There are many versions of coaching that exist in our world today, and I think it's important to define my approach within the context of advice and mentorship. The landscape of personal development has become increasingly crowded, with various modalities overlapping and sometimes blurring together. My coaching practice has been profoundly shaped by Ed Batista and Martha Beck—teachers of mine whose philosophies have helped me craft an approach that honors intuitive wisdom while providing practical frameworks for transformation. Their influence weaves through my work, informing both methodology and presence.
My journey into coaching has been woven with threads of deep inquiry, personal transformation, and a reverence for human potential. Along this path, I've come to understand coaching as a distinct practice—one that exists in relationship with, yet separate from, its kindred approaches of mentorship and advising.
Coaching, at its essence, is an art of presence and discovery. As a coach, I don't position myself as the holder of answers, but rather as a companion in exploration—someone who cultivates the fertile soil where your own insights can take root and flourish. The coaching relationship creates a sacred container where questions become pathways, where reflection leads to revelation, and where possibility expands beyond familiar horizons. In a sense I am guiding my client towards a deeper articulation of their true voice, and a broader understanding of their inner knowing.
What draws me to coaching is witnessing the moment when a client encounters their own wisdom—that instant when something shifts, not because I've suggested it or directed it, but because together we've created the conditions for emergence. In our work, I bring tools of inquiry, frameworks for understanding, and a quality of attention that illuminates what might otherwise remain hidden from view.
While mentorship offers the gift of modeled experience and advising provides the clarity of expert guidance, coaching honors the inherent wisdom that already lives within you. The mentor says "follow my path," the advisor says "consider this direction," but the coach asks "what path is calling to you, beneath the noise and expectations?"
In my practice, I recognize that these approaches aren't rigidly separated—there are moments when sharing an experience (mentorship) or offering a resource (advising) serves your journey. Yet these moments remain in service to the core coaching relationship—one built on the foundational belief that you are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole.
My approach to coaching has been shaped by teachers who emphasized deep listening, by traditions that honor the wisdom of the body, and by my own experiences of transformation through powerful questions rather than prescribed answers. Each session becomes a collaboration—a dance between structure and emergence, between the known and the yet-to-be-discovered.
What continues to inspire my devotion to this craft is witnessing clients recognize their own capacity to author their lives with greater intention, awareness, and authenticity. The coach doesn't create this capacity, but rather helps clear away what obscures it, revealing the brilliance that has always been present. In this way, my own journey of growth intertwines with those I serve—as I witness others uncovering their wisdom, my understanding of this sacred practice continues to deepen and evolve, much like a garden that becomes more abundant with each passing season.