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In this episode of The Holistic Physician Coaching Podcast, Dr. Jessica Singh debriefs on her fifth coaching session with Dr. Mary and the unexpected pause that occurred midway through their coaching engagement.

After the loss of a family member, Dr. Singh made the decision to take one month off from coaching to prioritize time for healing with her family. The experience raised important questions about what happens when life interrupts a coaching engagement. How can coaches create space for their own needs while continuing to honor their commitments to their coachees? Dr. Singh reflects on the importance of planning for the unexpected, developing a trusted referral network, and considering how expectations around unexpected interruptions can be addressed within the coaching agreement.

The pause also offered an unexpected opportunity for Dr. Mary. Occurring midway through the coaching engagement, the hiatus gave her time to apply what she had explored in previous sessions, notice what she was sustaining independently, and identify where she might still want support. Dr. Singh reflects on the larger goal of coaching as supporting greater coachee independence and considers the value of recontracting midway through an engagement as the coachee’s circumstances, goals, and needs continue to evolve.

Another central theme of the debrief is welcoming emotions into the coaching space. Dr. Singh reflects on how coachees may not always recognize emotions as something they can bring into coaching and explores the coach’s responsibility to continually clarify what coaching can include. She discusses creating room for thoughts, feelings, and emotional experiences while remaining grounded within coaching scope of practice, as well as recognizing shifts in awareness and perspective as meaningful outcomes of a coaching conversation.

Dr. Singh closes the debrief by reflecting candidly on her own continued development as a coach. After listening back to the recorded session, she notices moments of question stacking, language that inadvertently places the coach into the conversation, and an instance of asking, “May I offer?” Her reflections lead to a larger question: What type of coach do you want to be, and how do you remain aligned with those values when professional environments or expectations encourage something different? Drawing from her own experience, Dr. Singh considers the distinction between coaching and advice-giving and the importance of self-awareness, reflection, mentorship, and continued growth in staying grounded in a coachee-centered approach.

This episode invites coaches to consider how they prepare for unexpected life events, support coachee independence, communicate the possibilities of coaching, and remain aligned with the values that guide the coach they want to become.

Timestamps

0:00 — Navigating an Unexpected Pause in a Coaching Engagement as a Coach

6:00 — What a Coaching Hiatus Can Reveal About Coachee Growth and Independence

11:00 — Welcoming Emotions Into the Coaching Space

15:00 — Coaching Self-Awareness and Staying Aligned With the Coach You Want to Be

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