What is the STORY Coaching Process and Why Is It So Effective for Teaching Mindset Skills to Kids?
The STORY Coaching Process is a powerful story-based coaching methodology created by Adventures in Wisdom® to bring life coaching and mindset skills training to children in a way that is engaging, brain-based, and transformative. STORY stands for Share the Story, Talk About the Story, Organize an Activity, Review with Parents, and Yes – Confirm Learning. This step-by-step approach, with a coaching tool for each step, helps children learn, practice, and integrate mindset skills for confidence, resilience, self-esteem, self-leadership, and achievement under the guidance of their coach. The STORY Coaching Process has been used by Certified WISDOM Coaches since 2013,to bring life coaching and mindset skills training to children around the world using the The Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum.
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What is the STORY Coaching Process?
The STORY Coaching Process is the core methodology Certified WISDOM Coaches use to deliver the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum. It was developed to help children learn mindset skills through an experiential journey that is both developmentally appropriate and highly engaging.
At its heart, STORY is designed to help children learn through experience. Stories introduce each mindset skill in a way that feels safe, fun, and relatable. Discussion helps children connect the concept to their own lives. Activities turn the learning into action. Reviewing with parents strengthens support at home. And confirming the learning at the next session helps mindset skills “stick” so children can use them throughout their lives.
By combining storytelling, guided conversation, hands-on activities, and ongoing reinforcement, the STORY Coaching Process transforms the curriculum into a powerful learning experience that builds confidence, resilience, self-esteem, self-leadership, and emotional well-being.
What Makes STORY Coaching Different?
The STORY Coaching Process is a unique model developed by Adventures in Wisdom® to help children learn mindset skills in a way that is engaging, emotionally safe, and designed for how children learn best.
Unlike traditional teaching, tutoring, or therapy, STORY Coaching is not about fixing children or telling them what to do. Instead, it helps children understand how their mind works, how their thoughts create their feelings, and how they can choose thoughts and actions that support their confidence, resilience, and well-being.
Rather than using lectures or worksheets, WISDOM Coaches guide children through short stories, creative activities, and simple coaching questions. The process is structured and supportive, making abstract ideas like self-talk, courage, and emotional regulation feel real and approachable.
According to the CDC, around 11% of children ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and 4% have been diagnosed with depression (CDC, 2023)
Mental health struggles are becoming more common in childhood, and these numbers likely underestimate the true prevalence, as many children experience emotional difficulties without a formal diagnosis or access to care.
The STORY Coaching Process meets this growing need by giving children concrete, age-appropriate tools to manage emotions, build self-awareness, and develop resilience even if they’re not in crisis. By learning how their mind works and how to shift their thinking, children build emotional strength from the inside out.
Children are not expected to process like adults. They are gently supported through a coaching experience that helps them think differently, feel more confident, and respond to challenges using real tools they understand and remember.
How the STORY Coaching Process Works (The 5 Steps)
The STORY Coaching Process is a structured, experiential method that guides children through learning, practicing, and internalizing each mindset skill. Every step includes a specific coaching tool from the researched-based Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum, ensuring a consistent, engaging, and developmentally appropriate learning experience.
Here’s how each step works:
S — Share the Coaching Story
Every skill begins with a coaching story that shows children how a character uses a mindset skill to navigate a challenge. Stories create emotional safety and open the door for meaningful learning for a child.
Coaching Tool: Coaching Story
T — Talk About the Story
Guided discussion helps children explore what happened in the story and how the mindset skill applies to their own life. This is where insights and “aha moments” happen.
Coaching Tool: Child-friendly discussion questions.
O — Organize an Activity
Children engage in an activity like an art project, role-playing, games, or other hands-on experiences that enable them practice the skill to deepen the learning in a fun way,
Coaching Tool: Activities
R — Review with Parent
At the end of each session, we review the key learning with the parent and often the child will share what they have learned. The coach shares a WISDOM for Home take home sheet which helps parents and children continue the conversation and reinforce learning at home.
Coaching Tool: WISDOM for Home
Y — Yes! Confirm Learning
At the beginning of the next session, coaches review the previous lesson with the child to confirm retention of the skill before introducing a new skill.
Coaching Tool: Wise in Five
The STORY Coaching Process turns every mindset skill into a structured, brain-based learning experience that children can understand, practice, and use in their daily lives. It is the foundation for delivering the Adventures in Wisdom® Curriculum in a way that is consistent, transformational, and fun.
Why the STORY Coaching Process Is So Effective (Brain-Based Reasons)
Using stories, discussion questions, and multisensory activities to teach mindset skills isn’t just fun, it is grounded in neuroscience and child development research. The STORY Coaching Process aligns with how children learn best, helping them understand, practice, and internalize critical mindset skills.
Below are three reasons why the STORY Coaching Process is so effective:
1. Brain Science: Stories, Discussion, and Multisensory Activities Activate the Whole Brain
One of the key reasons the STORY Coaching Process works so well is that it mirrors how children naturally learn. Neuroscience shows that when children hear a story, talk about what they are learning, and participate in multisensory activities, multiple regions of the brain activate at once, including the areas responsible for language, emotion, imagination, and memory. This whole-brain engagement creates deeper, more memorable learning than facts, lectures, or explanations alone.
Research in positive psychology and growth mindset adds another important layer. Children learn that abilities grow through effort, that thoughts create feelings, and that they can shift limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs. Story-based coaching translates these research-backed concepts into a child-friendly format, helping kids replace limiting thoughts like “I can’t do this” with a more empowering thought like, “How can I?”
By integrating decades of neuroscience, cognitive behavioral concepts, and SEL principles into engaging stories, guided discussions, and hands-on activities, the STORY Coaching Process helps children build essential skills such as confidence, self-awareness, resilience, emotional regulation, self-leadership, and responsible decision-making. In other words, children don’t just learn about mindset, they learn how to create it from the inside out in ways that last.
Learn more: https://adventuresinwisdom.com/research-based-coaching-curriculum/
2. Child-Friendly Terminology Makes Mindset Skills Easy to Learn and Apply
The Adventures in Wisdom® curriculum uses language that helps children relate to, remember, and talk about mindset skills in ways that feel safe and fun. And WISDOM Coaches bring this language to life during the STORY Coaching Process.
Kids may not want to talk about feeling embarrassed or afraid, but they love talking about “grungies” and “dragons,” terms that help them safely express what they are feeling and thinking.
- Grungies = negative feelings
- Dragons = negative thoughts
- Dragon thoughts create grungy feelings
We also teach parents a simple way to support emotional awareness at home. Instead of naming the emotion (“Why are you angry?”), we encourage parents to ask, “What is the grungy you’re feeling?” This enables the child to identify their feelings themselves, without shame, pressure, or defensiveness, and helps them connect their thoughts to their emotions.
During coaching, this language becomes part of the child’s everyday vocabulary and often part of the family system. Coaches and parents can ask:
- “What would this look like if you were living in Canville instead of Cantville?”
- “Are you listening to Positive Pam or Negative Nikki?”
- “What would this look like if you put on your Power Goggles® and shifted your thoughts?”
These terms make abstract concepts concrete, memorable, and actionable—helping children apply mindset skills in their daily lives.
3. Live Coaching Works Better than Videos or Apps
Sometimes we’re asked why Adventures in Wisdom® uses live coaching rather than teaching mindset skills through videos or an app. The answer comes down to two key reasons.
First, live coaching aligns with how children learn best.
Because children are still developing critical-thinking skills and do not yet have the life experience that adult coaching relies on, question-based coaching alone is ineffective. Children need a teaching component to build understanding before they can apply the skills. The STORY Coaching Process, delivered by a trained coach, provides this foundation and ensures that kids learn mindset skills in a way they can grasp, practice, and use in daily life.
Second, kids listen to coaches.
Children often hear feedback differently from a coach than from a parent. Coaching provides:
- A nonjudgmental, emotionally safe space
- A caring mentor who is “on their team”
- A supportive relationship where they feel comfortable expressing themselves
- Guidance that feels less like “being told what to do” and more like partnership
This human-to-human connection is where transformation happens. Children engage more deeply, apply the skills more readily, and feel more empowered when learning is facilitated by a caring coach.
A video or app cannot create the emotional connection, personalized guidance, or psychological safety children need to explore mindset skills. Live coaching allows the coach to reference the child’s real experiences, ask meaningful questions, adjust the pace, and reinforce skills in ways technology simply cannot match.
Live coaching turns information into transformation.
Experience the STORY Coaching Process – Try the Self-Talk Skill
One of the best ways to understand the STORY Coaching Process is to experience it firsthand. Self-talk is one of the most important mindset skills children can learn, which is why we give this skill book away for free. Through the Self-Talk lesson, you’ll see exactly how STORY helps children understand, practice, and apply a new mindset skill in a meaningful and memorable way.
The Self-Talk Skill Book is built around the story Choosing Your BFF (Best Friend Forever), where children meet Trudy the Tortoise and her two inner voices: Positive Pam and Negative Nikki. As children follow their interactions, they begin to understand the concept of self-talk and the powerful impact their inner voice has on their feelings and actions. This creates an immediate “aha moment” as children realize they can choose which voice to listen to.
Using the STORY Coaching Process, WISDOM Coaches guide children through:
- Share the Story – learning through Trudy, Positive Pam, and Negative Nikki
- Talk About the Story – exploring how self-talk shows up in their own lives
- Organize an Activity – practicing positive self-talk with the Mirror Mantra or similar activities
- Review with Parents – reinforcing the concept at home through WISDOM-for-Home
- Yes – Confirm Learning – checking retention at the next session using Wise-in-Five
This simple, powerful process helps children move from understanding the skill to actually using it – shifting negative self-talk, building confidence, and strengthening emotional resilience.
You can watch a full demonstration of the Self-Talk lesson and download the free resources here:
Why Stories Are the Foundation of the Adventures in Wisdom® Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum
Throughout history, stories have been used across every culture to teach values, pass down wisdom, and help children understand the world around them. In the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum, stories serve the same purpose: they help children learn critical mindset skills in a way that feels safe, engaging, and deeply meaningful.
Below are the core reasons why stories are central to our curriculum and why they are so effective in coaching children:
1. Stories Create Stronger, Deeper Learning Through Brain Science
When children hear facts, the language center of the brain that turns words into meaning is most activated. However, when children hear a story, not only is the language center of the brain activated but also the emotional center as children imagine feeling what the characters are feeling and the sensory and physiological centers as children imagine experiencing what the characters are experiencing.
This “whole brain” activation creates powerful learning and strong memories.
In other words, children remember stories and the lessons inside them.
2. Stories Create Emotional Safety and Open the Door for Conversation
Children often feel uncomfortable talking directly about their own worries, mistakes, or challenges. But they feel much more comfortable talking about:
- A character who is nervous
- A character who is afraid
- A character who makes a mistake
- A character who wants to reach a goal
Through stories, children can explore feelings and situations without feeling put on the spot.
This emotional safety allows coaches to have deeper, more meaningful conversations with children.
3. Stories Help Children “Learn Without Lecture” and Coaches “Teach Without Preaching”
Children do not respond well to being lectured or told what to do. Stories avoid this entirely.
By watching a character use a mindset skill, children:
- See the concept in real life
- Understand why it matters
- Learn how to use it
- Apply the lesson to their own challenges
WISDOM Coaches can then guide children in connecting the lesson to their real world.
4. Stories Provide a Shared Language That Makes Mindset Skills Easy to Use
Once a story is shared, coaches can reference the story or characters from the story during conversations. This helps anchor the skill and reinforces learning in everyday moments.
For example:
- “Are you in Canville or Cantville right now?”
- “What are your Power Goggles telling you?”
- “Is that Positive Pam or Negative Nikki talking?”
These questions instantly remind children of the story and the lesson from the story so that they can use the mindset skill to feel more empowered.
5. Stories Make Learning Fun and Keep Children Engaged
Stories turn mindset coaching into an experience children look forward to, helping:
- Build rapport with their coach
- Increase retention
- Boost participation
- Create positive associations with learning about emotions and thoughts
Fun enhances engagement and engagement helps create transformation.
6. Stories Create Natural Reinforcement and “Stickiness” Over Time
As children progress through coaching, stories continue to serve as:
- Refreshers
- Anchors
- Memory cues
- Emotional regulators
- Conversation starters
A single story can support learning for months, years, and even a lifetime because the imagery and characters stay with a child long after the session ends.
The Story-Based Curriculum Behind the STORY Coaching Process
The STORY Coaching Process is powerful because it is delivered using the proven Adventures in WIsdom Life Coaching for Kids curriculum that has been used by coaches since 2013 to bring life coaching and mindset skill training to children around the world
The story-based curriculum provides coaches with everything they need to teach mindset skills in a consistent, transformational way.
The Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum covers 5 areas of social-emotional development teaching 27 mindset skills to help children build confidence, resilience, self-esteem, self-leadership, and so much more. Each skill is brought to life through a coaching story, discussion questions, activities, and take-home tools that anchor learning between sessions. We call this The WISDOM System for Coaching Kids.
Below is an overview of the five areas:
1. MindPower™ — Understanding the Mind and Building Strong Thinking Habits
MindPower™ helps children understand how their thoughts shape their experiences and how they can shape their thoughts! Children learn the brain science behind mindset so that they can be more empowered in their lives.
Skills in this area help children learn how the mind works, how to shift negative thinking, how to create positive self-talk, and how to take charge of their mindset.
2. InnerPower™ — Developing Strong Character and Inner Strength
InnerPower™ teaches skills related to self-responsibility, integrity, respect, and self-respect. Children learn to think for themselves, make good choices, and stand strong against peer pressure. This area strengthens a child’s inner compass and sense of personal power.
3. MePower™ — Building Self-Esteem and Confidence from the Inside Out
MePower™ supports a healthy self-concept, helping children understand their strengths, gifts, and uniqueness. Skills in this area help children own their magnificence, build inner confidence, and experience self-worth that doesn’t depend on external validation.
4. DreamPower™ — Vision, Goal Setting, and Creating a Life You Love
DreamPower™ teaches children how to live life with intention. Children learn how to set goals, visualize success, use affirmations, and practice gratitude. These skills help them build perseverance, motivation, and optimism.
5. Slaying Dragons™ — Coping Skills for Life’s Challenges
Slaying Dragons™ helps children develop strong emotional resilience and coping strategies.
Skills in this area support navigating fear, worry, change, disappointment, mistakes, and failure without giving up on themselves. Children learn how to face challenges with courage, flexibility, and self-leadership.
Together, These Five Areas Teach 27 Mindset Skills
Each skill is taught through the same STORY Coaching Process:
- A coaching story that makes the concept relatable
- Discussion questions that help children connect the skill to their own life
- A hands-on activity that turns learning into experience
- A WISDOM for Home sheet to reinforce the skill at home
- A Wise i -Five review to confirm learning at the next session
This structure ensures that children not only understand the skill but also practice it and internalize it—making mindset learning practical, memorable, and transformational.
Download the WISDOM System infographic PDF (link to be added).
Real-Life Results (Success Stories)
The STORY Coaching Process has helped children around the world build confidence, emotional resilience, self-leadership, and stronger relationships. Below are real-life examples of how WISDOM Coaches use the Adventures in Wisdom® curriculum and the STORY Coaching Process to create meaningful transformations.
Real-Life Results from STORY Coaching
The STORY Coaching Process creates real change in children’s lives by helping them build confidence, emotional strength, and resilience from the inside out. Since 2023, in over 30 countries across the globe, our WISDOM Coaches are using story-based life coaching to help kids manage emotions, navigate challenges, and become leaders in their own lives.
Alan, age 8, used to cry nearly every day at school. Teachers were concerned, and his parents didn’t know what to do. After working with a WISDOM Coach®, Alan learned how to shift his thinking and manage his emotions using the coaching tools he was taught. His transformation was immediate. He stopped crying at school, gained emotional control, and started participating in class with greater confidence. Read Alan’s story
Emma, age 10, was bright and thoughtful but often overwhelmed by worry. She constantly stressed about school and friendships. With support from her WISDOM Coach®, Emma learned to recognize anxious thoughts and use “Power Shifting” to calm herself. After just one session, she told her mom, “I feel like a new person.” Over time, Emma built stronger emotional awareness and learned how to face her fears with confidence. Read Emma’s story
Liam, age 9, struggled with following directions and showing respect in class. Through the InnerPower segment of the curriculum, Liam began to understand personal responsibility and how to make better choices. His teacher noticed a clear shift in his behavior and even described him as a role model for other students. Coaching helped Liam become more reflective, respectful, and confident in how he showed up at school. Read Liam’s story
Many Thousands of Transformations Worldwide
Stories like these represent just a small portion of the transformations happening through the STORY Coaching Process. Coaches in more than 30 countries use this methodology to help children:
- Build confidence and self-esteem
- Develop emotional resilience
- Strengthen coping skills
- Improve relationships
- Make responsible choices
- Achieve goals
- Reduce anxiety and stress
These stories reflect just a few of the many ways WISDOM Coaches are helping children develop the mindset skills they need to thrive. From emotional regulation and positive self-talk to courage and decision-making, STORY Coaching equips kids with practical tools they can use every day.
Click here to discover more success stories with Adventures in Wisdom®
Quick FAQ
What is the STORY Coaching Process?
The STORY Coaching Process is a powerful story-based coaching methodology created by Adventures in Wisdom® to bring life coaching and mindset skills training to children in a way that is engaging, brain-based, and transformative.
STORY stands for Share the Story, Talk About the Story, Organize an Activity, Review with Parents, and Yes – Confirm Learning.
This step-by-step approach, with a coaching tool for each step, helps children learn, practice, and integrate mindset skills for confidence, resilience, self-esteem, self-leadership, and achievement under the guidance of their coach.
The STORY Coaching Process has been used by Certified WISDOM Coaches since 2013,to bring life coaching and mindset skills training to children around the world using the The Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum.
What skills do kids learn through the STORY Coaching Process?
Children learn 27 mindset skills that fall under six areas of development in the WISDOM System. These include:
- Building self-confidence and self-esteem
- Managing emotions and handling mistakes
- Developing courage and resilience
- Setting goals and making good decisions
- Standing up to peer pressure
- Practicing respect, responsibility, and integrity
These life skills are taught through stories, reflection, and hands-on learning.
Who can use the STORY Coaching Process?
Only Certified WISDOM Coaches are licensed to use the full Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum and the STORY Coaching Process. Certification includes access to the story-based system, mentor guides, skill books, and business support tools.
What ages is the STORY Coaching Process for?
The STORY Coaching Process is designed for children ages 6–12. Because the stories and activities are highly adaptable, many coaches also use the curriculum successfully with younger children, teens, and even adults.
How long does it take to see results?
Many coaches report meaningful shifts after the very first session. Most children experience deeper understanding and lasting transformation after 5–7 sessions, as each new skill builds on prior learning through the Wise-in-Five review process.
How can I see the STORY Coaching Process?
Adventures in Wisdom offers a free coaching story on our website for aspiring coaches who want to experience the curriculum. You will receive both the Mentor’s Guide and the Children’s Guide so that you can experience the story, discussion questions, and activity.
Get free story here: https://adventuresinwisdom.com/life-coaching-for-kids-free-story/
You can also see a demonstration of the full coaching process here:
https://adventuresinwisdom.com/self-talk-live-event-replay/
How is the STORY Coaching Process different from counseling or therapy?
The STORY Coaching Process is a life coaching methodology focused on teaching mindset skills that help children build confidence, resilience, self-esteem, self-leadership, and emotional well-being. It is not therapy and does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders. Instead, it supports children on the mental wellness side of the continuum by equipping them with tools and skills they can use throughout life.
Do WISDOM Coaches need special training to use the STORY Coaching Process?
Yes. Only certified WISDOM Coaches are trained and licensed to deliver the STORY Coaching Process and the Adventures in Wisdom Life Coaching for Kids Curriculum. Certification ensures coaches know how to guide children safely, effectively, and consistently using the full system of stories, discussions, activities, and home reinforcement tools.
Is the STORY Coaching Process evidence-based?
Yes. The methodology is grounded in decades of research from neuroscience, cognitive behavioral science, SEL (social-emotional learning), and positive psychology. The stories, activities, and coaching language translate these research-backed concepts into a child-friendly format that is proven effective in real-world coaching across more than 30 countries. Learn more here: https://adventuresinwisdom.com/research-based-coaching-curriculum/
How can I find a Certified WISDOM Coach® for my child?
You can visit AdventuresinWisdom.com to learn more, download a free coaching story, and connect with a Certified WISDOM Coach® in your area or online.
How You Can Use Story to Change Children’s Lives
The STORY Coaching Process helps children do more than learn. It helps them transform. Through story-based coaching, kids begin to understand how their thoughts shape their emotions and how they can make confident, empowered choices in their lives.
When children learn mindset skills like resilience, emotional regulation, and self-leadership through stories, they don’t just listen; they relate. They don’t just absorb information; they practice and apply it in real life.
This is why STORY Coaching works. It meets kids exactly where they are. It gives them structure, safety, and support while making mindset learning fun and engaging.
Whether a child is facing anxiety, peer pressure, self-doubt, or big emotions, this process helps them gain the tools and self-belief to move forward with courage.
If you’re a parent, educator, coach, or professional who works with children, the WISDOM Coach Certification Program can help you guide children toward confidence, resilience, and a lifetime of personal growth.
👉 Ready to start changing lives?
Download your free coaching story and learn how you can become a Certified WISDOM Coach®