Coaching does not have to be a subscription you forget to pause

I just told a client she didn't need me anymore.

A few coaching sessions unlock a shift in behaviour, or help with very specific challenges.

A longer partnership shapes something deeper.

BUT, it doesn’t have to be a subscription you forget to pause.

Three years ago, this client walked into our first session as a co-owner stepping into her first leadership role.

Her ask: "Tell me what I need to know as a leader."

I didn't.

Over the years, our conversations became less about ‘what to know’ and more about leading through uncertainty.

High-stakes decisions. Organisational challenges. Difficult performance issues.
One by one, we cracked them together.

What began as fortnightly sessions became weekly when the pressure intensified, and stayed that way for two years.

During this time, she guided her company through existential threats, stabilized the business, and reached a point where she could, in her words, "look ahead to the next stage of growth across Southeast Asia."

Then, early this year, I sensed something had changed.

She still arrived with a light spirit and a happy smile.

But no burning challenge for us to work through.
Just what she cheerfully called her 'productive downtime.'

That's when I asked:
Have we reached the point where the mess is untangled, and our coaching partnership has served its purpose?

And the purpose was us honing together her strengths that allow her to lead with conviction today:

Her judgement. Her identity. Her relationship with uncertainty.

Her ability to trust herself even when the path wasn’t clear.

As you grow, your leadership altitude changes.
Different altitudes need different conversations.
Different seasons need different mirrors.

A wise coach knows when to step back as you step forward, when to loosen the grip as you find your own.

So this week, we had a little 'graduation ceremony' over a lazy afternoon tea! 😊 Her idea. She joked it felt like completing a diploma.
I didn't disagree. 😁

I'm immensely proud of how far she's come. And I'm quietly grateful I got to be part of the journey.

If you're in a coaching relationship right now, here's a question worth sitting with:

Is it still stretching you? Or has it become so comfortable that it has stopped being useful?