In my decades of coaching leaders and teams, I’ve discovered that transformation rarely comes from a single approach. Just as ancient wisdom traditions speak of different guides for different journeys, I’ve developed three distinct coaching personas, each bringing unique gifts to the development process.
These personas emerged naturally from my doctoral research in Jungian psychology and years of practical experience. They’re not masks to wear, but authentic expressions of different ways to serve clients in their growth journey.
The Alchemist Coach: Master of Transitions
The alchemist in medieval times was concerned with transformation – turning base metals into gold. As the Alchemist Coach, I work with clients navigating significant life and career transitions. This persona draws deeply from Jung’s understanding of alchemy as a metaphor for personal transformation.
When working with clients in transition, the Alchemist Coach:
– Creates safe containers for exploration
– Honors the necessity of ‘breaking down’ before ‘building up’
– Recognises patterns in chaos
– Trusts the process of transformation
A recent client facing a career crossroads found this approach particularly powerful: “The alchemical process helped me see that my confusion wasn’t chaos – it was necessary transformation.”
The Chief Explorer: Navigator of New Territories
The Chief Explorer emerged as I transitioned from traditional leadership roles into a more fluid space of discovery and innovation. This persona specializes in helping clients:
– Map uncharted territory in their professional lives
– Discover new perspectives on old challenges
– Create experiments for testing new approaches
– Build bridges between current reality and desired futures
The Explorer brings curiosity and wonder to coaching conversations, encouraging clients to see challenges as adventures and problems as possibilities.
The Trickster Provocateur: Sacred Disruptor
Perhaps the most surprising persona, the Trickster Provocateur, serves as a gentle disruptor of stuck patterns. Drawing on the archetype of the sacred fool, this persona:
– Challenges assumptions with playful inquiry
– Introduces productive confusion
– Uses humour to shift perspective
– Creates space for breakthrough thinking
The Trickster shows up when conventional approaches aren’t serving the client, when we need to shake things up to see what emerges.
Working with Multiple Perspectives
These personas aren’t separate entities but different facets of the coaching relationship. Sometimes a client needs the careful container-holding of the Alchemist, sometimes the adventurous spirit of the Explorer, and sometimes the pattern-breaking energy of the Trickster.
The art lies in discerning which approach will best serve the client in any given moment. This flexibility allows for deeper, more nuanced coaching conversations that honour the complexity of human development.
As one client reflected: “Working with these different approaches helped me see my challenges from new angles. Each perspective offered different tools for growth.”
Your Own Inner Guides
While these personas emerged from my journey as a coach, each of us has our own inner guides waiting to be discovered. What aspects of yourself emerge in different situations? What wisdom figures inform your approach to challenges?
If you’re curious about exploring these different approaches to personal and professional development, I invite you to:
– Reflect on which persona most resonates with your current challenges
– Consider how different perspectives might illuminate your path
– Explore working with these approaches through coaching
You can learn more about these approaches in my book “The Inner Fire: a coaching alchemy“, which explores the alchemical nature of transformational coaching.
Ready to Work with These Approaches?
I offer three distinct coaching programmes, each drawing on these personas in different ways:
The Wayfinder Programme: Perfect if you’re navigating career transitions or seeking deeper purpose. The Alchemist Coach guides your transformation journey.
The Creative You Programme: Ideal for unlocking your creative potential. The Chief Explorer helps you chart new territories in your creative practice.
The Productive You Programme: Designed for those seeking better ways to work and live. The Trickster Provocateur helps break old patterns and establish new ones.
Book a free ‘Toe in the Water‘ call to explore which approach would best serve your journey.
4 thoughts on “Meet the Three Guides of Transformational Coaching”
Thanks for such a perceptive comment Keran. It’s a question of being adaptive and flexible to the client. As you say, changing the persona to adapt to different people and different situations can be really transformational.
Thanks for the comment Amanda. Much appreciated
Thank you Stuart for your insights. I had never really considered the idea of differing coaching styles; But when I think about it, it makes perfect sense.
It’s made me think about how the different styles can be used to deal with different situations and people.
I can identify with one style that I think is most helpful for me, and a different style that I tend to use when I am trying to help others, and oddly they are not the same?
But I can see overlap.
Thanks again Stuart
Keran
Brilliant and rich content. Stuart has a unique insight into the coaching role and the power it contains for life and professional transformation. Highly recommend this article