Layered Lenses: The Blog
What to Expect from ICF Mentor Coaching Sessions
If you've never done mentor coaching before, not knowing what the session actually looks like is half the anxiety. Here's a real look at what happens, what you'll bring, and what you'll walk away with.
How to Choose an ICF Mentor Coach (And What to Look For)
Not all mentor coaches are created equal, and credentials alone won't tell you who's the right fit. Here's what to actually look for and what questions to ask before you commit.
What to Bring to a Coaching Session (And Why You're Overthinking It)
You don't need a perfectly formed question or a crisis to walk into a coaching session. Here's what actually makes a session productive, and why overthinking your "topic" might be the pattern worth exploring.
ACC vs PCC vs MCC: How Mentor Coaching Changes at Each Level
The ICF credential levels aren't just about logging more hours. What mentor coaching focuses on shifts significantly as you move from ACC to PCC to MCC. Here's what changes and why it matters.
Why Capable People Keep Solving the Wrong Problem
You're not stuck because you lack solutions. You're stuck because the problem you're working on isn't actually the problem. Here's how capable people end up spinning their wheels on the wrong thing.
What Is ICF Mentor Coaching? (And Why It’s Not What You Think)
Mentor coaching isn't therapy, it isn't supervision, and it isn't someone telling you what to do. It's something more specific and more useful than most coaches realize. Here's what it actually is.
Why Knowing Your Enneagram Type Isn’t Enough to Actually Change
Finding your type feels like a breakthrough. But knowing you're a Six or a Three doesn't automatically change how you show up under pressure. Here's what's missing between insight and real change.
What Is the ELI Assessment? (And Why It's Different From Every Other Assessment You've Taken)
Most assessments tell you who you are. The ELI tells you how you're showing up right now, especially under stress. That distinction changes everything about what you can actually do with the results.
What the Enneagram Actually Is and Why It Matters for Leaders
It's not a personality quiz and it's not a party trick. The Enneagram maps the motivations and fears underneath your leadership patterns, which is exactly why it's so useful for the people who think they already know themselves.
How to Know If You're Ready for a Life Coach
You don't need to be in crisis to work with a coach. But there are real signals that coaching would actually move the needle right now. Here's how to tell the difference between curiosity and readiness.
What Actually Came Up in Coaching Sessions in March 2026
A behind-the-scenes look at the real themes showing up across coaching sessions this month: the patterns, the breakthroughs, and the questions clients are quietly sitting with.
What Actually Happens in 1:1 Executive Coaching?
It's not advice-giving, it's not venting, and it's not someone handing you a leadership framework. Here's what executive coaching sessions actually look like from the inside.
How to Find Your Enneagram Type (Without Taking a Quiz)
Online quizzes are a starting point, not an answer. If you've taken three tests and gotten three different results, here's a better way to find your actual type.
Life Coaching vs. Therapy: What's the Difference and Do You Need Both?
They're not the same thing, and they're not competing. But knowing which one fits what you're going through right now can save you months of spinning. Here's how to think about it.
Do You Relate to the Term High Achiever? Why So Many Driven, Type A Professionals Say "Sort Of"
You check every box. You've built something real. But "high achiever" doesn't quite land because it skips over the exhaustion underneath the accomplishment. Here's why that gap matters.
How Each Enneagram Type Shows Up Under Stress (And What It's Costing You)
Stress doesn't just make you tired. It activates specific patterns based on your Enneagram type, and those patterns quietly shape your decisions, your relationships, and your leadership. Here's what to watch for.
10 Things I've Learned in 10 Years of Coaching Executives and Entrepreneurs
A decade of sitting across from driven, capable people has taught me things no certification program covers. Here are the lessons that keep showing up.
What Actually Came Up with Clients in January, 2026:
New year energy meets old patterns. Here's what was really going on in coaching sessions this month, beyond the goals and resolutions.
Beyond Stress: How We Move from Managing to Connecting to Creating
Most people are stuck in stress management mode. But managing stress isn't the endgame. Here's what it actually looks like to move beyond surviving and into something more generative.
Want to learn more about how coaching can help you?
Sign up for my email list to receive information, tips, and tools about how you can improve your life with coaching.

