FAQs
Please contact me if you cannot find an answer to your question!
How does your coaching work?
Our interaction is set up for you to experience meaningful growth by exploring your different territories and frontiers for progress in ways that are important to you - there are many ways and territories such as goals, blockers, mindsets, emotions, narratives, beliefs, metaphors coherence, and internal / external relationships. We approach initial sessions as experiments to find what modes of support work well, and to find a groove. This means trying different approaches, troubleshoot and having regular 'meta' or check-in sessions. Some strategies won't resonate with you and that's very normal and encouraged to allow us to engage in quick and regular feedback loops to discuss what's working, what's not, and hone in on what works best for you. Even when things do click, it can be challenging to implement them outside of coaching sessions. A coach is fully dedicated to understanding your needs and helping you achieve the life you desire by listening attentively and offering tailored guidance that works best for you. Together, we will embark on a journey and explore areas which you meaningfully want to grow in. I strive to support you at every step.
Is it confidential?
100% confidential. What happens and is said in our sessions stays in our sessions, with the usual exceptions of safeguarding and such, just like seeing a therapist or other health professional.
How much does your coaching cost?
My current indicative rate ranges between £90 - £120/hr.
I maintain a sliding scale and special rates to account for my coachees' personal and financial circumstances, especially those working in scalable social good in the world, such as in or adjacent to Effective Altruism/rationality communities, and similar social enterprise projects. Please feel free to get in touch with me regardless! I really want to support those doing good in the world, and I try to be flexible with payment if the relationship seems worthwhile!
Is coaching worth it?
Absolutely, if you find a coach that suits you. While seeking self-help or advice from a wise friend is often a great first step, it can be difficult when getting out of a rut, overwhelming or challenging for a number of reasons, such as finding help that really resonates with your context, or how it cashes out to action in real life. It can also be hard to identify your blindspots such as subconscious narratives and difficult emotions alone. The right coach for you can help in many directions and domains, such as offering insightful questions, new perspectives, embodiment experiences, frameworks and tools.​ By exploring challenging problem areas that may feel knotty or unclear with the support of a professional coach it can bring greatly rewarding markers of 'levelling up' such as clarity, peace, progress or greater joy and depth of experience. Think of coaching as a journey through uncharted territory with a skilled navigator by your side. Your coach has the expertise and tools to guide you, helping you to identify where you are, uncover any blockers, and create a roadmap to reach your desired destinations, without it getting overwhelming or impractical. With a coach's guidance, you can overcome the barriers, and take steps that actually help, and start to manifest the things that really matter to you.
How long does it take to see results?
In short, quick wins and anywhere with clear frontiers can see results after a single session, but it varies because: 1. Everyone is different, with different contexts, perceptions, worldviews etc 2. Each person can relates to the same domain very differently, the developmental arcs, based on the factors above A more detailed answer: There are several factors influencing seeing 'results': 1. The nature of the topic area subject matter e.g. size and complexity, and the expectations around seeking resolution. E.g. it can take time to identify or reveal 'low hanging fruits' if in a web of other issues because the one problem is not actually isolated. Or, 'pulling the thread' reveals several inter-related knots (e.g. this is often the schema with seemingly productivity-related issues). Deeper knots may point towards emotional coherence seeking, or subconscious work (e.g. narratives, beliefs, scary emotions etc). This may not be endorsed / tractable / trusted to explore from the outset. Or, it may take much longer as the right environment or openness to new perspectives is needed. E.g. "why would I want to talk about my childhood fears [x] when I have a problem [with productivity]"? Instead a willingness to go recursively *deeper* could look like: "a problem with my [manager's expectations] > *deeper* "wanting to [impress X]" > *deeper* "wanting [my bids for respect and acceptance to be met]" > *deeper* "wanting [unconditional love and warmth]" etc. 2. From experience, deeper and more vulnerable topics tend to come with building rapport and trust in coaching. This varies due to many dependent factors given in points below. 3. Intensity of the relationship to subject matter. E.g. for the same topic, client A may find it as 'heavier work', or have to try unfamiliar, not endorsed approaches (like introspection, Focussing) or uncovers / processes the 'highly-charged' subject matter. Whereas client B may find the subject matter as 'lighter work': E.g. relates to it on a more tangible or surface level. Or, the 'emotional charge' may have reduced over time if previous work has been done to tackle it. Or, a long time has elapsed since the event. 4. Progress depends on the client's starting point, framing of coaching and how they show up to coaching sessions: - The mental mode, emotional and physical state in each session - Pre-existing beliefs towards, and prior good/bad experience of coaching as a barometer for what to expect with my coaching - The client's coaching goals and current starting position e.g. the clarity had on the problems - The level of commitment and buy-in to taking ownership of progress / taking action. - The motives and intention of each coachee is different: Some are very eager, open, and 'sandbox' the session. Some hold fears, self-deceive or struggle to articulate or locate root-cause cruxes, some may be content not going to root causes but may be disappointed at the reward at the shallow- end. - Worldviews and expectations also play a big part in conceptions of progress - (rationalist, post-rationalist, spiritual or otherwise openness to new experiences in general) 5. Preferences with session cadence: e.g. coachee A may want to define a slower pace and digest small, first steps to get back on top of things. But coachee B wants twice-weekly sessions and have an intensity of experience and regularity co-piloting the growth. N.b. to help achieve results, finding regularity of sessions that works well for you is really important to maintain a grounding/feeling of progress (usually this is fortnightly or weekly). This continuity increases the likelihood of building coaching rapport and a dynamic that unlocks new terrains, frontiers (possibilities for growth) over time.
What is the format of a coaching session?
Coachees have varying preferences when it comes to this: Some prefer a more structured approach with an agenda, topics, notes, and homework, while others prefer a more open format. During the introduction call, we discuss these preferences and the reasons why coachees are seeking help. However, these preferences may become clearer as we progress through the coaching process. To ensure adequate time for context gathering and in-depth discovery, coaching sessions usually start with a 90-minute session. To promote consistency and progress, we usually meet every fortnight or at least monthly. As we progress, session length and frequency can be adapted to cater to the coachee's evolving needs.
How does payment work?
