What is WISDOM Coaching™?

WISDOM Coaching® is an innovative, story-based life coaching approach created by Adventures in Wisdom® to help children build the mindset and the skill set they need to grow into confident, resilient, and self-directed individuals.

Designed specifically for children, WISDOM Coaching teaches practical mindset skills such as self-esteem, emotional awareness, self-talk, confidence, resilience, self-leadership, and achievement through engaging coaching stories, guided conversations, and experiential activities children can immediately apply in their own lives.

WISDOM Coaching is delivered live by a Certified WISDOM Coach® using The Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum and the proven step-by-step STORY Coaching Process™. Coaching sessions are interactive and relationship-based, creating an emotionally safe space where children can explore their thoughts, practice new skills, and build confidence from the inside out.

Created in 2013, WISDOM Coaching was developed to bridge the gap between traditional education, parenting support, and therapy by focusing on skill development rather than diagnosis or treatment. It is a non-clinical, skills-focused coaching approach designed to empower children. Since its creation, Adventures in Wisdom has certified coaches in over 30 countries, helping children and families around the world experience meaningful, lasting transformation.

WISDOM Coaching is endorsed by Jack Canfield, a global leader in personal development, and Adventures in Wisdom is recognized as a Continuing Coach Education (CCE) Provider by the International Coaching Federation.

At its heart, WISDOM Coaching is about empowerment for children. Helping children understand how their mind works, learn how to navigate challenges with confidence, and develop skills they will use for life, at home, at school, and beyond.

On This Page

• Who Created WISDOM Coaching?
• What Is the Purpose of WISDOM Coaching?
• How WISDOM Coaching Works
• Who Delivers WISDOM Coaching?
• Is WISDOM Coaching Therapy or Counseling?
• Why WISDOM Coaching Is Effective for Children
• Results and Real-World Impact
• Global Recognition and Credibility
• Who WISDOM Coaching Is For
• Frequently Asked Questions About WISDOM Coaching
• Learn More About WISDOM Coaching

Who Created WISDOM Coaching?

WISDOM Coaching® was created in 2013 by Adventures in Wisdom, under the leadership of its founder, Renaye Thornborrow, who developed the methodology, curriculum, and certification framework to help children build confidence, emotional awareness, and self-leadership through practical life skills.

Renaye Thornborrow is the creator of WISDOM Coaching, the author of the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum, and the creator of the WISDOM Coach Certification Program. She founded Adventures in Wisdom to bring proactive, skills-based coaching to children, bridging the gap between traditional education, parenting support, and therapy.

At the time WISDOM Coaching was created, many families and educators were searching for support that was empowering rather than clinical, and preventative rather than reactive. Renaye designed WISDOM Coaching as a live, relationship-based coaching approach that uses storytelling, guided conversation, and experiential learning to help children understand how their mind works and apply mindset skills in real life.

Since its creation, Adventures in Wisdom has continued to steward and evolve the WISDOM Coaching methodology through curriculum development, coach training, and certification. Since 2013, Adventures in Wisdom has certified WISDOM Coaches in more than 30 countries, supporting children and families around the world with a consistent, empowerment-driven coaching framework.

WISDOM Coaching is an innovative and powerful coaching approach delivered by Certified WISDOM Coaches® trained and certified through Adventures in Wisdom, ensuring quality, integrity, and alignment across the global coaching community.

Back to top

What Is the Purpose of WISDOM Coaching?

The purpose of WISDOM Coaching® is to help children develop the mindset and the skill set they need to navigate challenges, build confidence and self-esteem, become self-leaders, learn to achieve their goals, and thrive. .

Rather than focusing on fixing problems or correcting behavior, WISDOM Coaching is designed to teach children how their mind works and give them practical tools they can use in everyday situations. These tools help children understand their thoughts, manage emotions, make empowered choices, and build a strong sense of self from the inside out.

At its core, WISDOM Coaching exists to help children learn that:

• Confidence is a skill they can practice

• Emotions are signals they can understand and manage

• Mistakes are part of growth, not proof of failure

• Their self-worth does not depend on comparison or approval

• They have the ability to lead themselves through challenges

• They can achieve big goals 

WISDOM Coaching focuses on skill development. Children are not evaluated or diagnosed. Instead, they are supported in learning transferable skills they can apply at home, at school, in friendships, and in new or difficult situations.

Through stories, guided conversation, and real-life application, WISDOM Coaching helps children build skills such as:

• Self-esteem and healthy self-identity

• Emotional awareness and regulation

• Courage and confidence

• Positive and supportive self-talk

• Resilience and perseverance

• Self-leadership and personal responsibility

• Confidence in expressing themselves and making choices

• Achievement and continuous growth

The ultimate purpose of WISDOM Coaching is empowering children. Helping them develop skills they will use for life. Children learn how to think differently about challenges, relate to themselves with kindness and confidence, and carry these skills forward as they grow.

Back to top

How WISDOM Coaching Works

WISDOM Coaching® works by teaching children mindset skills and life skills through stories, guided conversation, and real-life application—all delivered in a live, supportive coaching relationship.

Rather than telling children what to think or how to behave, WISDOM Coaching helps children discover insights for themselves, practice new skills, and apply what they learn to their own lives in meaningful ways.

Story-Based Learning That Children Understand

Stories are at the heart of WISDOM Coaching.

Children naturally learn through stories because stories:

• Capture attention without pressure
• Make abstract ideas concrete and relatable
• Lower defensiveness and resistance
• Create emotional safety and curiosity

Each WISDOM Coaching session begins with a story from the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum. These stories introduce concepts such as self-talk, confidence, resilience, fear, integrity, and self-responsibility in a way children can easily understand and remember.

The STORY Coaching™ Process

WISDOM Coaching follows a proven, repeatable framework known as the STORY Coaching™ Process, which ensures children have a chance to learn and practice skills.

Each coaching session includes:

• S – Share a story
  A story introduces a mindset skill in a child-friendly way.
• T – Talk about the lesson
  The coach guides a conversation that helps the child reflect on what the story means and how it might apply to their own lives. .
• O – Organize an activity
  The child participates in an engaging activity that reinforces the skill through experience.
• R – Review and relate
  The child and coach reviews the skill with their parents (and parents receive a WISDOM for Home take-home sheet) so that the family can continue the conversion at home.
• Y – Yes! Confirm retention
  The coach and child reviews the previous lesson to check retention and discuss how they are applying the skill in real life.

This process transforms abstract ideas into practical, usable skills children can return to again and again.

Live, Human-to-Human Coaching

WISDOM Coaching is delivered live by a Certified WISDOM Coach® through one-on-one coaching or in small groups. WISDOM Coaches may also deliver larger group workshops. 

Live coaching is essential because:

• Children learn best in relationship
• Trust creates emotional safety
• Coaches can respond in real time to a child’s thoughts and feelings
• Skills are practiced through conversation, not worksheets or online learning clicks.

Children are encouraged to try new ways of thinking, notice their thoughts and emotions, learn from their mistakes, build confidence through stretching outside their comfort zone, and set goals that matter to them. 

The human-centered coaching relationship provides a supportive space where children feel seen, heard, and encouraged as they build confidence and self-awareness at their own pace.

Why This Approach Works

By combining storytelling, conversation, activity, reflection, and real-life application, WISDOM Coaching helps children:

• Understand how their mind works

   

• Feel safe exploring challenges

   

• Practice skills in real situations

   

• Build confidence from the inside out

   

This integrated approach is what makes WISDOM Coaching both engaging for children and effective for long-term growth.

Back to top

Who Delivers WISDOM Coaching?

WISDOM Coaching® is delivered exclusively by a Certified WISDOM Coach®, a practitioner who has completed training and certification through Adventures in Wisdom, the creator and certifying body of the WISDOM Coaching methodology.

A WISDOM Coach® is trained to work live with children using the research-based Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum and the STORY Coaching™ Process. 

Certification ensures that every WISDOM Coach understands not only what to teach, but how to create an emotionally safe, supportive environment where children can learn, practice, and apply mindset skills in their own lives.

WISDOM Coaches come from a variety of backgrounds, including education, coaching, parenting, youth mentoring, and related helping professions. Regardless of background, all Certified WISDOM Coaches share a common foundation:

• Training in story-based, skills-focused coaching for children

• A clear understanding of ethical boundaries and scope of practice

• A commitment to live, relationship-based coaching

• Alignment with the values and standards of the WISDOM Coaching approach

Importantly, WISDOM Coaching is not delivered by untrained individuals. The designation WISDOM Coach® is a registered trademark and may only be used by individuals who have been trained and certified through Adventures in Wisdom. This protects the integrity of the methodology and ensures consistency, quality, and care across all coaching relationships.

WISDOM Coaches work with children one-on-one or in small groups, supporting them as they develop confidence, emotional awareness, self-leadership, and resilience. Parents are often partners in the process, while children remain at the center of the coaching experience.

By working with a Certified WISDOM Coach®, families can trust that their child is learning life skills through a proven, thoughtfully designed coaching approach, delivered with intention, professionalism, and heart.

Back to top

Is WISDOM Coaching Therapy or Counseling?

No. WISDOM Coaching® is not therapy or counseling.

WISDOM Coaching is a non-therapeutic, skills-based coaching approach created by Adventures in Wisdom to help children build confidence, emotional awareness, self-leadership, and resilience through practical life skills.

WISDOM Coaching does not diagnose, treat, or address mental health conditions. It does not involve clinical assessment, treatment plans, or therapeutic intervention. Certified WISDOM Coaches® do not work with children who are in crisis or who require professional mental health treatment.

Instead, WISDOM Coaching focuses on:

• Teaching mindset and life skills children can practice and apply

• Helping children understand how their thoughts and emotions work

• Supporting personal growth, awareness, and choice

• Building confidence and self-esteem from the inside out

• Teaching self-leadership and skills for achievement 

WISDOM Coaching is proactive rather than reactive. It is designed to support children who are functioning in everyday life and want tools to navigate challenges such as self-doubt, big emotions, social situations, confidence, perseverance, and goal-setting.

Certified WISDOM Coaches are trained to maintain clear ethical boundaries and to recognize when a child’s needs fall outside the scope of coaching. When appropriate, families are encouraged to seek support from licensed counselors, therapists, or other mental health professionals.

In short, WISDOM Coaching complements, but does not replace, therapy or counseling. It provides children with practical skills for everyday life, while honoring the important role of mental health professionals when therapeutic care is needed.

Back to top

Why WISDOM Coaching Is Effective for Children

WISDOM Coaching® is effective for children because it teaches practical mindset skills in a way children can understand, practice, and apply within a supportive, emotionally safe coaching relationship. There are 27 mindset skills in the coaching curriculum. 

Rather than relying on lectures, advice, or behavior correction, WISDOM Coaching helps children learn how their mind works (and the brain-science behind it) and how to use that understanding to navigate real-life situations with greater confidence and self-awareness.

Emotional Safety Creates Real Learning

Children learn best when they feel safe, seen, and supported. WISDOM Coaching is intentionally designed to create an emotionally safe environment where children can:

• Share thoughts without fear of judgment
• Explore emotions without being labeled
• Try new ways of thinking without pressure

Stories and guided conversation lower defensiveness and invite curiosity, allowing learning to happen naturally.

Children Learn How Their Mind Works

A key reason WISDOM Coaching is effective is that children learn about the power of their mind and the brain science behind the skills they are developing.  They are taught age-appropriate concepts about:

• Thoughts and feelings
• Inner dialogue (self-talk)
• Choice and awareness
• How habits of thinking are formed

When children understand that they are not their thoughts, and that they have choices in how they respond, they gain a sense of control and confidence that carries into many areas of life.

Skills Are Practiced

WISDOM Coaching focuses on skill-building through experience.

Children don’t just hear ideas about confidence, resilience, or self-talk, they practice these skills through:

• Stories that model new ways of thinking
• Activities that reinforce learning
• Reflection that connects lessons to their own lives
• Real-life application between sessions

This repeated practice helps internalize skills so that children will use them in life whether they are facing a new challenge, managing a friendship issue, or going for a new goal. Parents and educators often notice changes such as increased self-awareness, calmer responses to emotions, improved communication, and greater willingness to try new things.

In combination, emotional safety, story-based learning, skill practice, understanding the mind, and supportive coaching relationships are what make WISDOM Coaching effective in creating lasting, meaningful change for children.

Back to top

Results and Real-World Impact

The real impact of WISDOM Coaching® shows up not just during coaching sessions, but in how children think, feel, and respond to everyday life.

Because WISDOM Coaching focuses on practical mindset skills and real-life application, children begin using what they learn in situations that matter most, at school, at home, in friendships, and when facing new or challenging experiences.

What Children Learn and Apply

Children who participate in WISDOM Coaching often develop:

• Greater confidence in trying new things 
• Increased awareness of their thoughts and emotions
• Healthier self-esteem and  self-talk during 
• Improved ability to manage big feelings
• Stronger resilience when things don’t go as planned
• A growing sense of self-leadership and responsibility
  

These skills are not tied to a single outcome or situation. They become tools children carry forward as they grow.

Snapshot Results from Real Coaching Experiences*

The following examples reflect common outcomes families and coaches observe through WISDOM Coaching. Individual results vary, but these snapshots illustrate how the skills translate into real life.

Healthier self-talk and Improving self-esteem
Ava learned to honor her uniqueness and use positive self-talk to  strengthen her self-esteem within just four weeks of coaching. The change was so noticeable that teachers asked her mom, “What have you done differently with this child?”

Conquering fear and gaining independence
11-year-old Sophia conquered a fear of sleeping in her own bed within just a few weeks. She then told other children how WISDOM Coach® Lisa could help them conquer anything!

Overcoming shyness and making friends
Tyler overcame extreme shyness and went from watching other children play from his apartment window to building the courage to join them on the playground and make new friends.

Breaking through anxiety and becoming a leader
Alex overcame her anxiety about attending school to ultimately represent her school at state-wide events.

Breaking out of a slump and achieving goals
Timothy broke through a hitting slump and hit his first out-of-the-park home run after just one coaching session.

Overcoming fear and shining on stage
Lily, a dancer who was so afraid to perform her solo during competitions that she ran off stage in tears, built her confidence to perform her solo and win first place after only three weeks of coaching.

Details about these success stories and more can be seen at https://adventuresinwisdom.com/wisdom-coaching-in-action/

*Children’s names have been changed for confidentiality.

Impact That Extends Beyond the Child

Parents often report that WISDOM Coaching creates positive ripple effects within the family, including:

• More meaningful conversations
  
• Shared language for talking about emotions and mindset
  
• Stronger connection and understanding
  
• Greater confidence in supporting their child’s growth
  

Because children learn skills they can explain and demonstrate, parents are often able to reinforce the learning naturally in daily life.

A Global Coaching Impact

Since the creation of the WISDOM Coach Certification program in 2013, Adventures in Wisdom has certified WISDOM Coaches in more than 30 countries. Across cultures and communities, the results are consistent: children gain skills that help them navigate challenges with greater confidence, awareness, and resilience.

WISDOM Coaching is not about quick fixes. It is about equipping children with tools they can use again and again. Creating impact that lasts far beyond a single coaching experience.

Back to top

Global Recognition and Credibility

Since its creation in 2013, WISDOM Coaching has grown into a globally recognized coaching approach for children, supported by consistent methodology, professional standards, and real-world results.

WISDOM Coaching was created and is stewarded by Adventures in Wisdom, the organization responsible for developing the curriculum, training coaches, and maintaining the integrity of the coaching process worldwide. Through this work, Adventures in Wisdom has certified WISDOM Coaches in more than 30 countries, bringing story-based, skills-focused life coaching to children across diverse cultures and communities.

WISDOM Coaching is endorsed by Jack Canfield, a globally recognized leader in personal development and co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. His endorsement reflects confidence in the coaching approach, its focus on mindset skills, and its positive impact on children’s lives. You can see his interview of our founder, Renaye Thornborrow, on his Talking About Success TV Show. 

In addition, Adventures in Wisdom is recognized as a Continuing Coach Education (CCE) Provider by the International Coaching Federation (ICF CCE Provider). This recognition reflects alignment with professional coaching standards and a commitment to ongoing education, ethical practice, and quality in coach training.

Together, these credibility markers: global reach, professional recognition, and respected endorsements, reinforce that WISDOM Coaching is a thoughtfully developed, professionally supported coaching methodology with a clear lineage, consistent standards, and a growing global footprint.

Back to top

Who WISDOM Coaching Is For

WISDOM Coaching® is designed to empower children first, while supporting the adults who care for, guide, and invest in their growth.

The coaching approach is intentionally flexible and relationship-based, making it effective across a variety of settings and situations, while always keeping the child’s emotional safety, confidence, and skill development at the center.

Children (The Primary Beneficiaries)

WISDOM Coaching is for children who want to:

• Build confidence and self-esteem
  
• Better understand and manage their emotions
  
• Develop healthier self-talk
  
• Navigate challenges such as self-doubt, comparison, changes, or setbacks
  
• Learn skills that help them succeed socially, emotionally, and personally
  
• Learn how to achieve their goals

   

Children do not need to be “struggling” to benefit from WISDOM Coaching. The approach is proactive and skills-focused, supporting children who want tools to grow, stretch, and thrive in everyday life.

Parents (Partners in the Coaching Process)

While children are the focus of coaching, parents are essential partners.

WISDOM Coaching is for parents who:

• Want to support their child’s confidence and emotional well-being
  
• Are looking for proactive, non-therapeutic support
  
• Value teaching skills their child can use independently
  
• Want a shared language for talking about mindset and emotions

   

Parents often appreciate that WISDOM Coaching equips children with skills while also strengthening communication and understanding within the family.

Aspiring Coaches Who Want to Work with Children

WISDOM Coaching is for individuals who feel called to support children’s growth and development through coaching, including:

• Parents
  
• Educators and tutors
• Life coaches for adults
• Parents
• Youth mentors
• Professionals who work with children (sports, music, art, acting, childcare, etc.)
• Helping professionals
• Counselors and therapists

   

These individuals are drawn to a coaching approach that is purposeful, values-driven, and focused on empowering children with the mindset and skills they need to navigate life with confidence and self-leadership.

Back to top

Frequently Asked Questions About WISDOM Coaching

Back to top

Learn More About WISDOM Coaching

WISDOM Coaching® is a thoughtfully developed coaching approach designed to help children build confidence, emotional awareness, and life skills they can use for years to come.

If you’d like to explore WISDOM Coaching more deeply, the following resources may be helpful:

• Learn how families experience WISDOM Coaching
  Visit our parent-friendly overview resources to see how WISDOM Coaching supports children and families through stories, conversation, and connection.
  https://adventuresinwisdom.com/parents-is-life-coaching-for-kids-right-for-your-child/ 
• Learn what it means to be a WISDOM Coach®
  Discover who delivers WISDOM Coaching, how coaches are trained, and why certification matters.
  (Links to: What Is a WISDOM Coach® page)  
   
• Learn how WISDOM Coaches are trained and certified
  Explore the WISDOM Coach Certification Program and how individuals are prepared to deliver WISDOM Coaching with integrity, consistency, and care.
  (Links to: WISDOM Coach Certification page)  
   

WISDOM Coaching was created by Adventures in Wisdom in 2013 and continues to be taught, and stewarded through a global community of Certified WISDOM Coaches®. Whether you are a parent seeking support for your child, an educator or therapist exploring new tools, or an individual interested in learning more about this coaching approach, these resources provide the next step.

At its heart, WISDOM Coaching exists for one purpose: to help children develop the mindset and the skill set they need to navigate life with confidence and self-leadership so that they can reach their fullest potential and thrive.

Back to top