The research behind the method
Everything I do in a session is grounded in decades of psychological research. Here is what the largest reviews found, how I use each finding, and where the evidence stops.
The working relationship is one of the strongest predictors of results.
People who tracked their progress were more likely to reach their goals.
"If-then" plans helped people act on what they meant to do.
Executive coaching improved the outcomes measured.
These are studies of the methods. They are not trials of my own coaching.
Why coaching works
Coaching improves real outcomes
What they found: A 2023 review pooled 20 randomized trials of executive coaching and found positive effects on the outcomes studied, including goal-directed behavior. Earlier meta-analyses found coaching improved performance and skills, well-being, coping, work attitudes and results at work.
How I use it: Every engagement starts with a defined goal and a way to check progress.
The relationship is the engine
What they found: Across 295 studies and more than 30,000 clients, the strength of the working relationship (trust, agreement on goals and on how to get there) consistently predicted better results. A 2020 meta-analysis found the same pattern in coaching.
How I use it: We agree on the goal and the approach up front, and I ask regularly whether our sessions are working for you.
Turning goals into action
Specific goals beat vague ones
What they found: Decades of research show that specific, challenging goals lead to better performance than "do your best," as long as you're committed and get feedback.
How I use it: "Be more focused" becomes something you can measure.
"If-then" plans get things done
What they found: Deciding in advance when and where you'll act ("If it's Tuesday at 9, I'll draft the proposal") improved goal achievement across 94 studies, with a medium to large effect.
How I use it: Each goal gets a start cue and a backup plan for hard days.
Tracking progress helps
What they found: Across 138 experiments, people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often. Writing it down, or reporting it to someone else, helped most.
How I use it: You note what you did each week, and we go through it together.
Confidence is built, not found
What they found: A review of 114 studies found that self-efficacy, your belief that you can do a specific task, was strongly linked to work performance. The most reliable way to build it is small, real wins.
How I use it: We break big goals into steps you can finish this week, so confidence grows from evidence.
Making better decisions
Imagine it already failed
What they found: When people imagined that an outcome had already happened and explained why ("prospective hindsight"), they came up with about 30% more reasons than when they simply predicted what might happen. This is the basis of the "premortem."
How I use it: Before a big decision, we imagine it's a year later and it went badly, then fix the weak spots now.
Argue the other side
What they found: Simply being told to "be fair and unbiased" didn't reduce bias. Asking people to consider the opposite conclusion did.
How I use it: When you're leaning one way, I'll ask you to make the best case for the other option.
Reframe, don't suppress
What they found: A review of 190 studies compared ways of handling emotions. Reframing how you see a situation (reappraisal) worked well. Trying to push feelings down (suppression) worked poorly.
How I use it: We look for a more accurate way to see the situation, rather than pretending it doesn't bother you.
Naming a feeling can help you think
What they found: In a brain-imaging study, putting feelings into words was linked to lower amygdala activity and more prefrontal activity. That was one lab task, so treat it as a clue, not a cure.
How I use it: Before a decision, we name what you feel, then choose.
Positive psychology and CBT
Two of the most studied areas in psychology shape how I coach: positive psychology, the science of what helps people thrive, and cognitive behavioral methods, the science of how thoughts and actions change. In coaching I use them as practical tools for thinking and acting, not as treatment.
Small, deliberate practices raise well-being
What they found: A 2021 meta-analysis of 347 studies with over 72,000 people found positive psychology interventions improved well-being, strengths and quality of life, and reduced depression, anxiety and stress. Earlier reviews of randomized trials found the same direction of effect.
How I use it: Alongside the big decision, we build a few small practices that keep you steady while you work on it.
Use your strengths in new ways
What they found: In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, people who used one of their top strengths in a new way each day for a week, or wrote down three things that went well each day, were happier and less depressed for six months afterward.
How I use it: We identify what you already do best and put it to work on the problem in front of you.
Positive emotion widens your options
What they found: Fredrickson's broaden-and-build research shows that positive emotions broaden attention and thinking, while stress and fear narrow them. People literally see more options when they feel steadier.
How I use it: We don't make big decisions from a place of panic. First we get you steady, then we choose.
Change the thought, change the action
What they found: A review of 269 meta-analyses found strong support for cognitive behavioral methods, including for general stress and anger control. The core skill, noticing an unhelpful thought, testing it against the evidence and trying a different action, is one of the most researched in psychology.
How I use it: When a belief like "I can't leave this job" is running the show, we test it like a scientist would.
Cognitive behavioral coaching works for leaders
What they found: In a randomized controlled trial, executives who received cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused coaching improved goal attainment, resilience and workplace well-being, and reported less depression and stress, compared with a control group.
How I use it: This is the backbone of my approach: clear goals, honest thinking and steady action.
How I work with you
Honest feedback, done right
What they found: A landmark review of over 600 results found that feedback improved performance on average, but in about a third of cases it made things worse. Feedback works when it focuses on the task and next steps, not on the person.
How I use it: I'll tell you the truth, and I'll make it about what to do next, not about who you are.
Asking beats telling
What they found: A review of 119 studies of motivational interviewing, a style built on asking questions and drawing out a person's own reasons for change, found reliable positive effects across many kinds of behavior change.
How I use it: I ask the hard questions so the plan is yours, which makes it far more likely you'll follow it.
High standards without self-attack
What they found: In a set of experiments, people who responded to a failure with self-compassion were more motivated to improve, studied longer, and were more willing to fix mistakes than those who were hard on themselves.
How I use it: We keep the bar high and look at setbacks honestly, without the self-criticism that makes people avoid them.
Professional standards I follow
As a licensed psychologist, I hold my coaching to the same standards that guide good psychological practice.
Evidence-based practice
The American Psychological Association defines best practice as combining the best available research with clinical expertise and the client's own goals, values and preferences. That is how I decide what we do.
Confidentiality
What you share stays between us. I'll explain the few legal limits on confidentiality before we start.
Clear agreement
You'll know the goal, the format, the fees and the cancellation terms before we begin.
Knowing the limits
Coaching isn't therapy. If something needs a different kind of help, I'll tell you and help you find it.
What this doesn't show
My own coaching has not been tested in a clinical trial. Averages from large studies can't predict what will happen for one person, and no outcome is guaranteed. Brain research can't choose your life direction for you, and I don't offer EEG, brain mapping or assessments through coaching.
More reading: PERMA theory (Penn), the GROW model, Seligman et al. (2005), Brewer et al. (2011).
The rigor of a scientist. The honesty of a good friend.
Get both, applied to your decision.