“I Collaborate with Coaches and Individuals Who Are Highly Knowledgeable”

Kate Solovieva serves as a former psychology professor, a PN master coach, and the director of community engagement at PN. The aforementioned quote has become a distinctive phrase of hers. While Coach Kate has guided countless “ordinary” clients, her primary focus is on mentoring fellow coaches. In her role as an educator with PN’s Level 2 Master Health Coaching Certification, a moderator for PN’s exclusive online coaching communities, and as a coach in her personal practice, she has an up-close perspective of the inquiries and difficulties both novice and experienced coaches face. Coach Kate understands what other coaches are dealing with. She’s witnessed the triumphs and the missteps of thousands of coaches, and today, she will outline three typical errors she observes them making.

If there’s one thing Coach Kate desires, it’s to witness her colleagues achieve remarkable success, so her intent with this article is to assist coaches in:

• Ceasing to feel immobilized by fear and uncertainty—and beginning to grow their business
• Learning to view their clients with more objectivity, enabling them to best meet their needs and objectives
• Clearly defining their roles as a coach (hint: they’re not what many coaches believe them to be)
• Utilizing their inherent enthusiasm and commitment to a client’s success—without exhausting themselves

We will explore three prevalent coaching errors, alongside solutions to address them. Let’s dive in.

Coaching Error #1: Emphasizing Coaching Over Selling

Coach Kate likens a coaching business to a three-legged stool:

• One leg is for coaching (comprising your skills and expertise as a coach),
• A second leg for selling (which pertains to your capability to market and draw in a stream of clients), and
• A third leg is for administration (which encompasses how clients schedule appointments, process payments, and other organizational tools and systems).

“Most individuals entering the coaching field typically focus on the coaching leg,” states Kate. “They aspire to be the best coach possible, which is fantastic. However, to achieve that, information and theories alone have their limits.”

As Kate puts it, “You cannot reach your fullest coaching potential in isolation, speaking to yourself in your office.”

This is why she recommends against the urge many coaches have to wait until their knowledge feels “complete.” Instead, she encourages them to begin selling.

Coaches who initiate selling early also get to start coaching earlier. Over time, they will gain an edge over those who aspire to be “the BEST coach they can be” by acquiring 12 certifications prior to offering their services. In the meantime, the coach who “isn’t quite sure what they’re doing” but begins practicing anyway will start developing their business and their coaching expertise—and likely enhance their chances of overall success.

Solution: Approach Interactions as a COACH, Not an EXPERT

A common tendency among new coaches aiming to perform well is to collect those 12 certifications before they initiate coaching. “Sometimes we cling to the hope that we’ll reach a stage where we feel secure enough to handle any question that comes our way,” says Kate. Because, as every coach realizes, once you start telling people about your work, they will have inquiries. And often, they will ask questions you cannot address, which can feel uncomfortable… even mortifying.

(You’re meant to be the expert, right??)

Coach Kate notes that the aforementioned belief—that you are expected to be a definitive authority with all the answers—is founded on a flawed assumption.

“In my coaching conversations, my role is not that of ‘the expert,’” she says. Yes, coaches must engage in client interactions equipped with a fundamental understanding of nutrition. (For instance, if a client inquires about good protein sources, you should be prepared to list a few.) But