Coaches are called upon to play many roles in their work.
Here are three I find myself occupying frequently:
Fire tender. Many people show up with glowing embers—unmet desires, protean ambitions or a growing dissatisfaction. But they’re unsure how to breathe these embers into life. Sometimes they feel a growing heat in their bellies before their eyes have registered anything.
My job is to honour the ember—to witness its warmth, to grant it some air, and fan it into a confident flame.
People often come to coaching with a clear destination in mind—write the book, change careers, start the company. The goal is usually externally visible and socially legible.
But as we dig deeper it’s not really about the goal. It’s about confidence, boundaries or burnout. It’s about internal struggle and external distraction.
Coaches have a saying for this, to be delivered with a self-satisfied smile: coach the person, not the problem.