Why I Hired a Coach (And Why You Might Need One Too)
On the difference between eventually finding your way and having someone help you illuminate the path more clearly from the start.
I’ve always viewed new environments and new challenges as figureoutable. I've had this mindset my whole life, from learning to read and write despite early difficulties to navigating a PhD program and academic publishing. I’m an independent, resilient, and experiential learner, someone who trusts that if I keep working at something, I’ll eventually find my way through.
But lately, I’ve been asking myself a different question: Just because I can figure something out on my own, does that mean I should? What if there’s a difference between eventually finding your way through trial and error and having someone help you see the path more clearly from the start?
These questions led me to hire a business coach—not because my business is struggling, but because I’m ready to get where I’m going faster and with less of the struggle that comes from navigating everything alone. I have faith in my ability to build a business that aligns with my values, my life, and my priorities. But coaching is a means to accelerate and declutter that process.
What I Wish I’d Known Earlier
When I struggled as an academic writer, I spent years working through feelings of inadequacy and imposter syndrome, slowly developing systems for writing and research that worked for me. Those years taught me resilience and self-knowledge, but they were also exhausting, isolating, and filled with unnecessary anxiety.
Had I known coaching existed back then, I might have saved myself considerable anguish. A coach could have asked the right questions at the right time, helped me gain perspective when I was too close to see clearly, and provided structure and accountability when I was most likely to procrastinate.
This is exactly what I see with my own coaching clients now. When you would otherwise let writing slide for a whole semester, a coach provides the structure and accountability to commit to pockets of time for writing, set achievable goals, and work through negative feelings about your abilities as a writer.
All of this accelerates the publication process because a coach helps you tap into the inner lights that illuminate a path that might otherwise feel dark.
Finding the Right Coach
I didn’t hire just any coach. I’d considered others before, but I knew I needed someone whose values aligned with mine and who understood coaching as a true partnership.
I found my coach on Substack through her writing on business, values, and goal alignment, and her approach immediately resonated: she works with women solopreneurs to build sustainable systems that support the person, the business, and their clients without a profit-at-all-costs mindset. She emphasizes energy-aligned, non-extractive work while bringing real expertise in strategy, marketing, and operations.
That alignment matters because it mirrors how I work with my own clients: supporting sustainable writing practices that account for whole lives, not just output. I work with high-achieving scholars navigating unequal systems—women of color, mothers, neurodivergent writers, and non-native English speakers—who want to do excellent work without sacrificing everything else. Finding a coach who shares your values and understands your context isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s essential.
Coaching as Partnership
Another crucial element for me was working with someone who understands coaching as a true partnership. She isn’t there to hand me advice or tell me what she would do; instead, she draws on my experience and asks the questions that help me generate my own insights and make my own decisions.
That distinction matters, especially in academia, which is already saturated with advice about what you should do. The real work is figuring out what works for you and only you can answer that in the end.
This is also how I work with my own clients: I offer context about publishing, strategy, and academic writing genres, and I name the common barriers writers face, but I don’t make decisions for them or push them in a particular direction. My role is to support them in finding their own answers by asking the right questions at the right time.
The Investment Question
Yes, you can figure things out on your own. I believe that, just as I trust my own ability to navigate challenges. The question is how much time, energy, and anxiety you’ll save by working with someone who helps you see more clearly, and what that’s worth to you.
You can spend years spinning your wheels, letting writing slide, and repeating the same patterns, or you can make meaningful progress in a much shorter time period with structure, thoughtful questions, and support in working through what keeps you stuck.
The difference isn’t just speed; it’s the quality of the journey—less unnecessary angst, less isolation, and a steady thought partner to help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
How to Find Your Coach
To sum up, if you’re considering coaching, here are some key things to look for:
Alignment with your identities, values, and goals. Your coach should understand the context you’re working in and share your fundamental values about what constitutes meaningful work and a good life.
True partnership, not prescription. A good coach doesn’t tell you what to do—they work with you to create clarity rather than simply dispensing advice that may not fit your context, your brain, or your identities.
Relevant expertise and experience. While a coach shouldn’t make your decisions for you, they should bring knowledge that informs the coaching relationship. For writing coaching, that might mean understanding academic publishing and common barriers writers face in academia.
New Offering! Spring Semester Strategy Sessions
If you’re ready to get where you’re going faster and with less of the struggle that comes from navigating everything alone, I’m opening a small number of 90-minute strategy sessions this spring to get your feet wet with coaching.
These sessions help you gain clarity about what matters most right now, how to use the time and energy you actually have, and how to move forward this semester without burning out.
Here’s how it works:
Before we meet: Complete reflection questions (about 90 minutes) on your goals, constraints, and what’s worked in the past.
90-minute session: We clarify priorities and develop a strategy that fits how you actually work—not an idealized version of you.
After the session: You receive a written plan synthesizing our conversation, plus tailored resources and recommendations.
You’ll walk away with: a clear plan for the semester, a better sense of how to allocate your time and energy, and concrete next steps that feel doable rather than overwhelming.
I’m offering eight of these sessions in late January and February. Booking closes January 26 or when spots fill.
If you decide after the session that you’d like continued support, that $495 can be credited toward either my 10-week coaching program or my 6-month book coaching program—the strategy session is the first step in both programs.
You’ll have three weeks after your session to decide if you want continued coaching support. So if you’ve considered coaching before, this is a low-risk way to experience working with me and see if it’s a good fit.
Of course, you might discover that the strategy session alone, with the clear priorities, realistic plan, and concrete next steps, is exactly what you need to move your writing forward this semester. That’s a huge win!
Not sure if a strategy session would help right now? Feel free to reply and let me know what’s on your mind!
Related Content:
Do You Need a Writing Coach, an Editor, or Both? | Ep. 7
In today’s episode, I’m talking about something we don’t discuss enough in academia: getting professional help with your writing. Whether you're working on a book manuscript or a journal article, there are times when writing groups and peer feedback just aren’t enough. That’s when editors and coaches can make a huge difference.