[Newsletter] The Smartest Coach in the Room

Do you care too much? Every Saturday, The Smartest Coach in the Room delivers helpful takeaways on the hottest nutrition and health topics and the world’s most effective coaching techniques. (Did some amazing friend forward this to you? [Subscribe here]( Empathy is essential to successful coaching. (Thanks, common sense.) But now, we also have receipts to back that statement up. [A GIF of a woman showing a paper receipt.] Recently, we conducted a large-scale, global survey involving over five thousand health and fitness professionals. Our participants answered questions about their income, levels of job satisfaction, years in the business, education level, and more. Additionally, we had each of them take an extensive personality inventory, to see if certain personality traits were linked to success (higher income and job satisfaction) in the health coaching industry. (BTW, if you want the report with all the findings, [you can download it for free here](. It’s pretty fascinating!) And we found… Coaches with higher levels of empathy were also more likely to be successful (with higher incomes and better overall job satisfaction). Makes sense: Empathy is the potential to perceive others’ feelings and read social cues—and obviously, this is critical to coaching, where rapport and a sense of trust and safety not only helps clients feel supported and willing to explore change, but also gets them better results. (In fact, research shows that up to 80 percent of a positive outcome in coaching and therapy is due to good rapport between the client and the practitioner.) But high empathy can also make coaching tough. The benefits of empathy likely exist on a bell curve: Having really low levels of empathy isn’t great. But as empathy gets higher, returns might diminish, especially in the extreme end. [A graph displaying the levels of empathy relative to their benefit to coaching.] There, empathy can become overwhelming, counterproductive, and contribute to compassion fatigue, a form of psychological “burnout” that occurs when someone is repeatedly exposed to the suffering of others. Are you giving / taking on too much? In life (and in coaching) a certain amount of pain is inevitable—and it’s often what motivates people to change, and what brings them to coaching. (So it can be a good thing.) But if you find yourself… 🫤 Trying to solve clients’ problems for them 🫤 Becoming (or feeling) responsible for clients’ growth, change, and development 🫤 Taking on clients’ “stuff”—worrying about it and holding on to it rather than just being a witness or companion along the journey 🫤 Not being able to be present with clients’ pain without panicking or feeling frustrated … Then you might be veering towards the right of that bell curve. Here’s what can help As a coach, you want to help. This is undoubtedly your strength. But without awareness, good boundaries, and appropriate recovery, it can also be a weakness. If you’re a high-empathy coach who’s starting to feel crushed under the weight of your caseload, here are some things to try: INSTEAD OF… CHOOSE TO… Being the expert Appear naive; ask clarifying questions Engage client as “the expert” in their own lives, helping them find solutions Telling someone what to do Use a curious command: “I wonder if trying X might be an option…” Using “we” language Use “you” language; have the client determine their next action (“I’m curious: What would you propose to try to deal with this?”) Always answering decisively when asked, “What do you think I should do, Coach?” Try saying “That’s a tough one... what are some of your ideas?” Even if you do offer suggestions, conclude with their role in taking action: “Now that I’ve suggested X and Y, what might your next steps be?” Being “always on” and constantly available (literally or emotionally) Set clear boundaries on availability: “Our session time is XYZ.” Have rituals of detachment (at the end of the day, purposely close your laptop and say “I’m done,” and/or go for a walk) Turn off notifications; have separate email / messaging accounts for work and personal life Purposely “fill your tank” (clients will often seem much worse if YOU are depleted) Trying to fix problems outside of scope Set boundaries on scope and consider referring out: “Our work together involves X, but I can see Y is also contributing. Are you interested in a referral who might be helpful with Y?” Find a balance Interestingly, although it was a small correlation, an analysis of our survey results also showed that coaches who were less accommodating (i.e. had a lower compulsion to help) had higher rates of financial success. So, while empathy is essential to good coaching, a certain level of healthy detachment might be beneficial for you, your clients, and your business. You’re probably in this industry because you care. If getting the best coaching education matters to you too, check out our [Level 1 Nutrition Coaching Certification](. It combines the science of nutrition along with the art of coaching—so you can help people get great results, and take care of yourself too. [Become a Certified Nutrition Coach - Join the presale list for the #1 rated PN Level 1 Nutrition Certification]( Take care, Alex :) --------------------------------------------------------------- Alex Picot-Annand, PN2, Holistic Nutritionist Editorial Director Precision Nutrition Home of the world’s top nutrition coaches --------------------------------------------------------------- What did you think of this email? Precision Nutrition Business Insider's #1 Choice for Nutrition Certifications in 2022 --- To view this email as a web page, click [here.]( Precision Nutrition Inc. 18 King Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, ON, M5C 1C4, Canada Finally, nutrition makes sense. Visit us at [www.precisionnutrition.com]( today. Follow us on [Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences](