Coaching
Coaching has been around forever!
In ancient Greece, Socrates' maieutics consisted of giving form to confused ideas through dialogue –Maiah being the goddess who watched over childbirth.
Closer to home, perhaps you've already heard of the "Coué method"? The pharmacist and psychotechnician –Émile, by his first name, who died in 1926, stated: we have "the freedom and the capacity to imagine the possible." Success comes through this imagination, and thus was born positive thinking... Cock-a-doodle-doo!
What is coaching?
The word "coaching" originally comes from the French "coche," which meant a team of people carrying an important person from one place to another. The intention is there: transposed to our times, it is about offering others support to help them achieve a set goal.
Later, the term was given all its sporting panache thanks to our English-speaking friends. “To coach” is “to train” isn’t it? Timothy Gallwey, captain of the tennis team at the prestigious Harvard University, understood this well: he established the link between sport and mental preparation in his book, The Inner Game of Tennis . Our brain holds the key to victory! In England, Sir John Whitmore, a former racing driver, became one of the pioneers of coaching specific to high-level competitors, before adapting his approach to the business world.
Today, the techniques are taught in specialized schools and institutes, which are sometimes inspired by the work of "psychologists," in the broad sense (psychologists, psychiatrists). So much so that it is even legitimate to question the closeness of the link between coaching and psychology.
The difference is, however, irrefutable: if the coach may be led to question the past, it will be for the sole purpose of serving the future. In no case will he be able to analyze it. Thus, while the psychologist questions the “why,” the coach will focus on answering the “how.”
In short, from Socrates' maieutics to high-level sport, there is only one step! And this step, the coach takes it with you to prepare you to develop your performances, by combining body and mind.
What is coaching?
The word "coaching" originally comes from the French "coche," which meant a team of people carrying an important person from one place to another. The intention is there: transposed to our times, it is about offering others support to help them achieve a set goal.
Later, the term was given all its sporting panache thanks to our English-speaking friends. “To coach” is “to train” isn’t it? Timothy Gallwey, captain of the tennis team at the prestigious Harvard University, understood this well: he established the link between sport and mental preparation in his book, The Inner Game of Tennis . Our brain holds the key to victory! In England, Sir John Whitmore, a former racing driver, became one of the pioneers of coaching specific to high-level competitors, before adapting his approach to the business world.
Today, the techniques are taught in specialized schools and institutes, which are sometimes inspired by the work of "psychologists," in the broad sense (psychologists, psychiatrists). So much so that it is even legitimate to question the closeness of the link between coaching and psychology.
The difference is, however, irrefutable: if the coach may be led to question the past, it will be for the sole purpose of serving the future. In no case will he be able to analyze it. Thus, while the psychologist questions the “why,” the coach will focus on answering the “how.”
In short, from Socrates' maieutics to high-level sport, there is only one step! And this step, the coach takes it with you to prepare you to develop your performances, by combining body and mind.
Concretely, how is coaching happening?
It is a structured process that transforms how you perceive pressure, power, and identity –and therefore how you act.
Coaching happens at three levels: clarity, repositioning, and embodiment.
First, we transform vague discomfort into a clear map. The problem becomes intelligible –and therefore manageable.
Then, we question automatic reactions and replace them with conscious positionning. In order to shift your internal posture, we work on your relationship to pressure, to control, to authority, or to failure and uncertainty.
Finally, we translate insights into concrete shifts. You set new boundaries with stakeholders, change communication style, and redefine priorities.
Responsibility becomes a position, not a burden.
Coaching is about freeing who you are from invisible constraints –without abandoning ambition.
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How is coaching good for you?
If…
You suffer from “mental load” –the famous one!
You feel overwhelmed by the pressure of your business,
You constantly feel guilty about not being a good parent/employee/partner,
Your work defines your emotional state too much,
You lack self-confidence,
You can't make a decision,
You are going through a phase of change that you are apprehensive about and/or undergoing,
You recognize an imbalance in your life…