I never had a coach for anything as a kid—or as an adult, for that matter. Looking back, wow… I missed out! I had plenty of teachers, instructors, mentors, even therapists—but never a coach.

But now?
Oh, now I have all the coaches.
Exercise coaches, nutritional coaches, and even writing coaches.
I feel like I’m being coached into a whole new life.

But I’ll be honest—it didn’t start out that way.

In the beginning, I couldn’t figure out what they wanted from me or why. They’d say things like, “Engage your core!” and I’d think, My core doesn’t want to be engaged. My core wants to sit quietly and mind its business.

And taking feedback?
Forget it.
I used to think feedback was just a fancy word for “Here’s everything you’re doing wrong.”

I truly believed that once I managed to do something correctly one time, I was done—certificate earned, graduation cap tossed, send me my medal.
Wrong.
Apparently, that’s not how coaching works.

Fast-forward a few years and a whole lot of sore muscles later, and now I finally get it.

Good coaches don’t try to make “mini-me” versions of themselves.
They help you find the answers inside yourself—answers you swear weren’t there the last time you checked. They teach you how to show up for yourself, trust yourself, and even root for yourself. (Honestly, that last one took me a while.)

My sports coaches teach me proper form so I don’t break something important. They also teach me mental discipline so I won’t give up on myself the moment something gets hard… or confusing… or sweaty.

My nutrition coaches are helping me create eating habits that I can actually sustain without crying into a box of cookies. They’re helping me age with grace—and maybe with fewer doctor visits.

And my writing coaches?
They keep me focused, on track, and out of the pit of self-doubt that I slip into every time I launch a new book. They remind me that just because I stare at the wall for ten minutes doesn’t mean the writing process is broken—it means I’m thinking!

Self-doubt used to be my constant companion. I thought everyone else knew better than me. But now? I listen to my coaches and I actually trust my own voice.
Confidence. After all these years… I’m finally feeling it.

So the moral of the story is this:
Get a coach. Your life will thank you.
And who knows—maybe one day I’ll be so well-coached that I’ll become the calm, confident person people ask for advice.
(Okay, let’s not get carried away…)

-Peni