One of the fundamental principles of coaching is that you can only coach who’s in the room. In other words, it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of time talking about the boss, the spouse, the colleague: we can only coach the client.
Inevitably, clients do talk about other people during sessions, and understanding what a client is experiencing in their work and home life is essential context for doing this work. But coaching is for You, the person in the session.
You’re the one who scheduled the session and showed up.
You’re the one who knows your own priorities.
You’re the one who gets to choose what you want to work on.
You’re the one who gets to set boundaries, and hold them.
You’re the one who wants something to change.
Progress may be only tiny steps forward. But they’re your steps.
