This morning, during a Continuous Professional Development session with my fellow coach James Sandhu, we found ourselves talking about something that sits at the heart of transformative coaching:
Depth.
And more specifically — what creates the conditions for a client to go there.
It’s easy to think that depth comes from the questions we ask or the tools we use. But what we reflected on today was this:
👉 Depth begins long before the coaching starts.
👉 It starts with the relationship we build.
👉 It starts with the safety, trust, and openness we create.
When a client feels genuinely safe…
When they feel seen…
When they sense they’re in an environment where nothing needs to be defended or performed…
That’s when depth becomes possible.
And depth is where real transformation lives.
Not in the surface‑level problem.
Not in the story they tell.
But underneath — in the identity, values, emotion, fear, and possibility that sits beneath the words.
Our role as coaches isn’t to push someone deeper.
It’s to build a relationship were going deep feels natural.
Where opening up isn’t brave — it’s welcomed.
Where the client feels held enough to explore what truly matters.
Depth isn’t a technique.
It’s a space.
And when that space is created with intention, the transformation that follows often feels effortless.
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If you’d like to explore depth for your own growth or leadership, I’m always open to conversations.
