My Philosophy
You're Already Whole and Complete
It's easy for coaching to reinforce a belief that there's something that needs to be fixed, improved or changed. And while clients might start with that belief, coaching shouldn't reinforce it. Otherwise, it's easy to get stuck in a loop of continual self-improvement traps, constantly striving to reach some faraway future destination that never seems to get any closer.
My coaching philosophy takes a different approach, grounded in phenomenology, existentialism, and ontology. It starts with a belief that you are already whole and complete, that there isn't anything that is lacking or deficient. You are not a problem to be solved or something needing improvement.
The Self-Improvement Paradox
This might sound counterintuitive, especially if you're looking for a coach to help you, for example, to become more confident, less stressed, a better leader, or to get promoted.
Here's the paradox I've noticed: When we approach these desires from a place of 'fixing' or 'improving,' we often create more of what we're trying to escape. A stressed person trying to become less stressed can end up more stressed by their efforts. Or a leader trying to be more confident could become more self-conscious. Ironically, the more we try to improve, the more we believe that needs to be improved, thus the endless cycle.
Uncovering, Not Adding
Instead, I invite clients to pause and explore what's already present. Often, what you're seeking—confidence, ease, authentic leadership—is already there, but obscured by habitual ways of being or thinking that no longer serve you. Rather than adding something new, you're uncovering what's already there. Uncovering enables us to be curious about what we're not seeing and to invite it to emerge in the space we create between us when we're truly open and present.
This means that I don't focus on the 'quick fix' approach that can come from collecting tools, frameworks, or models. Instead, I approach a client's aspirations differently; not as evidence of inadequacy, but as expressions of your deeper wisdom about how you want to dwell in the world.
Why Phenomenology?
Phenomenology is the study of lived experience - how we actually experience being in the world, rather than how we think about it or analyse it from the outside.
When we pause to notice how we're actually experiencing this moment - the weight in our shoulders, the mood that colours our perception, the stories we tell ourselves about who we need to be - we create space for something different to emerge.
This is why phenomenology matters for transformation: change happens not through analysing our problems or collecting new techniques, but through deepening awareness of how we're being in the world right now. Once we see clearly what was hidden, transformation unfolds naturally.
The Shift: From Isolated Individual to Being-in-the-World
Through a systemic lens, we focus on how you are being-in and connected to the world and systems around you, rather than looking at you as an isolated individual. Your challenges, aspirations, and patterns exist in relationship to others, to your circumstances, to your history, to the future you're projecting.
In our coaching relationship, rather than relying on techniques or frameworks, we create a space where your truth can emerge. Transformation happens in the relationship between us, in the quality of presence and attention we bring to your lived experience.
What This Means for How We Work Together
Rather than setting goals or solving problems, we explore your lived experience through six interconnected domains: embodiment, attunement, language, relationality, temporality, and presence.
As awareness of these domains deepens, new possibilities naturally unfold. The shift doesn't come from doing something new—it comes from seeing something that was always there but hidden. Once seen, acknowledged, and understood, transformation emerges.
This approach often creates more sustainable change because it's grounded in who you already are, not who you think you should become.