form of support that meets you where you are and helps you move forward. It’s not about fixing you. It’s about helping you hear your own voice again and help you move forward.
If I’d worked with a career coach, I might have stopped job-hopping from one nonprofit to another, trying to escape board conflicts I didn’t know how to navigate. Instead of fleeing, I could have explored what wasn’t working, learned tools to manage challenging personalities, and found my confidence as a leader.
A life coach could have helped me make sense of the daily overwhelm. S/he could have guided me to pause, reflect, and redefine what success looked like during that season of life. Not just getting through the day but living it.
A relationship coach might have helped me better understand how to refill my own cup so I could show up for my partner, instead of waiting for him to notice I was drowning. With some support, I could’ve learned to communicate my needs instead of burying them under the dinner dishes and PTO emails.
It’s easy to think ‘oh what could have been’ now and think that I would have been the patient mother with a calm temper if I only knew. Maybe I would be and maybe not.
But what I really want to share is this: I know that coaching work. In my ‘new’ life, now that I am wiser, I now experienced coaching and I am different. It helped me see things I did not see before. It helped me advocate for myself. I have provided me with the clarity to move forward. I see that I am moving towards my goals, and I have more energy because I am excited.
And it’s not just for a particular type of person. It’s for anyone who wants to feel a little less stuck and a little more themselves.
Unlike therapy, which is beautiful and necessary for healing the past, coaching is rooted in the present and focused on your future. It’s goal-driven and action-oriented. You show up as you are, and the coach walks beside you, asking the kinds of questions that make things click in a new way.
And here’s the thing I wish more women knew:
There’s a coach out there for whatever you’re navigating. Career transitions. Burnout. Confidence. Motherhood. Dating again. Big dreams. Hard choices. A good coach won’t give you the answers but will help you discover your own. That’s where the magic is.
If you’re curious but don’t know where to begin, there are platforms that can help you explore the different types of coaching and get matched with someone who fits your needs. You can start small just a get to know you call and see how it feels. It’s not a lifelong commitment. It’s a choice to invest in clarity and momentum.
If coaching had been more visible to me in my earlier years, I would’ve spent a lot less time doubting myself and a lot more time living with intention, energy, and peace.
So if you’re reading this and feeling the familiar tug of “something has to give,” consider this your invitation. Coaching isn’t about having it all together. It’s about finally having space to sort through what matters and move forward, on your terms.
You don’t have to carry it all alone. And you definitely don’t have to figure it all out without support.
Start where you are. Ask yourself what kind of change you're craving. Then find someone who is properly trained as a coach and certified to walk with you as you create it.
Because the truth is, you deserve support that actually supports you. And coaching just might be the thing that helps everything shift.
