Coaching with Confidence and Care

We all bring our own experiences, beliefs, and assumptions into coaching conversations, even when we genuinely intend to remain open, curious, and non-judgmental. Those assumptions might influence what we hear, the questions we ask, and the direction we take with our clients.
In this episode, let's explore how unconscious biases can show up in our coaching sessions. I'll share practical examples of common biases, how they can influence our coaching session flow, and what we can do to recognize and manage them more effectively.
In this episode, we'll look at:
Some of the most common unconscious biases and how they might sneak into our coaching conversations;
Some signs that our biases might be influencing the conversation;
Actions we can take when we catch ourselves making assumptions during a session;
Ways to get better at spotting and managing our own blind spots.
Having biases is part of being human. We can't expect to eliminate them entirely, and we don't need to become detached observers to be effective coaches. What matters is developing our ability to notice when our own thinking is influencing the conversation, question our interpretations, and remain open to experiences and perspectives that may be very different from our own.
I hope this episode gives you a few useful things to pay attention to in your coaching sessions.
Coming up next: Getting More Out of Mentor Coaching
How can you prepare for mentor coaching so you have something meaningful to explore? And how can you use those conversations to develop your coaching practice beyond simply meeting credentialing requirements? That's what we'll be discussing in the next episode.
Would you like to support the podcast?
Here's a donation link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/LiubovDiasamidze
Explore My Other Resources to Deepen Your Coaching Skills:
Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (https://upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc)
PCC Marker Demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9Layk-py8)
Conversations with Credentialed Coaches about Various Coaching Niches and Approaches (https://www.youtube.com/@upthinkcoaching)
Let's connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/luba-diasamidze/) or visit www.upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) — "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces" — begins in October 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.
 

Closing a coaching session can sometimes feel mechanical. There are quite a few things we may want to cover in the final minutes: progress towards the session goal, learning and takeaways, action steps, accountability, celebration, and the actual ending of the conversation. When we try to fit all of that into a short space of time, closure can easily turn into a checklist rather than a meaningful part of the coaching process.
In this episode, let’s look at how to make session closure more organic and developmental. I talk about closure as an opportunity to help clients integrate what has emerged during the session, understand what has shifted, and consider how their learning may apply beyond the particular situation they brought to coaching.
I’ll share my thoughts on:
How to make session closure feel organic rather than like ticking boxes;
How to use closure to integrate learning and support the client’s development;
How to recognize when a client is ready to close, even when there is still time left;
How to work with progress when the original session goal has not been fully achieved.
I hope this episode helps you see session closure as an important part of the coaching itself: a space where clients can make sense of what happened, recognize what they are taking with them, and decide what they want to do with it once the conversation ends.
Coming up next: Unconscious Biases in Coaching.
We’ll look at the assumptions, preferences, and automatic judgments we may bring into a coaching conversation without necessarily being aware of them. We’ll explore how these biases can influence what we notice and overlook, the questions we ask, and the direction the conversation takes, as well as what we can do as coaches to become more aware of our own filters.
Would you like to support the podcast?
 Here’s a donation link: support the podcastExplore My Other Resources to Deepen Your Coaching Skills:
Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (https://upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc )
PCC Marker Demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9Layk-py8)
Conversations with Credentialed Coaches about Various Coaching Niches and Approaches (https://www.youtube.com/@upthinkcoaching )
 Let’s connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

Coaching supervision may be perceived as a way to troubleshoot difficult coaching cases or check whether a coach is working correctly. In reality, supervision is not an inspection of your coaching, but a space to look at your practice with fresh eyes, explore what is happening in the work, and develop a greater capacity to notice, reflect, and make responsible professional decisions.
In this episode, let’s look at how supervision can support professional development, ethical and responsible practice, and the coach’s own emotional experience of the work. I talk about the functions of supervision, what topics you can explore, what to expect from a supervision session, how to choose a supervisor, and how to prepare by developing a regular habit of reflection.
I’ll share my thoughts on:
What coaching supervision is and how it works;
What kinds of situations, questions, and emotional responses you can bring;
What to expect from a supervision session and how to choose a supervisor;
Reflective practice habits that can help you prepare for supervision.
I hope this episode gives you a clearer sense of what supervision can offer and helps you approach your own practice with greater curiosity, honesty, and depth.
Coming up next: Closing a Coaching Session.
We’ll explore how to bring a coaching session to a close in a way that feels complete and genuinely useful for the client. We’ll look at how to balance depth with enough space to process, when to use a question, summary, or invitation to action, and how to avoid both rushing the client out and turning the final minutes into another coaching session. We’ll also consider how the ending can support the client’s learning rather than simply mark the point where the clock runs out.
Enjoy Other Free Materials for Coaches:
Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching: https://www.upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc
PCC Marker Demo: https://www.upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session
“Conversation with Coaches” interview series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@upthinkcoaching
Let’s connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

Silence in coaching is often described as “giving the client space,” but that explanation only touches the surface. A pause can represent many different processes: reflection, emotional processing, emerging awareness, resistance, uncertainty, or a moment when a client reaches the edge of what they are able to articulate.
In this episode, I explore silence as a micro-process within the coaching relationship. We look at how coaches can notice what happens before, during, and after a pause: what the client may be moving towards or avoiding, how the relational context shapes the meaning of silence, and how staying with silence can be developmental for clients, especially in leadership/executive coaching.
We also examine the coach’s own experience of silence. The difficulty is often not knowing what question to ask next, but tolerating not knowing, lack of control, and the absence of immediate evidence that we are being useful. Developing comfort with silence is ultimately about expanding our capacity to stay present with complexity.
I’ll share my thoughts on:
Different functions of silence;
How to recognize when silence is creating deeper client processing versus when the client is becoming disconnected;
Why silence can be particularly developmental for leaders;
How a coach can use their non-verbal presence during silence;
Questions coaches can use in supervision to examine how they respond to silence.
I hope this episode helps you become more confident in working with silence.
Coming up next:
Preparing for Coaching Supervision. We’ll explore how to make most of coaching supervision: not only bringing challenging moments from coaching sessions, but also examining your relationships with clients, sponsors, colleagues, and the wider context of your practice. We’ll look at what is worth bringing to supervision, how to recognize meaningful patterns, and how this reflective space can support you in becoming a more aware and effective practitioner.
Let’s connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

Being supportive is an essential part of coaching, and helping someone doesn't always mean agreeing, reassuring, or making the conversation comfortable. Sometimes the most useful thing we can do for a client is to be more courageous in how we interrupt patterns that are keeping them stuck.
In this episode, I explore what it actually means to challenge a client productively without turning the conversation into confrontation. I share how I think about the relationship between support and challenge, what helps me decide when a client is ready for a stretch, and how I work with the relational risks that can come with being more direct.
We also look at the difference between a courageous challenge that serves the client and a coach satisfying their own need to be insightful, useful, or right. Challenge only works well as an intervention when there is enough trust, presence, and genuine care underneath it.
I’ll share my thoughts on:
How to recognize moments when a client may benefit from being challenged;
Different ways to challenge, from naming discrepancies to relational interventions;
When challenge is more likely to be counterproductive;
How to navigate rupture when a challenge lands harder than intended;
How coaches can gradually develop more confidence with courageous and direct conversations.
I hope this episode gives you some practical ideas for expanding your range as a coach and finding your own balance between support and challenge.
Coming up next:The Power of Silence in Coaching. We’ll explore silence not simply as a pause between questions, but as an intentional intervention that can create space for reflection, deeper awareness, and insights that may not emerge through words alone.
Let’s connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

Preparing for the ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC-MCC Exam) can feel overwhelming, especially when in scenario-based questions several answers seem reasonable. If you've ever wondered how to think your way through the exam instead of memorizing competencies, this episode is for you.
In this episode, I share the approach and the way of thinking we've used at UpThink Coaching to help many of our graduates successfully prepare for their PCC credential. Rather than focusing only on what to study, we explore the logic behind the exam, the coaching mindset it assesses, and practical ways to develop the discernment needed to identify the most and least aligned responses. This is my personal opinion and experience, not official guidelines, so use your judgment to pick what’s most helpful to you.
Whether you're preparing for the current scenario-based exam or the redesigned version that will include both knowledge-based and situational judgment questions, the principles discussed here will remain highly relevant.
I’ll share my ideas about:
Understanding the logic behind the exam;
Preparing physically, mentally, and emotionally for exam day;
Developing discernment to choose the most aligned and least aligned answer.
I hope this episode helps you approach the exam with greater confidence and a clearer understanding of what the ICF is really assessing.
If you found this episode helpful, please share it with another coach who is preparing for their credentialing exam. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you don't miss future episodes exploring most common topics that arise in coach training, mentoring and supervision.
Coming up next:Coaching Courageously: Using Challenge as a Coaching Intervention. We'll explore how thoughtful challenge can deepen awareness, strengthen the coaching relationship, and become a powerful catalyst for meaningful change without becoming confrontational.
Other Relevant Materials:
FREE Mock Credentialing Exam: https://app.podia.com/products/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc
PCC Marker Demo Session (with markers identified): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9Layk-py8
Podcast episode about the ICF Core Competencies' Update: https://upthinkcoachingpodcast.podbean.com/e/icf-core-coaching-competencies-update-2025/
Let’s connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.
 

If the word "marketing" makes you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you're definitely not alone. Many coaches struggle with visibility, self-promotion, consistency, or the belief that marketing somehow requires them to become someone they are not.
In this episode, I share some personal reflections on how my relationship with marketing has evolved over the years and what helped me approach it in a way that feels more authentic, sustainable, and aligned with how I want to show up as a coach.
I'm not a marketing expert, and this is not an episode about strategies, funnels, or hacks. Rather, it's an invitation to view marketing through a relational lens and to see it as an extension of the same qualities we bring into coaching: curiosity, care, empathy, and genuine interest in people.
You'll hear about:
Why many coaches struggle with marketing and why I don't see those struggles as personal flaws;
How viewing marketing as relationship-building changed the way I approach visibility and consistency;
Why getting clearer about who benefits most from working with you can make articulating your value much easier;
How thoughtful marketing can normalize clients' experiences and help them feel seen and understood;
How visibility can become a developmental practice and an opportunity to cultivate the same capacities we often help our clients develop.
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another coach who may be trying to find a more human and authentic way to approach marketing.
And if you haven't already, subscribe so you don't miss future episodes, especially if you're interested in the deeper, relational, and emotionally informed side of coaching.Coming up next:Preparing for the ICF Credentialing Exam. Don't miss it if the exam is part of your development plan in the coming months.
Let’s connect!
Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that.
DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs.
Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in September, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November.
Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

In this episode, I’m talking about one of the more uncomfortable dynamics in coaching: working with disengaged, resistant, or uncooperative clients.
Many coaches take client disengagement personally or immediately assume something is “wrong” with the coaching process. But very often, resistance communicates something important about the client’s experience, the organizational context, the coaching relationship, or the way change itself is being perceived. My perspective is that disengagement should be treated as process information rather than personal failure.
I wanted to approach this topic with more nuance and compassion, especially in organizational coaching where sponsorship dynamics, psychological safety, performance pressure, and lack of choice can significantly influence engagement.
I talk about:
Why clients may resist or disengage in coaching sessions, especially in organizational settings;
Why over-functioning as a coach can unintentionally increase client passivity;
The importance of rapport, transparency, and clarifying coaching expectations early on;
How coaches may unknowingly contribute to resistance;
What relational dynamics may actually be communicating;
How to address ruptures in the coaching relationship instead of avoiding them.
I share reflections from my own coaching practice, including situations where clients openly questioned the value of coaching, struggled to trust the process, or participated without genuine buy-in. These moments can feel uncomfortable, but they often contain valuable information about how people experience support, authority, vulnerability, and change.
This episode is also an invitation to approach resistance with more curiosity instead of defensiveness. Sometimes the most productive thing a coach can do is slow down, acknowledge what is happening relationally, and create space for an honest conversation about the process itself.
If you work with leaders, organizational clients, or simply want to develop a more relational approach to coaching, this episode will give you practical ideas for navigating disengagement without collapsing into rescuing, over-control, or self-doubt.
In the next episode, we’ll continue the theme of resistance from a different angle. We’ll talk about coaches’ relationship with marketing and why so many well trained and highly skilled practitioners still struggle to talk about their work openly. I’ll share some reflections on how marketing often becomes emotionally loaded, what helped me rethink it in a healthier way, and how to communicate your value without feeling fake, pushy, or transactional.
Enjoy other free materials:
Free Coaching Course for People Leaders:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders
Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc
PCC Marker Demo:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session
Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth):
ACC Path:https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/
PCC Path:https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/

In this episode, I’m talking about energy shifts in coaching and what it actually means to work with them in a grounded, non-mystical way. For many coaches, this can feel unclear or even a bit uncomfortable. You might notice something change in the session, but then question yourself: did something really shift, is it relevant, or am I overinterpreting?
Let’s bring more precision to this.
Energy shifts are not about guessing or intuition in a vague sense. They are part of process information — observable changes in how the client is engaging in the moment. This can show up in pacing, tone, pauses, level of engagement, or emotional activation.
I talk about:
What energy shifts actually are and how to recognize them through observable, in-the-moment cues;
Why process information matters just as much as content for coaching outcomes;
How working with shifts supports deeper awareness and emotional processing;
The link between noticing shifts and strengthening the coaching relationship;
What happens when shifts are missed or ignored in a session.
I share a few practical principles and also walk through real examples of how subtle changes in a client’s energy can open up deeper, more meaningful work, if you stay with them.
If you want to move beyond content-focused coaching and develop more precision in how you work with what is happening in the session itself, this episode will give you a clear and practical way to approach it.
In the next episode, we’ll look at a different challenge: working with uncooperative or disengaged clients. Stay tuned.
 
Enjoy other free materials:
Free Coaching Course for People Leaders:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders
Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc
PCC Marker Demo:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session
Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth):
ACC Path:https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/
PCC Path:https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/
 

In this episode, I’m talking about measuring coaching results and how to know if your work is actually effective.
If you’re newer, this can be especially tricky. You don’t yet have a long track record, and it’s not always clear what you can confidently say about outcomes. So you hesitate or default to vague language, which does not sound convincing.
Let’s look at what actually drives coaching effectiveness. It’s not just what the coach does. It’s a combination of client readiness, coach capability, the quality of the relationship, and the client’s real-life context.
I talk about:
What “ready for coaching” really means and how to recognise it during discovery calls;
A range of factors that make a difference to results;
The role of the working alliance (the coaching relationship);
How context (timing, environment, support) can either support or block change;
What levels of results you can observe.
And I touch on how to use pre–post comparisons without turning coaching into evaluation, so you can track progress without losing the quality of the relationship.
If you want a clearer way to talk about results and to understand what’s really changing for your clients, this episode will give you a practical structure to work with.
In the next episode, we’ll talk about “energy shifts” in coaching: what that actually means and how to work with it.
Enjoy other free materials:
Free Coaching Course for People Leaders:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders
Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc
PCC Marker Demo:upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session
Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth):
ACC Path:https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/
PCC Path:https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/