By Doris Efford, BetterYou.coach
In This Article:
If You’re Skeptical, That’s Smart.
You’re protecting your time, money, and energy—good. This page shows how to tell if coaching will actually help you right now. Reading it costs a few minutes; staying stuck can cost sleep, harmony at home or work, and missed opportunities.
If nothing changes, what’s the cost over the next 90 days? If one small thing changes each week, where would you feel it first—mornings, workload, or your own headspace?
The Real Question Isn’t “Does coaching work?” It’s “Will this work for me right now?”
Most women who land here are smart, overloaded, and done with hype. So let’s not mince words. We know coaching works. Every high performing athlete, speaker, executive, celebrity, etc. has a coach. That wouldn’t be the case if it didn’t work. Now will it work for you? The best and easiest way to know if coaching will work for you, is to book a free consultation.
Everyone falls somewhere on a spectrum from Not Ready → Ready → Making Progress → Coaching Success. In a consult, your coach helps locate where you are today so your next step fits YOUR real life.
Brand promise: At BetterYou.coach, we don’t push one-size-fits-all. We help you find what’s better for you (pun intended 😉)—and we’ll be honest if coaching isn’t the right tool right now.
What’s Involved in a Consultation?
You and your potential coach will meet over video call where you’ll discuss a number of things so the coach can determine what your roadmap might look like. Things like:
- Where you are right now
- Where you want to go
- Your ideas + questions
- Determine your best fit approach
- Give you an honest recommendation (including “not now,” if that’s wisest)
Then you decide—no pressure, ever.
If coaching is not for you, or not for you right now, we’ll say so and suggest other next steps. It is not ethical nor does it make any sense to trick you into investing into something that isn’t right for you.
When you win, we win. That matters because you matter.
Interested in Booking a Consultation?
Take our quiz to find your best fit coach,
then book your free consultation.
The 3 Big Worries With Coaching
(And What To Look For Instead)
1) “I can’t afford another thing that fizzles.”
Look for: A simple plan you can live with, and clear progress markers (behavior, stress, time, results).
How we do it: We co-design the experiment in Session 1 and agree how you’ll measure it. We tweak the plan each session until it works for you.
2) “I’m maxed out. I can’t add one more obligation.”
Look for: Right-sized support (session length, quick check-ins), options that fit your life, and flexibility (1-on-1 shines here).
How we do it: Tiny steps, visible wins, zero shame.
3) “I don’t want to be told what to do.”
Look for: Collaboration, more questions than lectures, choices—not orders, and explicit confidentiality/boundaries.
How we do it: We co-create plans and measure progress together.
What Good Coaching Feels Like
(So You Can Judge For Yourself)
Good coaching feels like relief and being seen. The noise in your head eases because you’re no longer juggling ten priorities—you’re holding one next step. You’re not a project to fix; you’re a person with real context. It’s safe to say the unsayable. Boundaries are clear, confidentiality is explicit, and “I don’t know yet” is welcome.
It also feels like agency and momentum. Instead of prescriptions, you leave with choices that fit your life—a tiny experiment you can actually run this week. The fog thins; you can name the friction and move through it. Proof shows up quietly: fewer open tabs, a kept boundary, a shorter rebound after hard days. Not a boss, not a cheerleader—an ally who tells the truth with care and celebrates repeatable progress.
If your experience doesn’t resemble this, it’s not you—it’s the approach.
A Quick Readiness Check
(No Gimmicks)
Say “yes” to most of these, and coaching usually lands:
- I can test one tiny change for 7–10 days.
- I am willing to make a little time weekly for self-improvement.
- I can be candid about what’s really going on.
- I’m okay being challenged—kindly.
- I can stick to one priority for now.
Mostly “not yet”? Wise. Stabilize first—or start lighter (a single consult; we’ll suggest next steps either way).
Three Clear “not now” Flags
- You want someone to do the work for you between sessions.
- Not willing to consider possibilities.
- It isn’t safe or possible to be open or honest (privacy, acute crisis). Coaching isn’t a substitute for therapy, crisis, or medical care.
Referral: We collaborate with Registered Therapeutic Counsellor Shelley McInroy and will refer when therapy is the safer step. Coaching can resume alongside or afterward as appropriate.
What Happens After the Consult?
- Start with a coach: if there’s a clear fit, we’ll outline session cadence and how progress is measured.
- Not now: we’ll give you safer next steps (resources, boundaries, supports) and invite you to circle back when ready.
- Compare coach styles? Try our Find Your Coach—Matchmaker Quiz to see which approach fits your preferences.
4 Questions To Ask Any Coach
- “How will we measure progress?”
Your coach should work WITH YOU to determine progress measurement that works for you. - “What happens between sessions?”
Look for right‑sized actions and options that fit your life. Your coach should work WITH YOU to determine these. - “What does not fit your scope?”
You want clear boundaries (that’s a green flag). - “What results has your approach yielded?”
Listen for reasonable experience (seeking honesty with results and success from failure)
How we work (briefly)
- Human‑first: we match tools to your context (neurotype, culture, caregiving, energy).
- Small bets → big change: micro‑experiments you can work with consistently.
- Transparent fit‑check: if it’s not right now, we’ll say so—and suggest next steps.
Of course there’s a lot more to this and it varies slightly from coach-to-coach but since you’re not here for a book, this is it in a nutshell.
Prefer a human read?
If you’re not comfortable with the quiz, have questions, or just want to talk to a real human to figure out who you want to meet with, then email Coach Doris from our Client Success Team. Share three dates/times that work for a 20‑minute consult. We’ll confirm one and help you decide your next right step—even if that step is “not now.”
FAQ
(For Quick Clarity)
Is coaching like therapy?
A: Therapy focuses on healing and clinical issues—often stemming from the past. Coaching focuses on forward movement and behavior change. We’ll redirect you when therapy is the safer step.
How fast will I see results?
A: Some clients see results after the first session. However, most clients notice shifts by session 3–4 (stress down, clarity up, one routine working). Bigger changes stack from there.
What if I tried coaching before and it didn’t work?
A: Wrong fit or scope is common. Our process right‑sizes the work and measures progress so you can judge quickly.
I’m a caregiver / midlife / entrepreneur—will this fit my reality?
A: Yes. We tailor micro‑experiments to your season so they survive and you thrive in real life.
Will I be pressured into a program?
A: No. Clear scope, confidentiality, and “not now” is a valid outcome. You stay in control.
Before You Go…
If you’re skeptical, that’s smart. Take the quiz to meet the coach who fits your season, then have a short, honest conversation about what’s true and what’s next. No pressure, no hype—just a human who helps you find a next step you can live with.
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