I've been putting some thought into how to describe transformational coaching. After all, I was a bit of an eye-roller until I had coaching myself. Then something occurred to me which really resonated.

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I have struggled with chronic pain for 35 years. I’ve got scoliosis – a wonky spine – which makes me

lop-sided and has given me pain of one sort or another for as long as I can remember. 

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Physiotherapists are like my guardian angels. They’ve worked with me time and time again, on stuff ranging from twinges to utterly immobilising pain, nudging me towards making my own decisions and motivating myself to swim, or go to yoga or pilates classes to manage the pain. I’m even now working towards a career where I sit less, now I know that life is virtually pain-free if I spend some of my day walking. 

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As I work with more clients, I see transformational coaching as physiotherapy for the soul. I’m not giving clients instructions. We work out what the issue is together, they decide where they want to go and put in the work to get there. 

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It’s a long time since I took painkillers for back pain. I know I’ve got all the tools I need. Likewise, we can all develop tools to get where we want to go with careers and life more generally, and transformational coaching can identify what’s holding us back, set a direction and keep us on track.