Why I Love to Coach

The Call and the Drift

In the summer of 1995, I took a course called Successful Executive Life as part of my MBA program. Unlike the other classes that filled my head with technical knowledge, this one pressed me to seek God’s direction. For an entire semester, I wrestled with questions of purpose. What emerged was my “life notebook” and a mission statement that still shapes me today: to come alongside leaders so they can accomplish God’s purposes.

That statement became my true north. Over the years, the expression of it has changed—from accountant and administrator, to CFO, missionary, and consultant—but the call to come alongside leaders has never left.

But clarity of calling doesn’t mean you never lose sight of vision. I did.

Running an accounting services company, I found myself burning out. I was doing work I had come to despise, resenting clients and even my family for the demands on my time. Financially, things looked fine, but inside I was running on empty. I stopped dreaming. Christine knew I was in trouble; by nature, I am a dreamer, and when I stopped, something was deeply broken.

I even considered walking away from ministry entirely to take a corporate CFO job. The pay would have been higher, but I knew it would never satisfy. I felt trapped—unable to keep going, unable to quit.

Rediscovering the Vision

Then a friend connected me with a life coach. Those conversations began to unravel the mess I had made. The breakthrough came with one piercing question:

“Just because you’re good at something, does that mean you have to do it for the rest of your life?”

I realized I had been living as if the answer were yes. That lie had chained me to work that drained me. Once exposed, the chains began to fall. Dreams started to return. I revisited my original mission statement and realized it hadn’t changed: I am called to come alongside leaders. But support didn’t have to mean bookkeeping or tax work. It could take new forms.

That was when the tapestry turned. What had once looked like a tangle of disconnected threads—CPA, MBA, missionary, CFO—was suddenly a design God had been weaving all along.

A few sessions later, my coach looked at me and said, “I think you’d be a great coach.” That was nearly five years ago, and I’ve been living into that call ever since.

Walking with Leaders Today

Since stepping into coaching, I’ve had the privilege of walking with leaders in pivotal moments. One ministry, reeling from a painful split, suddenly found income significantly down. Together we built a cashflow tool. At first it felt overwhelming, but over time they began to recognize patterns and anticipate pressures. They now have a framework to face challenges with greater clarity and steadiness.

Another leader, an executive director, was frustrated with an inexperienced board chair. The tension was draining their energy and clouding their focus. In the safety of our coaching conversations, they could process their frustration openly. Through questions, they discovered their own approach to open lines of communication. When they finally met with the chair, they entered the room with confidence—and left with a way forward.

The details differ, but the pattern is the same: leaders carry what they need inside them, yet need someone to walk alongside and help them see it. Sometimes that means sharing a tool. More often it means asking a Spirit-inspired question—the kind of question that can shift the entire trajectory of a leader’s journey.

And that is why I love to coach.

Coaching isn’t a job. It is the fulfillment of the purpose God created me for. When I sit with leaders, I see capable people who sometimes just need a trusted space, the right question, or a fresh perspective. I love the moments when the tapestry begins to turn—when what once looked like tangled threads becomes a glimpse of God’s design.

Just as I once needed a coach to help me rediscover my calling, I now walk alongside leaders so they can rediscover theirs. Sometimes it’s a practical tool. Sometimes it’s a Spirit-inspired question. Always it’s about unlocking what God has already placed within them.

That is why I coach.