Everyone’s talking about AI coaching right now.
The problem isn’t silence. It’s misunderstanding. Most people are misusing the word “coaching” entirely.
I recently read a Fast Company article titled:
“Why AI Coaching Works (And Often Works Better).”
(Link below)
It made bold claims, so I leaned on AI to help me analyze it. Together, we unpacked what worked, what didn’t, and what it might mean for the future of business growth and leadership.
The critique was thoughtful.
But here’s what stood out most:
The article – and even the AI I used – completely missed the core issue.
They weren’t describing coaching at all.
❌ What They Call Coaching Is Really Advice-Giving
The article praised AI for:
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Prepping difficult conversations
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Offering communication tips
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Delivering scripts and nudges
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Tracking behavior in real time
Helpful? Absolutely. Coaching? Not at all.
These are forms of advising, training, or automated support.
But coaching is a very different process.
✅ What Real Coaching Actually Is (Per ICF)
The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as:
“Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
That means:
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No fixing
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No pushing
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No templated solutions
Real coaching helps you:
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Access your own clarity
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See what’s emotionally in the way
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Move forward with confidence and alignment
It’s not about feeding you solutions. It’s about helping you find what works from within.
🧠 Even the AI Missed That Distinction
The AI-assisted analysis I ran gave helpful feedback. It pointed out overreaching claims and raised good points around scalability and ethics.
But it missed the heart of the issue:
The article calls it coaching – but never once describes an actual coaching process.
This same confusion shows up in company training materials, marketing language, and even some coaching tech platforms. The word “coaching” is being watered down into something shallow – and that creates real confusion for business owners and leaders.
🤝 Where AI Does Belong – And How I Use It
Let me be clear: I lean into AI tools every day in my business.
But I never confuse what they do with the work I do as a coach.
Here’s where AI supports my process:
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🧠 Content development – I refine blog posts, emails, and client stories with help from AI. The insights come from my real-world coaching, and AI helps organize or polish the message.
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📋 Frameworks and systems – I’ve built tools like the Perfect Ideal Work Week and Home Harmony Leadership System using my experience and client results. AI helps bring structure to the ideas.
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💬 Relationship marketing – I use AI to test and sharpen ideas for LinkedIn comments and posts that build connection and momentum.
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🧰 Client systems support – I also show my clients how to use AI to create standard operating procedures, training manuals, and documentation – so their businesses run more smoothly without micromanagement.
AI enhances the work. I’m still the one doing the coaching (and training and teaching).
🙋♂️ Why (My) Coaching Goes Deeper
Before I went through business coach training, I spent years leading corporate departments and teams in workflow, customer service, employee mentoring and training, and sales development. Before that, I was a working partner in a restaurant group, served on the Board of Directors for two nonprofits, was vice president of my fraternity, had college and high school part-time jobs, taught music lessons, and was an Eagle Scout…
Since I left the corporate world, I’ve coached hundreds of small business owners and professionals through growth, burnout, reinvention, and realignment.
I’m also trained in energy and emotional healing – because sometimes what keeps someone stuck isn’t the strategy. It’s the internal noise.
That’s where AI can’t go. And it’s where the most powerful breakthroughs happen.
🎯 The Bottom Line
AI tools can offer great support. They can deliver prompts, simulate conversations, and increase access. But that’s not coaching.
Coaching is a relational process. It clears the fog, restores confidence, and helps leaders move forward – fully aligned and emotionally clear.
That still takes a human.
📣 Want to see the original article analysis and breakdown?
👉 Read it here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91353389/why-ai-coaching-works-and-often-works-better-ai-work-coaching
And if you’re using AI in your own business – or struggling to define the lines between automation, delegation, and real growth – send me a message. Let’s talk.
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