What is coaching?
A partnership relationship
Coaching is founded above all on a relationship of trust. According to the ICF — International Coaching Federation — coaching is a partnership between the coach and the client, in a process of reflection and creativity that inspires the client to develop their personal and professional potential. It is designed to facilitate the creation or development of personal, professional or business-related goals, and to develop and implement a strategy to achieve them.
The framework of my work is defined by the ICF Core Competencies, which ensure internationally recognised ethical and professional standards. They guarantee that each session is conducted with respect for the client, their reality and their goals. You thus benefit from structured, caring support of certified quality. For me, they reflect a deep conviction: the coaching space must be safe, honest and entirely at the service of those who enter it.
It is essential to understand that a coach is not an expert who tells the client what to do. They are a partner who accompanies a process of personal reflection and change. The direction comes from the client, as does the essential part of the work — primarily between sessions, through continued reflection and the application of chosen changes.
This relationship is nevertheless crucial, for alone, one can only achieve limited change. Significant awareness and profound transformation arise from an outside perspective that allows us to discover what we are not conscious of. We can compare these unconscious elements to the blind spot we have on our retina: there is a precise point where we see nothing, without even being aware of it. We unconsciously fill this gap with what we assume to be correct, without ever questioning this substitution.
What coaching is not
Coaching is often confused with other forms of support. It is, however, clearly distinct from each of them.
Coaching is not therapy. Therapy generally works on past wounds, psychological disorders, deep suffering or dysfunction. Coaching, on the other hand, starts from the assumption that you are functioning well in your personal and professional life. It is oriented towards the present and the future, not towards healing the past. We are all the result of our past, and it can be useful to talk about it. However, coaching does not aim to repair what has developed poorly or has been traumatised at a psychological level. If elements relating to therapy emerge during the work, I will gladly refer you to an appropriate health professional.
Coaching is not consultancy. A consultant analyses your situation and recommends solutions. A coach does not tell you what to do. They help you find your own answers. It is your own answers that will durably anchor change.
Coaching is not mentoring. A mentor shares their experience and expertise in a specific field. A coach works on your thinking and decision-making process, independently of the field concerned. It is moreover often beneficial that the coach is not familiar with the specifics of that field: this distance nurtures a natural curiosity that opens the way to new ideas and unexpected paths.
What does a coaching journey look like in practice?
A coaching journey always begins with an initial exploratory meeting. It is an opportunity for us to meet, to understand what you are looking for, to answer your questions and to see if we would like to work together.
If we decide to continue, we define together the goals, the pace and the format of the sessions, as well as the estimated duration. These elements are not fixed: they can evolve throughout the journey, according to progress and needs. Each session generally lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. Sessions in nature or in a group are longer.
The number of sessions varies according to each person’s needs and goals. Some work over a few months, others over a longer period. There is no single formula.
Where and how we can meet
We adapt the setting of our meetings to what you want or need:
Online — for maximum flexibility, wherever you are in the world.
In person — for a direct encounter and human contact.
In nature — because paths, fresh air and movement often open inner spaces that four walls do not allow. Coaching in the Swiss landscapes or elsewhere is an option I am happy to offer.
In a group — for those who wish to explore these questions in the richness of a collective dynamic.
Let’s start by meeting
A free initial exploratory meeting, with no commitment required.