A Sample Coaching Journey
A Real-Life WISDOM Coaching Story
When parents explore life coaching for kids, one of the most common questions is what the coaching journey actually looks like in real life. Here is a sample life coaching journey for a child.
Rather than describing the process in abstract terms, it can be far more helpful to see how coaching unfolds for a real child. The following story is shared exactly as it appears in A Parent’s Guide to Life Coaching for Kids – When to Add a Coach to Your Parenting Team and walks through a complete WISDOM Coaching journey from start to finish.
This example shows how a coach uses a proven curriculum, structured coaching process, and story-based skill development to support a child through real-life challenges.
A WISDOM Coaching Journey
Now that you understand how WISDOM Coaching works, let’s have a look at a more detailed story of how a five-session “Self-confidence” coaching program transformed a young girl’s confidence so that she had the courage to start school and swim in the ocean.
Mia Gains the Courage to Start School and Swim in the Ocean
Mia’s mother was worried. Her daughter was about to turn 6 years old and starting a new school within six weeks. The week before, Mia had become very upset and refused to collect an award on Award Day at school. Her mother knew that Mia felt worried about the new school, and she became concerned that if Mia was too shy to collect an award at her current school, how could she help her prepare for a new school?
Despite being a teacher herself, Mia’s mom wasn’t sure what to do.
Mia’s neighbor happened to be WISDOM Coach® Karen, and when Karen heard what had happened, she offered to do the “Confident Kids” coaching program with Mia. Her mom excitedly said, “Yes,” and they organized in-person, one-on-one coaching sessions.
Session 1: Self-confidence – “Canville and Cantville: A Tale of Two Towns”
In session 1, Mia learned about self-confidence. They completed Skill Book 14 – I Believe in Me! How to Develop Unstoppable Self-confidence.
Karen shared the coaching story “Canville and Cantville – A Tale of Two Towns” to help Mia understand what self-confidence is and the power of having an “I can” belief system.
Mia learned about her comfort zone and that her goals and dreams lived outside her comfort zone. She learned that if she practiced stretching outside of her comfort zone, it would help her develop confidence in all areas of her life. Karen and Mia did two activities to bring the skill to life.
One of the goals from this skill book is for the child to identify a “stretch activity” to help them practice stepping outside of their comfort zone. Mia decided she wanted to swim in the ocean.
At the end of this session, Mia’s mom learned that if she saw Mia hesitant or reluctant to do something, she could ask Mia, “What would this look like if you were living in Canville?”
Session 2: How Your Mind Shapes Your World – “Who’s Flying Your Plane?”
In session 2, Mia learned about her mind, beliefs, and the “grungies.”
They completed Skill Book 1 – How Your Mind Shapes Your World and What You Can Do to Shape Your Mind.
Karen shared the coaching story “Who’s Flying Your Plane?” Mia learned that how she feels about herself and what she accomplishes in life is shaped by what she believes about herself. Just like a plane can take us where we want to go on vacation, our mind takes us where we want to go in life.
Mia learned that our mind has two parts:
- our conscious mind, which acts like our pilot
- our subconscious mind, which acts like our autopilot
These programs are called belief systems, and they either support us in creating what we want in life or limit us at every turn.
Mia also learned that her “grungy” feelings are a sign that a limiting belief or “dragon” thought was present and that she could shift it.
Mia loved the airplane activity where she explored some of her own limiting beliefs and supporting beliefs.
At the end of that session, Mia reviewed what she had learned with her mom (the “R” step in the STORY Coaching Process).
Mia’s mom shared with Coach Karen that earlier that morning, Mia had experienced a challenge during her new swim class. Mia was so overwhelmed by the newness of everything that she became very upset. Her mom reminded her about Canville, which helped Mia calm down; however, she still refused to participate.
Coach Karen took a few minutes to help Mia understand what was happening in her mind and gave her a sneak peek of the next coaching session on building neural pathways to help Mia prepare for the next day’s swim lesson.
Karen explained that neural pathways are formed in our brain when we have a new experience and are strengthened every time we repeat that experience. The more we experience something, the stronger the neural pathways become and the more comfortable we will be with it.
Karen helped Mia see that the next day could be better because now she knew what to expect. Mia had also taken swim lessons before, so she knew they could be fun.
To help Mia remember the power of her mind, Coach Karen gave her a sparkly wand she could use to tap her head and remember that she was building neural pathways and that she could do it. She also told Mia that if she didn’t have her wand, she could always use her finger as a wand.
The next day, Mia’s mom texted Karen to say that Mia had done it. “Such a transformation from yesterday. I was nearly in tears watching how brave she was. She participated in everything!”
Session 3: Neural Pathways – “Your Pathway to Success”
In session 3, Mia learned more about neural pathways. They completed Skill Book 3 – Building Neural Pathways: How You Create Your Path to Success.
Karen shared the coaching story “Your Pathway to Success,” and Mia learned that she could build neural pathways before a new experience by learning what to expect and visualizing her success.
They made a plan for starting the new school. Mia picked up her school uniform before school started and wore it several times at home. The school also held a welcome day where Mia met her teacher and toured the classroom.
Neural pathways were strengthening.
Session 4: Self-talk – Choosing Your BFF (Best Friend Forever)
In session 4, Mia learned about self-talk. They completed Skill Book 15 – Self-talk: Mastering the Secret Behind Self-esteem and Self-confidence.
Karen shared the coaching story “Choosing Your BFF (Best Friend Forever),” where Mia met Trudy the Tortoise and her friends, Positive Pam and Negative Nicki.
Mia quickly saw that she preferred the way Positive Pam spoke to Trudy over Negative Nicki. She learned that both voices lived in her own mind and that she could choose to listen to Positive Pam and be her own BFF.
Karen and Mia did two activities, including decorating a self-talk mirror and creating a mirror mantra. Mia couldn’t wait to show her mirror to her mom.
Session 5: Managing Fear – Slaying Dragons™
In session 5, Mia learned how to move through fear using Skill Book 24.
Karen shared the coaching story “Slaying Dragons™,” where Mia learned about the dragons of Fear, Self-doubt, and Judgment. Mia learned the 5 steps to manage fear and how to tame those dragons so that they don’t hold her back in life.
They used discussion questions to explore Mia’s fear about starting school and swimming in the ocean. Mia was excited to have steps she could take when she felt afraid.
Mia Swims in the Ocean
A few days after completing the Confident Kids coaching program, Mia saw Coach Karen and proudly announced that she swam in the ocean. She put her whole body under the water and saw fish.
Mia Starts Her New School
A week later, Mia’s mom proudly shared that Mia had a very successful first day of school! There was a small tear when she said goodbye to her mom, but then she marched into the classroom with her teacher. Mia had a happy first day and was very proud of herself.
What This Coaching Journey Shows Parents
This coaching journey shows how a proven curriculum and step-by-step coaching process guide a coach’s work with children.
WISDOM Coaches have used the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum and the STORY Coaching Process for over a decade with children around the world. The curriculum provides coaching stories, discussion questions, and activities, while the coach provides an emotionally safe space to help children apply skills to real-life situations.
As you saw in Mia’s journey, WISDOM Coach Karen adapted coaching when new challenges arose, supporting Mia with the tools she needed in the moment while staying aligned with the overall focus of coaching.
This is the kind of thoughtful, responsive process that helps children build confidence, resilience, and belief in themselves.
Next Steps for Parents
If seeing a full coaching journey helped you better understand how life coaching works for kids, you may want to explore:
- How the STORY Coaching Process Supports Your Child
- How a Life Coach Chooses What to Work On With Your Child
You can also choose to speak with a coach about your own child’s needs.
At Adventures in Wisdom, parents are supported in making informed, thoughtful decisions for their families.