Crossing the river: A coach becoming

It was unexpectedly difficult. I felt exposed, restless, vulnerable. And then . . . something shifted. The stillness became spacious. My breath slowed. I felt deeply connected without saying a word.

That one minute taught me something I hadn’t learned in over two decades of leadership: presence is impact.

Presence creates space. And space is where insight lives.

As a coach, I’ve seen how this presence helps clients slow down long enough to hear themselves—sometimes for the first time in a long time. In the absence of urgency or advice, they find clarity. They hear patterns. They uncover what matters most.

That moment of presence can be the spark that unlocks potential. And when leaders operate with that kind of clarity, business results follow.

Curiosity: Holding the Mirror, Not the Answer

Another shift for me has been from knowing to wondering.

In my past roles, I was expected to have the answers. In coaching, my role is to ask the questions that help clients see themselves more clearly.

One client described it as, "having someone hold up a mirror, but letting me decide what I see in it."

Coaching isn’t about steering someone toward a solution. It’s about creating the conditions for self-discovery. And that kind of discovery is powerful. It leads to ownership. To aligned action. To lasting transformation.

When leaders are coached through that lens, they don’t just solve problems; they grow into people who solve different, bigger, more meaningful problems. For themselves, for their teams, and for their organizations.

Crossing the River: What Comes Next

Right now, I’m in the water with many braided channels ahead of me and no far bank in sight - feet wet, lessons still settling, but eyes up and forward.

I’ve been changed by this experience. I’ve learned how to be present without fixing. Curious without controlling. Still without stalling.

And I bring those ways of being into every coaching conversation now.

Each client I work with is navigating their own river. Some are facing rapids of complexity, others are stuck on a sandbar of self-doubt. My job isn’t to carry them across. It’s to help them see the crossings they didn’t know were there.

So here’s to the quiet power of becoming. To the co-creative work of leadership. To the clients I’ve yet to meet. And to the journeys ahead, on both sides of the river.

If you're a leader navigating change, complexity, or growth - what crossing lies ahead for you?