Yesterday I attended a workshop on a topic that hit close to home: The Intersection Between Parenting and Coaching, led by the brilliant Diana Tauder of Shore Cliff Coaching.
Just reading the workshop title had me picturing a 15-car pileup at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo—the world’s busiest intersection. (Yes, I looked that up.)
The beauty of being in a group of coaches is that we can bring our full, flawed selves into the space. Vulnerability isn’t just allowed—it’s expected. And I had plenty to share.
After practically launching my kids onto the school bus post-spring break, I was ripe for this conversation.
If you’re a parent, you know nothing will crack you open, stir up complicated childhood memories, or activate shame, guilt, blame, and self-doubt like your own kids.
While I’m not specifically a parenting coach, I coach the whole person—and that inevitably includes how to navigate the little humans in their lives. So when I find myself going straight from “hot mess express” mom-mode to helping a client parent with grace and patience…the imposter syndrome tends to flare up a bit.
In our workshop, everyone shared their own less-than-proud parenting moments:
- Smashing hands into a watermelon out of pure frustration.
- Snapping, “What. Is. Wrong. With. You?”
- Hurling a bike to the ground because someone didn’t want to ride it.
- Channeling a grizzly bear trying to sound calm while growling, “GET. IN. THE. TUB.”
We probably could have filled the whole 90 minutes with confessions alone. Maybe there is a club for that… if not, let’s start one. But here’s the thing—we realized we’re not alone. Not at all.
Coaches face the same challenges as our clients.
And that’s actually a strength. It allows us to empathize, relate, and even experiment on ourselves. We get to show up not as paragons of wisdom, but as humans doing our best. Sometimes we offer insight simply by saying, “Hey, I tried this and… yeah, maybe don’t threaten to donate the bike.”
When my client came in looking for parenting support, I decided to take a small risk. I told her about my chaotic morning. We’ve worked together for over a year—she knows me. And pretending I had it all together would’ve helped no one.
I try not to consult.
Coaching, like parenting, is about helping people explore their own truth, not handing them answers. So I listened. I nodded. I smiled in solidarity.
Because the intersection of parenting and coaching? It’s really just the intersection of being human… and supporting other humans.
My learning applies to you, too! You don’t need to be perfect to help others—you just need to be present. When you show up authentically, you create space for others to do the same. Whether you’re a coach, a parent, or both: give yourself grace. You’re not leading from perfection—you’re leading from your humanity. And that’s more than enough.
