The Masterful Coach’s Secret to Growth

Spring is upon us! Seems like only yesterday, I was googling “how many blankets can I put in my 2-year old’s crib”, and now we’re wearing shorts and t-shirts. 

Spring is a paradox. On one hand, it's a season of awakening—flowers bloom, energy builds, calendars fill. On the other, it’s a time of transition—a reminder that growth happens in cycles, with moments of expansion and contraction, with peaks and valleys, with breakdowns and breakthroughs.

For coaches, this season can present a unique challenge: Do we lean into the momentum and our BHAGs and the hustle, or do we honor the pause?

In a world that rewards speed and doles out medals for busyness, we often assume that more—more action, more clients, more content, more hustle—equals progress. 

I know this isn’t new news to you, but consider that we’re so programmed with the hustle/busy/more cultural context, that it can be ingrained into our subconscious and drive us to create unintentional energy leaks (ever over-plan on a vacation? Yeah, that). And the opposite of busy isn’t complacency or apathy or sitting on the couch eating a pizza. 

Consider that a coach’s (or leader’s or parent’s or human’s) secret to growth is… INTENTIONALITY, which requires presence, pausing and spaciousness. 

Sometimes, the best way forward is to slow down before we can speed up.

The Power of Spaciousness in Coaching

IN FACT... it's a mark of MCC-level mastery in coaching, that the coach goes deep rather than goes fast. Depth, spaciousness, curiosity, partnership, and co-generating insights are a coaching session's backbone. 

Silence, spaciousness, allowing just a few more seconds of mental digestion… can be just as powerful as words or speed or doing.

There’s a moment in every coaching session where we feel the urge to jump in—whether to offer advice, fill a gap, or guide the client toward a resolution. But what happens when, instead, we catch ourselves through our self-awareness and pause?

What happens when we resist the urge to control the conversation and, instead, trust the process, ourselves, and the client (the foundation of Core Competency #1 and 2!)?

A simple shift—taking a breath, slowing down, and turning the moment back over to the client—can transform the depth and impact of a session. Instead of leading, we create space for co-creation.

Try asking:

• “How are we doing so far around your coaching request [or overall coaching goals]?”

• “I have some curiosities based on what was just said, but what do you see is important from here?”

  
  

This isn’t about doing less work; it’s about doing more of the right work.

Slowing Down as a Business Strategy

Beyond the coaching session, this principle applies to how we build our businesses and lives.

Too often, we move straight from performance to burnout, skipping the crucial phase of recovery. Rich Litvin’s article about “the secret to high performance is managing your energy” reminds us that sustainable success isn’t about constant action—it’s about knowing when to pause, reflect, and recalibrate.

Recovery doesn’t have to mean a week-long vacation. It can be:

• A blocked-off 30 minutes to step back and reassess your goals.

• A moment of breath before jumping into the next coaching session.

• An intentional pause before saying yes to the next big project, or sharing your opinion, or asking the next question.

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If we don’t build these pauses of intentionally, we will be forced to take them eventually—often at the cost of our energy, creativity, and passion.

Besides, your best ideas, clarity, and energy come after the pause—not before.

Slowing Down to Create Sustainability & Passion

One of the biggest wins from the IGNITE coaching program has been helping coaches reconnect with their coaching joy and passion. Embodying an MCC coaching mindset means being fully flexible, fully curious, fully open-minded, and fully client-centric in our coaching, allowing the “work to work”. It means exploring and aligning the core values of what we adore about the industry, with our unique values and skills, applied “on the field” with our coaching clients.

When we make space for presence and partnership—not just with our clients, but with ourselves—we have space to rediscover our artistry, wonder, curiosity, adventure, and fun of our craft. We then have the option to create a business that doesn’t just grow, but thrives because our JOY leads the way. 

“I felt so grateful for the power of the personal work in deepening, healing, heart opening and growth in all the various ways we each are doing it, because even when we can’t see it (the iceberg) we are truly expanding. From that we have access to MCC coaching and the scores are a matter of tweaking. MCC skills are learned by how we are living our lives and deepening ourselves, our relationships and our coaching (life’s classrooms) From there it’s tweaks and awareness of what assessors must see. Ignite is a potent and powerful amalgam of both, trusting each of us to keep deepening as we are taught tools. So grateful for ignite! What I have for myself then - and moving forward after ignite - is, again, this work (on self) truly matters. The tweaking for MCC scores come atop of that. By BEING MCC we make the world a better place.” C.N.

Coaching, and masterful coaching, is about growing as the client grows, growing as our business grows, and taking on a journey-mindset. The only way to sustain that process is through trusting ourselves, our client, and the process in a way that aligns our intentions with our attentions.

So, this spring, before rushing ahead, pause. Ask yourself:

• What is my true intention for this season or this session?

• Where can I invite more partnership and support?

• How can I integrate more breath, space, and presence into my business?

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Growth isn’t about force—it’s about flow. And sometimes, the best way to move forward is to simply slow down.

And speaking of growth… I have a new website on the rise!! Check out www.coachingwithlp.com at the end of April for the new launch and to learn more about the IGNITE 2026 Cohort for coaches seeking to hone their craft, grow in a community of skilled and caring coaches, and be championed in their life’s projects. 

With infinite love and an ignited soul, 

Lisa